To further its strategic priority of offering prompt and affordable counselling, mental health charity Jami has joined forces with Raphael, The Jewish Counselling Service.

The organisations believe the merger will enable them to offer counselling to more people, with additional scope to support those with complex mental health needs.

They are already sharing premises and it is understood that Raphael will eventually become part of Jami. As Raphael staff are either freelance or voluntary, the merger will not involve redundancies. Most will remain in situ under the Jami umbrella.

Jami chief executive Laurie Rackind said: “Availability of psychological therapies is a much-needed strategic development within Jami’s established mental health service. This merger provides an opportunity for people using Jami’s services to get access to qualified counsellors and to further develop an established counselling service to meet the needs of our community.”

On behalf of Raphael, Barbara-Anne Creeger said the move would allow “more effective support of the current and future mental health needs and emotional wellbeing of the community”.

The offering will be aimed at those experiencing mild to moderate mental health issues and others without a mental health diagnosis who are struggling with life events and emotions. It also covers carers and other adult family members of people experiencing mental health difficulties.

Jami is in the process of hiring a therapies lead to facilitate the transition of Raphael services and integrate Raphael’s clinical team.

Raphael says that since 1979, it has offered the only broad-based counselling service to adults in the Jewish community, “providing a safe, non-judgemental and confidential haven for individuals and couples in London and the Home Counties — and more recently, further afield via online counselling”.