A SPECIALIST centre to provide support for therapy services and training has been opened at the University of South Wales (USW).

The Helen Kegie Centre for Therapies was unveiled at the Newport City Campus by vice-chancellor professor Julie Lydon at a special ceremony on Thursday.

Named in honour of the late Helen Kegie MBE - a USW supporter, philanthropist and the former vice-chairwoman of the Seren group - the facility will be home to USW Therapy, which delivers a range of clinical, CPD, training and consultancy opportunities to public and private organisations and charities.

The purpose-built centre brings together USW’s expertise in therapeutic training and delivery, with staff also providing consultancy services on mental health issues for a wide range of statutory and third sector groups.

The South Wales Counselling and Psychotherapy clinic, which offers a range of psychotherapeutic services to the public, is based at the centre, as is the Newport Independent School Based Counselling Service (NISBCS), which provides support to the city’s schools.

An online counselling service for children and young people will be launched there later this year.

At the launch, Prof Lydon said: “Helen was passionate about enabling individuals from low-income backgrounds to access education, specifically those accessing social science-related disciplines.

“She established the Helen Kegie Fund to provide annual bursaries to students who might have otherwise struggled to meet the cost of their education. She also wanted to ensure that children and families were served by USW graduates in the local communities and helped to start up the counselling clinic.

“The opening of the centre, and the work the staff do, will ensure that Helen’s legacy lives on.”