Petals’ at Westminster
Our work recognised in a landmark report on the future of counselling and psychotherapy that launched in Westminster this week.
Our CEO and Founder Karen Burgess proudly attended the launch of a major new report at Westminster this week about the vital role counselling and psychotherapy play in improving mental health and wellbeing across the UK. The inclusion of Petals’ specialist baby loss counselling work was an evidence-based example within the report, of how culturally sensitive support can transform lives.
Unlocking Potential: Transforming Lives – Commission for the Future of Counselling and Psychotherapy was commissioned by the Partnership of Counselling and Psychotherapy Bodies (PCPB). The PCPB brought together six of the leading professional bodies representing the counselling and psychotherapy profession.
Breaking barriers to baby loss support
Petals were proud to play a significant part in the report’s evidence. Breaking barriers to baby loss support: How culturally sensitive counselling and psychotherapy can improve outcomes for Black and Black Mixed-Heritage parents, highlighted a dedicated Petals programme designed to address inequalities in access to appropriate bereavement support.
Funded by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the 12-month project ran between November 2024 and November 2025 and saw Petals providing specialist counselling to 21 Black and Black Mixed-Heritage parents who had experienced miscarriage, neonatal loss, ectopic pregnancy or pregnancy after loss.
Working in partnership with Tommy’s and Five X More, Petals delivered support through our bank of trained specialist counsellors who are experts in grief and trauma. The programme offered parents a safe, culturally sensitive space to process their bereavement, understand their grief, address trauma and develop healthy coping strategies. Before therapy, 95% of couples scored above the clinical threshold for distress, reflecting significant emotional and psychological impact.
The outcomes highlighted in the report demonstrate the importance of this approach:
- 98% said counselling helped them begin thinking positively about the future.
- 93% said counselling helped them process their trauma.
- 92% gained a better understanding of their grief.
- 91% found healthier ways to live with their loss.
- 63% of parents achieved clinical improvement, with 56% experiencing reliable improvement in their clinical outcome scores.
The feedback from parents also highlighted the importance of feeling understood, safe, heard and empowered throughout their recovery. One parent described their experience of Petals counselling:
“She was very amazing, and I felt that she understood me. I received a lot of helpful and practical advice on dealing with my grief. She provided a safe space for me to share my feelings and fears.”
For Petals, the inclusion of this work in the report is an important recognition of the great need for specialist baby loss counselling that understands and responds to the different experiences and needs of bereaved parents.
A six-point roadmap for the future
The Commission’s report explores how counselling and psychotherapy can make a greater contribution to addressing the UK’s growing mental health needs. It highlights the significant potential of an existing, highly skilled workforce, much of which remains underused, and calls for a more coordinated approach to making professional psychological support accessible to those who need it.
Its recommendations are set out across six strategic priorities:
- Improve commissioning and funding – Increase access to evidence-based counselling and psychotherapy across health, education, workplace and community settings.
- Strengthen public protection – Introduce statutory regulation and strengthen professional standards.
- Build a sustainable and diverse workforce – Improve education, training, workforce development and diversity.
- Strengthen the evidence base – Increase research and evaluation, ensuring evidence informs commissioning and policymaking.
- Raise public and political recognition – Increase awareness of the contribution counselling and psychotherapy make to mental health and wellbeing.
- Give the profession a stronger collective voice – Create a Counselling and Psychotherapy Federation to improve coordination and influence.
Why these recommendations matter to Petals
“At Petals we work on the frontline, delivering our specialist counselling programme daily across the country. We support the call for improvements for commissioning and funding – this is essential for national services like us that work alongside the NHS. Funded research in this field is also desperately needed to ensure progression in the development of a robust evidence base for our profession, and finally we support the principle of a Counselling & Psychotherapy Federation that will secure the professional status of counsellors within the wider mental health workforce.”
– Karen Burgess, Founder and CEO of Petals.
At Petals, we see every day just how important specialist counselling can be for parents navigating the profoundly devastating and life-changing experience of pregnancy and baby loss. We are proud that our work has been recognised in this report, particularly our work to break down barriers and improve access to culturally sensitive support for Black and Black Mixed-Heritage parents. The launch of this report marks an important opportunity to bring greater recognition to the counselling and psychotherapy profession and the difference it makes to individuals, families and communities.
For Petals, it is also a reminder of why our work matters. We believe that every bereaved parent deserves access to compassionate, specialist support, and we will continue to work tirelessly on our mission of making that support available to all.