Interested in talking therapy?

Talking therapy is a way to explore your difficulties with a trained professional, sorting through your problems to get some relief from tension, have a safe place to explore how you are feeling, gain a new understanding of your problems and plan what you want to do to overcome them.

There is a large body of evidence to support its effectiveness for a range of mental health problems.
 

How does it work?

The first step will be to have an assessment. This may take place over the telephone or face to face.

The aim of the assessment is to get an idea of your current problems, how they affect you in your day-to-day life, explore what changes you want to make and to make a joint decision on the best type of treatment for you.

If this is not with our service, you will be given information on the best place for you to go for help, or we may make a referral to appropriate service. If you do go on to have sessions with us, you will meet with your therapist on a regular basis (this may be by phone, over the internet or face-to-face) which you will set up together.

This would usually be weekly to start with. Sessions may last up to an hour, depending on the type of therapy you have, or up to three hours for group therapy.

The sessions will give you a place to explore what is important to you, to get things off your chest, develop a different perspective on your problems, and makes plans for moving forward.

Behavioural Couples Therapy

This offers relationship support to a couple where at least one partner has depression. Most sessions will be for both people, but individual sessions may also be scheduled if needed. Regular hourly sessions may be offered up to a maximum of 16, although some cases need fewer meetings.

The therapy is designed to help each partner to understand the origin and effects of depression; how it impacts on their relationship and how the relationship impacts on the depression.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT is based on a shared knowledge in an equal, collaborative working relationship. The therapist and client will work together to explore how different problems are established and maintained and how the client can begin to make changes.

CBT acknowledges that earlier experiences can shape the way a person thinks, feels and behaves, but the focus of the therapy is on current difficulties. The sessions are structured and between-session activities are agreed to help with exploration and progress. Outside the sessions, the client will practise techniques to test their assumptions, and this helps develop confidence in new ways of handling their situations. Depending on the type or severity of your problems, you may be offered guided self-help, offered by our team of Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners. This may be offered by telephone or online via webcam or text-based chat. Alternatively, you may be referred to our CBT therapists. They offer hour-long sessions, usually delivered weekly, with an average course of treatment being between six to eight sessions. These may be offered via an online platform if the client prefers.

Counselling

Counselling offers the opportunity to talk about any issues that are causing concern.

The aim of counselling is to find ways of managing situations more satisfactorily, either by making changes, or finding new ways of managing difficult feelings. Counselling is a safe place to work through a situation with support and in a safe place to reflect.

There is no ‘one style fits all’; one person may wish to reflect on long-term difficulties and lifetime experiences, another will want simply to concentrate on a particular issue in the present. The focus of the sessions will be agreed at the beginning of treatment.

The different types of counselling available in the service are detailed below.

Counselling for Depression (CfD)

Counselling for depression is an evidence-based form of therapy which is particularly helpful for people experiencing depression.

CfD counselling may also suit people with low self-worth, grief, relationship difficulties, or life-cycle adjustments, or who are struggling to cope with life stress. It views depression as primarily an emotional problem brought about by conflicting mental views, for example, being too critical of oneself, feeling worthless, being left with unresolved feelings from difficult relationships, or other experiences. It can help to get in touch with underlying feelings, to express and make sense of them.

Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) 

DIT is a time-limited therapy based on psychodynamic theory, specially developed for the treatment of depression.

It aims to help make connections between depression symptoms and what is happening in relationships, with the belief that dealing with relationship problems more effectively can help psychological problems improve. DIT may last for up to 16 sessions.

The client and the therapist work together to identify a key, repetitive pattern of relating to others which can often be traced back to childhood. DIT does not involve any written exercises or homework but the patient needs to be interested in working in the area of relationships and to be actively looking for ways to make constructive changes.

For more information on DIT you can visit the following websites: www.counsellingdirectory.co.uk and www.talkingsense.org

Interpersonal Psychological Therapy (IPT)

IPT aims to reduce depression by improving the quality of relationships. To be suitable for this treatment, clients will be having relationship issues which they believe cause the depression. IPT can help with a range of relationship problems including adjusting to changes in family circumstances or employment, conflict with others, coping with bereavement, or a lack of satisfying, supportive and enjoyable relationships.

In IPT links are made between depression symptoms experienced and ways of communicating with others. Clients are shown how to make changes to improve these communications to help themselves to recover from depression. Clients can then try these changes out in their everyday lives between sessions. The evidence shows that when depression improves, relationships work better and it is then easier to stay well from depression.

IPT is normally carried out over 12 sessions and in three phases. The assessment phase explains how IPT works and gathers information to understand what has caused depression and kept it going over time. Details are taken about the significant people in the client’s life to understand where difficulties may lie and where support may be found. Once the focus of the therapy is established, goals are agreed. This process normally takes around four sessions.

The middle phase of IPT is made up of the treatment sessions. Each week what has happened in the client’s life is linked to depression as a way in to working on the goals agreed in the assessment phase. Suggestions about changes that can be made are explored and considered for the client to try out to make improvements. There is normally a mid-treatment review at around session eight to check the therapy is on track.

In the last phase, ending strategies are introduced, progress in therapy is reviewed and time is spent thinking about the future and planning how to deal with any difficulties that may lie ahead. This phase includes discussion about how to maintain improvements in relationships, prevent relapse, use of medication and the possibility of re-entry to treatment.

Psychosexual Therapy

This is a service offered to couples or individuals who are experiencing sexual problems such as loss of interest or desire, painful sexual intercourse, being unable to achieve penetrative sex, inability to achieve or maintain an erection, inability to reach orgasm.

For therapy to commence, it must be established that there is no physical or medical reason for the problem. Once this is clear, the history of the problem is explored and the clients and therapist decide whether or not to go on to a programme of treatment. This consists of tasks set by the therapist and carried out by the clients in the privacy of their own home. Clients use sessions to report back on their progress. The programme assists clients to feel good about their bodies and helps them to gain knowledge and confidence about their sexuality.

Most of the sexual problems that we work with are caused by anxiety, lack of confidence, lack of sex education, poor body image or problems within the relationship. During the sessions the therapist will help clients talk about sexual concerns, as well as explore the possible sensitive areas in relationships. Clients are NEVER asked to undertake sexual tasks during sessions, but may be asked to carry out certain simple, quite specific tasks - alone or with their partner - in the privacy of their own home. These tasks will be tailored specifically to that problem and are directed to helping the particular difficulty identified.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)

This type of therapy focuses on using eye movements to stimulate that part of the brain where disturbing or emotionally charged material has been 'locked in', usually during a traumatic event. It aims to enable clients to reprocess that disturbing material to begin healthy healing and resolve any issues relating to it.

EMDR therapy is an eight-phase treatment. In successful EMDR therapy, the meaning of painful events is transformed on an emotional level, so for instance, a rape victim may shift from feeling horror and self-disgust to holding the firm belief that, "I survived it and I am strong."

Group Therapy

Group therapy is just what it sounds like - instead of just one person, therapy is with a group of people. There is good evidence that group therapy is very effective for certain problems, such as depression and long-term conditions. For some people, having individual therapy can feel intimidating, and group therapy may be a good option. In addition to demonstrating that you are not going through this alone, group members can share information and support to each other. All group therapy is led by a qualified therapist, and clients get comparable results to those who have one-to-one therapy.

Please be aware that prior to attending one of our groups you will need to refer to our service and attend a short initial assessment. Please call 0300 123 0542 or visit our self referral page for more information.

Mindfulness Course

We are running an online course for mindfulness, which is run in a small group format with a maximum of 10 people. The course runs for eight 2 hour sessions. 

The intention is for you to learn how to fine tune your capacity to be fully aware of recurring patterns of thoughts, behaviour, sensations and emotions. This work creates a foundation for responding with greater clarity and kindness to the triggers that set off spirals of rumination, depression and anxiety which get in the way of living life to the full.

The patterns of the mind and body that we will be working with have often been around for a long time. These patterns are also frequently habitual and automatic, and we can only expect changes if we put time and effort into learning new ways of responding to our experience. This is why the home practice between classes – up to an hour a day – is an essential part of the course.

The sessions will include completing home practice between classes, in order to cultivate the capacity to recognise these patterns, and understand how you can respond differently. Week by week, you will learn new aspects of daily meditation practice, each building on what you have learnt before. You will have the opportunity of applying these ideas to your own experience, through regular meditation practice, discussion with other participants, exercises done in class and through weekly home practice. At the beginning of the course you will be given a website where you can access guided meditation practices that we introduce in class. You will also receive hand-outs to help you consolidate what we have covered in sessions. You will also have the unique opportunity of sharing your experiences and ideas with others who have had experiences of depression and anxiety.

The therapists running the course are qualified in running MBCT workshops and should you have any queries or concerns about the course, they would be happy to discuss this with you. 

Depression and Low Mood Course

We are running an online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) based course for people experiencing low mood and depression.  This effective, supportive environment is suitable for people experiencing symptoms of low mood/depression as a main problem.   If you are having difficulties with low mood, fatigue, reduced confidence, low motivation, feelings of isolation, negative thinking, and not knowing where to start your recovery this course could be right for you. 

Self-refer for a brief CBT course suitability assessment, if you are willing and able to:

• Commit to attending for 2 hours every week, for 7 weeks.
• Commit to completing weekly homework between sessions.
• Have found CBT helpful in the past or not tried it before.
• Manage your safety and wellbeing independently.

The course runs over seven 2-hour sessions, all currently via Microsoft Teams. You will also have a brief introductory individual telephone session to ensure you can get online and meet your therapist.  All sessions have written exercises for you to complete, which are very important part of the course and you gaining strategies to overcome your low mood, don’t worry as our CBT therapists will guide you through these one by one.
The course content focuses on helping you understand more about depression and low mood and how to manage it.
Sessions:

• What is CBT and understanding my depression/low mood through my vicious cycle
• Looking at my mood and behaviour
• Avoidance and problem solving
• Negative thinking and rumination
• Challenging negative thoughts
• Self-compassion and confidence
• Relapse Prevention

Anxiety and Stress Management Course

We are running an online course via Microsoft Teams with a focus on helping people to understand more about what anxiety and stress actually are, how they impact on life and how to help manage symptoms more effectively. 
 
The course runs over seven 2-hour sessions. You will also have a brief introductory individual telephone session to ensure you can get online and meet your therapist.  All sessions have written exercises to complete, which are a very important part of the course, but don’t worry as the therapist will guide you through these one by one.
 
The sessions will cover the following:

1. An understanding of CBT, anxiety and stress
2. Relaxation and mindfulness
3. Managing worry and being assertive
4. Learn tools to gradually face your fears 
5. Challenging your anxious and stressful thinking
6. Promoting healthy lifestyles 
7. Relapse prevention and staying well

 Suitable for people who:

• Are experiencing symptoms of stress and/or anxiety
• Are willing and able to commit to a 7 week course
• Have the motivation to complete homework between sessions
• Are able to manage their safety and wellbeing independently 

Postnatal Wellbeing Course

The online course focuses on helping you to understand more about anxiety and low mood in the postnatal period (2 years from birth).  We aim to normalise your experiences in a safe space by sharing with others. We will also learn strategies and techniques based on Cognitive Behavioural Techniques to help you to manage your mood more effectively. 
 
The course runs over seven 2-hour sessions with a short break in between. You will also have a brief introductory individual telephone session to ensure you can get online and meet your therapist. Most sessions have exercises for you to complete and practice, which are a very important part of the course, but don’t worry as the therapist will guide you through these.
 
The sessions will cover the following:

1. Introduction to the group and what anxiety and depression is
2. Anxiety and stress management
3. Caring for ourselves 
4. Looking at our thoughts
5. Managing our fears
6. Managing worry and uncertainty
7. Staying well for the future

Suitable for people who:

• Are women with a child under the age of 2 year
• Are experiencing symptoms of stress and generalised anxiety and/or low mood
• Are willing and able to commit to a 7 week course
• Have the motivation to practice strategies in between sessions
• Are able to manage their safety and wellbeing independently 

What information is collected by Talking Mental Health Derbyshire?

Talking Mental Health Derbyshire collect information about you and the care you receive. 

This includes personal information such as your name, address, date of birth, NHS number and next of kin etc. We cross check this information using the NHS Spine in order to ensure accuracy. 

Brief notes are made at each contact you have with the service, including the content of therapy sessions and completion of questionnaires either within each session, or via email before the session.

Our records are stored securely on our patient electronic database IAPTus.

Who is this information shared with?

Talking Mental Health Derbyshire is a partnership of several organisations including: Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Derwent Rural Counselling Service, Relate, IESO and Xyla Digital Health. Your personal information may be accessed by any of these organisations as part of your care. This enables your progress to be monitored and your future care planned. 

Information may also be shared with other health professionals involved in your care, so that you get the best possible care. For example, if you are receiving support from social care, we may share information so we can all work together for your benefit. Common scenarios when we may need to share information are listed below. This list is not exhaustive.

GP: We advise your GP when you have been assessed by the service, the outcome of this assessment, any information we think it is important for them to be aware of such as risk and when you are discharged from the service.

Risk to yourself: If you inform us you are at risk of harming yourself then we may need to contact another service such as a Crisis Team, Community Mental Health Team, or the Police.

Risk to others: If you tell us that you are going to harm someone, or that others may be at risk, we may need to share this information with other services such as Social Care or the Police.

Criminal offences: If you tell us information about drug trafficking, terrorism or money laundering we will have to share this with the Police. If you tell us information about any other crime this may also need to be shared with the Police.

Risk from others: If you tell us that you are experiencing harm from someone, and/or that you have been the victim of crime, we may need to share this information with other services such as Social Care or the Police. For example, of you tell us that you are in a domestically violent relationship and children may be witness to this, we might need to share this information so that support can be put in place for the family.

Disclosing Childhood Abuse: If you tell us that you have experienced abuse in your childhood and you share information that could identify the person (e.g. my brother, my mother, person’s name), or location of the abuse (e.g. specific school or other institution), we may have to share this information with the Police or Social Care.  

For more information about Derbyshire Healthcare’s data sharing policies, please click here

For more information about data security, information and rights, please click here

For Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s privacy policy please click here

What information is collected nationally and how is it used?

Some of the information collected is reported nationally to give a picture of how the service is delivered across the country and check that quality standards are similar everywhere. These reports only show anonymised summaries of numbers, for instance the number of people receiving Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. It is impossible to identify any one person from this data. We take the security of patient information very seriously.

The information collected is used to check that:

• Services are available to those who need them.
• An appropriate range of NICE compliant treatments are offered.
• Patients achieve positive outcomes from treatment.

Under the Equality Act 2010, the NHS also has to monitor personal characteristics and check everyone has equal access to services and is not discriminated against in any way.

Talking Mental Health Derbyshire stores all information safely and securely and sends national reporting information safely to a secure central data storage area. All data collected is subject to strict rules of confidentiality, laid down by Acts of Parliament, including the Data Protection Act 2018. Health and Social Care Act 2012 and the NHS Care Record Guarantee.

Talking Therapies national reports offer the most benefit when they use information from as many patients as possible, because this creates the most accurate picture of services. If however, you do not want your information included in national analysis, please let us know using one of our contact options below. This will not affect your treatment in any way.

You may choose to opt-out of your confidential patient information being used by NHS Digital via this website

Accessing Your Own Mental Health Record

More information on how to request a copy of your own Mental Health Record is available here 

Freedom of Information Requests

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives people ‘right of access’ to information held by public authorities. Any requests must be in writing to the address below. Further information is available here

If you have any further questions, please contact Talking Mental Health Derbyshire.

Telephone: 0300 123 0542 (Monday-Friday 9am-4.45pm)

Email: dhcft.talking@nhs.net

Post: Talking Mental Health Derbyshire, Ilkeston Resource Centre, Heanor Road, Ilkeston, DE7 8TL

Talking Mental Health Derbyshire is part of Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.  At Derbyshire Healthcare we are committed to the conduct of clinical research. Clinical research is enshrined in the NHS constitution and is the way in which evidence is gathered about “what works” in order to improve future treatment.

The focus of the studies we participate in can vary, but all are focused on improving our knowledge and treatment of psychological difficulties.The national studies we host are supported by the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Networks and have had stringent checks and ethical approval from research committees across the country.  More information about clinical research is available in our service user guide and from our Centre for Research and Development.

After referral to Talking Mental Health Derbyshire you may be contacted/approached with information about on-going research projects. Participation in research is voluntary and if you choose not to participate in a research study this will have no impact on the care you receive.

Current studies

Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is working with King’s College London to promote the GLAD (Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression) study which aims to collect the psychological, medical, and genetic information of people with experience of anxiety and depression, along with those without any history of psychological difficulties, in order to find and develop more effective treatments. The GLAD Study is also part of the NIHR BioResource, which is a library of information about people’s health, aiming to support research in both physical and mental health. 

For more information about how to take part, please visit the GLAD website.  If you decide to take part in this study, please choose ’Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’ as where you heard about the project. Thank you.

Talking Mental Health Derbyshire may be able to help people over the age of 16 who have the following problems:

• Depression
• General anxiety
• Stress
• Panic
• Phobias
• Social anxiety
• Low self-esteem
• Health anxiety
• Obsessive compulsive disorder / body dysmorphic disorder
• Post-traumatic stress disorder

Talking Mental Health Derbyshire is unable to provide treatment for:
 

• People who are a risk to themselves (suicide or significant self-harm; please see our section on what to do in a mental health crisis)
• Psychotic symptoms
• Alcohol or drug misuse. (However, following an assessment, we can sometimes offer safe and effective treatment for patients who are using drugs or alcohol at a level where they are able to engage with the treatment and attend all their appointments)
• Cognitive impairment / problems with cognitive functioning
• Anorexia or moderate to severe eating disorders
• Anger management
• Gambling and/or other addictions
• Patients already engaging in psychological therapy elsewhere (such as other NHS Talking Therapy services, Secondary Care services or been accepted by Crisis or Liaison Services) *
• Conditions requiring more specialist input e.g. personality disorder, bipolar or schizophrenia.
• Patients who do not have GP registration in Derbyshire.
• Severe learning disabilities

*If you have accessed an NHS Talking Therapy service within the last 6 months, we would encourage you to go back to that service in the first instance. If you have been accepted by Crisis or Liaison services, we require a 3-month period of stabilisation before referring to our service.

Once you have familiarised yourself with what support we can offer, please go to our referral page where you will find a link to our online referral form. 
Please complete as much of this form as you are able to as this will aid us in getting the right help and support for your needs.

We are currently experiencing wait times of up to 10 months. Please note other NHS Talking Therapies have wait times from one month. 

Some providers in Derbyshire are reporting shorter waiting times and details for all providers in Derbyshire can be found on the Joined Up Care Derbyshire website.

• Depression and Low Mood

Depression self-assessment questionnaire

The copyright for the PHQ-9 was formerly held with Pfizer, who provided the educational grant for Drs Spitzer, Williams and Kroenke who originally designed it.This is no longer the case and no permission is required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute the PHQ-9.

Add up your scores for sections 1 - 9. If your total score is 9 or under, research suggests the best course of treatment for you is Self Help that you can work through at your own pace. Search for Depression Self Help Groups in your area.  

If your score is 9 or over, then you may benefit from Talking Therapy – either Counselling (such as Counselling  for Depression, Interpersonal Therapy or Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy) or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). You can talk about which type of therapy would be best for you at your assessment.

• Generalised Anxiety Disorder
• Social Anxiety
• Health Anxiety
   

Source: Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JB, et al. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder. Arch Inern Med. 2006;166:1092-1097.

Add up your scores for sections 1 - 7. If your total score is 7 or under, then Self Help is the recommended course of action - link to library catalogue for self help books.

If your score is 8 or over, then you may benefit from CBT.

The NHS Choices Mood Self-Assessment asks similar questions about both mood and anxiety.

• Panic Disorder
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Specific Phobias     
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
   

Coming to your first session can be nerve-racking, so this section is to help you understand what to expect. Don't worry that you will be judged, or subjected to interrogation - these are normal fears, but therapy is a process to help you, and the first thing your therapist will want to do is help you feel comfortable with them.

In your assessment, you will talk to a trained professional who will talk you through different aspects of your current problem, in order to direct you to the best type of therapy for this.They will also tell you about the waiting times for the type of therapy you want.

In your first therapy session your therapist will want to find out from you how you are at the moment, and give you a standard set of questions (commonly referred to as the measures, or IAPT standard data set) to establish where you are starting from. These are explained in more detail below. This is also the time to talk about what you want to get out of your sessions, and how you will best work together - for example, times and dates, and whether the therapy will be face-to-face or by phone. They will also explain the rules that they work under such as confidentiality and how they keep their notes and communicate with your GP. In order to see people as quickly as possible and keep waiting times down, all of our therapists will need to close cases if you do not attend two sessions without notice, or giving us very short notice. If you have special circumstances, this can be discussed with your therapist (such as working shifts), but in general, for therapy to work, you need to be able to commit to coming every week or two for a period of a few months.

You may decide, after this session, that you do not wish to continue, or to work with that particular therapist. This is fine, and you are free to leave whenever you wish. However, it can be helpful to talk about why this is, if you can. Your therapist may be able to refer you to a service that would be more suitable for what you want. If you do not want to continue, and do not want to discuss this with your therapist, you can call our office and speak to a member of the admin team, who will be able to help with this. This is your therapy, and it is important that you feel comfortable with your therapist, so if for some reason you don't, please tell us.  

Our therapists work with clients in many different ways, and will probably explain their way of working with you. More information on this is available in the 'what type of therapy might I have' tab. You can always ask questions - in fact, the more the better! If you want to ask about how that therapist works, their experience or qualifications and whether they have worked with a problem like yours before, you are always welcome to do so. Our staff are all trained to expect and welcome questions like this.

Your therapy is very personal, and will involve talking abut things that are painful and difficult, or making difficult decisions, so you may feel worse before you feel better. This is normal, and is nothing to be afraid of. However, if you really feel this is not working for you, you should talk to your therapist about ending your therapy, or referral to another service.

How can I access the service?

One of the features of our service is that you can access it easily, by self-referral. There are various ways to do this: online, by telephone on 0300 123 0542, or by completing the self-referral form on one of our service leaflets. You may also be referred to the service by a health care professional, such as your GP.

I am on benefits and don’t have much credit on my phone, can you call me back?

When you call in, be ready with your telephone number and we will call you back.

I am not very good on the phone; can someone else speak to you on my behalf?

Yes, but we would need you to have your permission first.

Will I have to pay for the service?

No. Talking Mental Health Derbyshire is part of Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and as such is free at the point of access.

Do you provide appointments outside of the usual 9am-5pm working hours?

Our core working hours are 9-5pm. On occasion we may be able to offer appointments outside of these times.  However, this may mean an additional wait.

If I have face-to-face therapy, where will I be seen? Do I have to travel to head office in Ilkeston?

No. We aim to provide a service that is easily accessible and local to where you live or work. We have a number of such venues across the city and county.

Are there any age limits to access the service?

IAPT is an over-18s service, however patients aged 16 years and over who have been assessed as being suitable for an adult service will be accepted if clinically appropriate. Adult IAPT services may not be appropriate where there are developmental issues and/or where CAMHS or IAPT for Children and Young People are deemed to be more suitable. Referrals for under 16s cannot be accepted and would instead be best discussed with the patient's GP for a referral to CAMHS.

Do you provide interpreters?

Yes. If we are informed at referral that an interpreter is required, we will provide one free of charge.

Is there disability access?

The majority of our venues have disability access. If you inform the administration team when booking your appointment that disability access is required, you will be offered an appointment at an appropriate venue.

I take anti-depressant medication; will that prevent me from accessing therapy?

No. The evidence shows that medication and therapy can work well together to help with people’s difficulties.

What type of help is available?

At the end of your initial assessment, you can discuss with the therapist which type of therapy may be of most benefit to you. Options include: workshops and courses; telephone-based facilitated self-help; computerised cognitive behavioural therapy packages; face-to-face individual counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy; couples counselling; psychosexual therapy; mindfulness based cognitive therapy and eye movement desensitisation (EMDR).  

Is everything I say kept confidential?

Everything you say within your therapy session will be kept confidential, unless you say anything that indicates that you are a serious risk to yourself or others, or divulge information that other people are at risk of harm. In these circumstances we would break confidentiality to help to safeguard yourself and other people.

Can I choose the gender of my therapist?

You may state a preference for the gender of your therapist. Please mention this at referral. Whilst we will strive to meet people’s specific preferences and requests, on occasion this may mean a slightly longer wait or a further travel to your appointments.

What if I can’t make an appointment?

If you are unable to attend your appointment please let us know as soon as possible on 0300 123 0542 or by e-mailing dhcft.talking@nhs.net. Our admin team will inform your therapist who will contact you.

I need to talk to someone now. I can’t wait for my appointment.

Talking Mental Health Derbyshire is predominantly a planned treatment service for anxiety and depression, and does not offer a facility for crisis support. Should you feel that you need to speak to someone urgently, we recommend that you contact your GP surgery and speak to the duty doctor. 

If your GP surgery is closed, the following organisations may be able to offer you support:

• The Derbyshire Mental Health Support Line
• NHS: 111
• Samaritans: 116 123        
• Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) – for men: 0800 58 58 58 – 5pm to midnight every day
• Hopeline UK – for people under the age of 35: 0800 068 41 41 – Monday to Friday 10am to 10pm, weekends 2pm to 10pm, bank holidays 2pm to 5pm
• Childline – for children and young people under 19: 0800 1111 (the number will not show up on your phone bill)
• Silver Line – for older people: 0800 4 70 80 90
• Learn more about these organisations on the NHS website.

What if I want to request a change of therapist?

Should you feel that your therapist, or type of therapy, is not right for you at this time, if possible, please discuss this in the first instance with your current therapist. If you do not feel able to do this, please contact the service on 0300 123 0542 and tell them that you would like to talk to someone about changing therapist. Our administration team will arrange for a member of our team to discuss other individualised treatment options with you.

How common is it to request help?

The service is in very high demand. Between March 2009-2012 one million people accessed an IAPT service in England. Last year, our service received 11,000 referrals.

I am unhappy with the service I have received, how do I make a complaint?

The team at Talking Mental Health Derbyshire strives to ensure that you receive a quality service throughout your time with us. However, if you are not completely satisfied with the service you received, please email us your comments and suggestions for improvement: dhcft.talking@nhs.net

If you would prefer to speak to one of the management team, please telephone 0300 123 0542.

For further advice and support in making a complaint, please contact the Patient Experience Team by telephone on 0800 027 2128 or 01332 623751; email dhcft.patientexperience@nhs.net; or post: Patient Experience Team, Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Albany House, Kingsway Site, Derby, DE22 3LZ.

CAMHS:

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), provide a range of support and therapy for under 18s experiencing emotional, behavioural and/or mental health problems.

Care programme approach (CPA):

A careplan in secondary health services that co-ordinates some people's complex and/or long term mental health care. People with a care plan should have a care co-ordinator, such as a social worker or community psychiatric nurse and receive regular reviews.

Clinical Psychologist:

A professional that may work in both hospitals and community mental health teams (CMHT). Their work involves assessing a person's mental health needs and undertaking psychological therapies with individuals and groups.

CMHT:

A community mental health team (CMHT) consists of mental health professionals such as Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Social Workers, Community Psychiatric Nurses and Occupational Therapists, who work together to help people recover from mental illness. The CMHT may also be known as “Pathfinder” or the “Recovery Team”.

Cognitive:

Cognitive is a collective name for the thoughts we have and how we think.

CPN:

A Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN) supports people with mental health difficulties who are living in the community, through difficult periods of their illness. A CPN can often be a person’s keyworker.

Crisis resolution team:

A service to help support people at times of crisis to remain in their own home, instead of being admitted to hospital.

IAPT service:

The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme supports the frontline NHS in implementing National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE www.nice.org.uk) guidelines to improve mental wellbeing for people experiencing depression and anxiety.

Mental illness:

A state of mind where the day-to-day functioning of a person is significantly impaired, or is placed at risk due to unrealistic beliefs, ideas and behaviours of the state of mind. It usually requires the help of a secondary care specialist team to provide medication and treatment.

Mental wellbeing:

There are many different definitions of mental wellbeing but they generally include areas such as: life satisfaction, optimism, self esteem, mastery, feeling in control, having a purpose in life, a sense of belonging and having the ability to cope with the stressors of everyday living. It is normal to feel happy when something positive happens to you, to feel sad or angry when a bad event occurs, or scared and anxious if you are dealing with something worrying. Part of ensuring good ‘mental health and wellbeing’ is recognising that it is natural to feel different emotions, but also knowing when you perhaps need some help in managing them.

Multi-disciplinary team:

A team made up of professionals from both health and social care.

Primary care mental health service:

Mental health and therapy services provided by front line professionals within the community. These services are usually easily accessible, often IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) therapy services.

Psychiatrist:

Psychiatry is a medical field concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental health conditions. A doctor who works in psychiatry is called a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists must be medically qualified doctors who have chosen to specialise in psychiatry. This means that they can prescribe medication as well as recommend other forms of treatment.

Psychosis:

Psychosis is used to describe mental health problems that stop a person from thinking clearly, telling the difference between reality and their imagination and acting in a usual way. The two main symptoms of psychosis are hallucinations and delusions. Hallucinations are where a person hears, sees (and in some cases smells) things that are not really there; a common hallucination is when people hear voices in their head. Delusions are where a person believes things, that when examined rationally, are obviously untrue.

Secondary care mental health service:

Often known as community mental health teams (CMHT), these are mental health services provided by specialists who generally do not have first contact with patients e.g. psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, community psychiatric nurses (CPN), social workers and occupational therapists. People are usually required to see a primary care provider, such as a GP, for a referral before they can access secondary care.

SSRI:

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a type of medication used to treat depression and some anxiety disorders. They work by boosting levels of a substance called serotonin in the brain, which helps to improve mood.