A SOUTHAMPTON woman is helping to deliver vital counselling sessions to children struggling with metal health or suffering with neglect and abuse.

Michelle Barry, from St Denys, is helping to deliver vital counselling sessions as part of a team of frontline counsellors in the NSPCC.

Since the start of January, Childline - run byhe NCPCC - has delivered 6,938 counselling sessions to children and young people who have got in touch about coronavirus.

Michelle normally works as a coordinator for the NSPCC’s Schools Service – Speak Out Stay Safe - but has re-trained as a Childline counsellor during lockdown.

She said: “I think it’s so positive that the service has adapted so we can still be here to support children of all ages during this difficult time.

“I have found the shifts challenging but in such a positive way.

“When you’re on a Childline shift you have to make sure you are fully present and focused so you can accurately assess the risk levels from the messages that children are sending in.

“However, despite it being challenging at times, I’ve had so much support from the Childline supervisors and I really feel part of the team.”

In April, the NSPCC launched its urgent appeal ‘Still here for children’ and is urging the public to visit its website and donate £10 to help fund vital services like Childline, so the charity can continue to be here for children who need help.

The NSPCC records the top concerns of young people across all its sessions and in the period since the crisis began, three of the four top main concerns relate to mental and emotional health and wellbeing.

Every week since lockdown, the charity has delivered more than 2,000 counselling sessions with children concerned about their mental health and emotional wellbeing – totalling nearly 17,000 during seven weeks.

Michelle added: “When I first started doing these shifts the messages that I was receiving from children were focused on concerns about the Coronavirus.

“As the weeks have gone by the focus has shifted and many children are now feeling frustrated about not being able to see their friends and feeling isolated, others are not coping with home schooling.”