27/02/2026
In a meaningful step toward making emotional support more accessible, we are launching Cairns in the Community, a new pilot project bringing face-to-face counselling directly into neighbourhoods across Aberdeen.
This initiative is about meeting people where they are — not just emotionally, but geographically. For many in our communities, especially in areas facing higher levels of deprivation, travelling across the city for support can feel like one barrier too many. Cairns in the Community is about removing those barriers and making help feel closer, more welcoming, and easier to reach.
Delivered in partnership with Woodside Medical Group, counselling sessions will now take place two days a week at Woodside Fountain Health Centre starting on 2nd March 2026. By offering appointments within a familiar, trusted community setting, Cairns Counselling hopes to create a space where patients of the health centre feel comfortable taking that first brave step toward support.
A representative from Woodside Medical Group said; "We're very pleased to be working with Cairns Counselling to bring this service into our community. Having face-to-face counselling available at Woodside Medical Practice will make it easier for our patients to get the support they need, close to home, in a safe familiar environment. We're proud to be working as a team that puts people's wellbeing first"
As demand for counselling continues to rise, we aim not only to strengthen individual wellbeing but to build a more sustainable model of care for the future.
Cairns in the Community reflects our ongoing commitment to listening, adapting, and responding to what local people need most. The learning gathered through this pilot will help shape future services and explore opportunities to expand community-based counselling into other areas of Aberdeen.
This project is part funded by Health Improvement Fund Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership
Woodside Medical Group
