Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency Fiona Hyslop, met with Declan Harrigan, CEO of S.M.I.L.E Counselling & Training at her Whitburn Office on 28th July.
S.M.I.L.E Counselling provides training for both professionals and members of the community, and supports 11-24-year olds across West Lothian by providing a range of services including: face-to-face counselling services, one-to-one phone calls, email and online chat services.
Over the last seven years S.M.I.L.E have supported 1,000 young people in West Lothian with 7,000 one-to-one counselling sessions offered.
Commenting after the meeting Fiona said:
“I was pleased to meet Declan and personally extend my congratulations to him, and the team at S.M.I.L.E, on their recent Charity of the Year Award which they won at the Scottish Charity of the Year Awards.
“I was also proud to hear more about the incredible work S.M.I.L.E are doing in my Constituency and across West Lothian, they really make a difference for many children and young people in the County.
“The Team at S.M.I.L.E, provides a range of mental health counselling and support services across West Lothian including in some of our high schools. They also provide invaluable Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), to communities, professionals and groups across West Lothian.
“The ASIST training provides communities and individuals with the skills needed to recognise what a person who is at risk may need from others in order to keep them safe and get help.
“I look forward to working with Declan and the S.M.I.L.E team in the future to support them in continuing to make a positive mark on the lives on young people in West Lothian.”
ENDS