GroceryAid has been providing emotional, practical and financial support for grocery colleagues since 1857.
Financial worries, family challenges and trying to juggle work and home life can put an immense strain on our relationships. GroceryAid’s partnership with Relate, the UK’s largest provider of relationship support, gives colleagues additional support to explore complex or difficult relationship issues in a safe and confidential environment.
GroceryAid is a charity which supports people who work or have worked in the grocery industry. This includes anyone who works for a supermarket, wholesaler, manufacturer, convenience store, independent grocer, petrol forecourt store or service provider to the grocery trade. We also support businesses in the foodservice wholesale sector. Grocery is considered fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sold in supermarkets or grocery stores.
GroceryAid can help you and your household a wide range of topics including mental health and wellbeing support, financial wellbeing guidance, family and relationship advice, debt management and counselling. Specialist counsellors are also available for those who have experienced a traumatic incident through our Workplace Critical Incident support.
Financial grants can help those who may have experienced an event which has caused financial crisis or an unexpected drop in income, subject to criteria.
What’s on offer?
Couples Relationship Counselling
If you're facing problems in your relationship or you'd like to understand your partner better, counselling can help you talk through what's going on and enable you to make positive changes. GroceryAid funds relationship counselling through Relate for couples where one or both work in the grocery industry.
Whether you’re facing difficulties in your relationship or you'd just like to get to know your partner better, Relationship Counselling can make a real difference.
Counselling provides a supportive, confidential, and caring environment in which you can talk over any problems and think about ways to address them.
Up to six counselling sessions are available to couples.
Please note GroceryAid do not fund individual counselling through Relate.
One Session Relationship Therapy
One Session Therapy is a new service to help couples work through a specific issue quickly with one of our counsellors. You can attend with a partner so that you can work together on an issue with your counsellor. It's perfect for those who want to strengthen their relationship, but don't think their area of concern needs to be addressed over the traditional six sessions of counselling.
You might have a single big problem in your relationships which you feel like you can't move forward from, or you might be struggling to communicate through one issue. One Session Therapy provides you with the tools you need to make sense of things and practical steps to take action. It lasts one hour and can be done on Zoom from one or two different locations. We’ll try to see you within 24 hours, at a time that’s convenient for you.
Family Counselling
Family counselling can help when siblings aren’t getting on, or when parents and children are going through a divorce or separation. Forming a new family can be a challenge and it is at this point many parents need some support to help everyone settle. Or maybe your family is looking to implement some new routines or behaviours and need a bit of guidance. Whatever difficulties you're facing as a family, Relate can help.
GroceryAid will pay for up to six Family Counselling sessions.
Sex Therapy
It’s natural to want better sex and sometimes there may be specific reasons for your difficulties. Don’t be embarrassed about it, get help instead. Sex therapy helps those who are experiencing difficulty in their love life, and those who want to improve physical intimacy.
Everyone goes through phases where they don’t have the time or energy for regular sex. If this has become the norm and you would like to rediscover your sex life, sex therapy might be for you.
GroceryAid will pay for up to 6 sessions.
Young People’s Counselling Ages 11-18
If young people in your household are experiencing problems at school, issues with family members of friends or generally not feeling like themselves, counselling lets them talk about how they feel, separate from school and home life and can help them get back to enjoying life.
Young people of GroceryAid beneficiaries can access up to six free sessions.
Children’s Counselling Ages 5-10
Relate offer a children's counselling service for children between the ages of five and 10. The focus will always be around the wellbeing and experience of your child, even though you or those with parental responsibility for your child may be present. Children’s counselling might be offered to a child struggling with things like stress or anxiety, family change like a parental divorce, or academic pressure.
Children of GroceryAid beneficiaries can access up to six free sessions.
How is counselling delivered?
All the available services can be delivered over the phone, by video call or face-to-face, meaning you can get in touch whichever way suits you best.
Who is eligible to access the Support Services?
All Relate support services are available to those currently working in the grocery industry, including their partners and dependants, as well as being available to former industry staff. whether you're married, living together or in a same-sex relationship.
Are these services confidential?
All Relate services are confidential and no one you work with will be told that you have accessed these services unless there are safeguarding issues.
How to access the services
Click here to apply for a funding code from GroceryAid for Relate counselling.