A collaboration between Sussex Innovation members BowerTree Therapeutic Services and Mindful Extracts has led to the launch of a new wellbeing initiative offering five free face to face counselling sessions to individuals this winter.

The project, known as 5FS, Five Free Face-to-Face Sessions, has been made possible through a donation from Mindful Extracts following their Black Friday sales in November. Mindful Extracts is an organic wellbeing brand based at Sussex Innovation, producing products including Reishi and CBD oils.

BowerTree, also based at the Sussex Innovation Centre, will deliver the sessions from their on-site office. Counselling will be provided by trainee therapists who have completed their formal training and are now gaining the required supervised hours as junior counsellors before full qualification.

The 5FS project will run throughout January until February 20th 2026, recognising that the start of the year can be a challenging period for many people. Participants who wish to continue counselling after completing the five free sessions will have the option to do so at a reduced rate of £15 per session.

This collaboration reflects a wider benefit of being part of the Sussex Innovation community, where startups, scale-ups and growing businesses are supported through flexible workspace, business support, and a connected network of businesses and entrepreneurs.

By encouraging members to build lasting connections, partnerships, and share skills, Sussex Innovation enables collaborations that deliver meaningful local impact alongside sustainable business growth.

Anyone wishing to access the 5FS counselling sessions can visit the BowerTree website, select Counselling for Individuals, and complete the online counselling request form, stating that they would like to sign up to the 5FS project.

Find out about Sussex Innovation memberships here.