The process
We want to help patients understand and feel at ease about what may be involved once they have completed an online referral form or have been referred to Talking Therapies by their GP. To help people understand the process and what may happen at each stage, we have created a diagram below for what happens next.
Please click on the different sections of the diagram below for further information.
Enquiry – how to access the service
- Fill in the online referral form
- Telephone call
- Via your GP
- Or from other professionals
Referral – we will contact you to arrange your consultation
- Once you or your GP have completed a referral form we will be in touch with you.
- One of our admin team will contact you to arrange a suitable time for your telephone assessment.
Your Telephone Assessment Appointment
- Your initial assessment will take place over the telephone. This will be approximately a 30 minute call with a Therapist and a plan will be recommended at the end of this call. In certain circumstances we are able to arrange face to face appointments.
- Information about preparing for your telephone call will be sent to you.
- At the end of this call a plan will be discussed with you based on the information gathered.
- Occasionally we may need to signpost you on to another service/agency for more appropriate or alternative support.
Therapy Sessions
- Therapy sessions will be pre-arranged, the duration and frequency will be discussed with you.
- We will identify the necessary resources to support you through your treatment and therapy sessions.
- It is important that you practice the skills and techniques discussed with you in session in between appointments in order to get the maximum benefit from these. You and your therapist will agree on work to be completed between the sessions.
- It is important that you keep your appointments or let us know in advance if you need to change or cancel the appointment.
Once you have completed your therapy sessions
- Our goal is to support and guide you to learn the skills and techniques you need to move towards recovery.
- After you have completed your therapy we recommend a period of consolidation to master the skills and techniques you have learned within treatment.
Evaluation/Treatment Complete
When your treatment is complete, we hope that you will have made sufficient progress to improved mental health and wellbeing. We will ask you about your feelings at regular intervals throughout your treatment and ask you to complete a patient experience questionnaire at the end of the treatment so that we can evaluate your needs and make any further recommendations for therapy as appropriate.
Copies of the questionnaires can be found in the resources section on this website. You will need a user password to gain access to the resources. Passwords are issued to everyone who becomes a patient of Talking Therapies York and Selby.
Measures
During your contact with the Talking Therapies service we will routinely ask you to fill out questionnaires called ‘psychometric measures’. We take these measures at every session to assess your progress and review how we can further help you make the most of your treatment with practical solutions and suggestions.
What to expect
The type of treatment people may receive from Talking Therapies depends very much on individual symptoms. We try to use the least intrusive method of care possible to treat people. This means that the patient is generally offered a low intensity therapy first. Examples of low intensity treatment would include computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (cCBT), psycho-educational courses, guided self-help over the phone or face to face.
If low intensity therapies are unsuccessful or inappropriate then patients can be ‘stepped up’ to a high intensity therapy. This often takes the form of one-to-one cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), counselling for depression (CfD) or eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR).
Where Talking Therapies is not the most suitable service we can signpost you to alternatives where available.
Treatments you can expect
Low intensity:
Wellbeing Course
The Wellbeing Course is a 6 week long psycho educational course based on cognitive behavioural therapy. Each session will teach you different skills that will enable you to better manage your mental health, and you will be encouraged to practice these skills in between sessions to get the full benefit.
There will be no sharing of personal problems and you will not be asked to participate verbally, however there may be opportunities to get started with some of the techniques in the sessions on an individual basis.
Guided self-help, face to face or over the phone
Following your assessment, your therapist will provide six 30-minute telephone appointments or face to face sessions over a period of 12 weeks. You will be sent self-help materials based on cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) principles. You will be guided in the use of strategies and techniques which help overcome anxiety and/or depression.
Computerised cognitive behavioural therapy
You will be allocated a practitioner and given a log in for our computer based CBT program. Your first and last appointment may take place over the telephone but all other reviews can be online for your convenience.
High intensity treatments:
Our step 3 treatments are offered on a group or 1 to 1 basis. The principal aim of this approach is to enable you to become your own therapist by working with your practitioner to understand your problems and concerns and develop strategies to overcome them. We offer a variety of high intensity treatments which include:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Typically, you would be offered 8-15 sessions in line with NICE guidance dependent upon your progress. Sessions can be face to face or in groups and typically take place on a weekly basis. Here you will be able to gain a deeper understanding of your current problems and learn specific skills and techniques to overcome them.
Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR).
This method is shown to be effective in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and can help reduce symptoms associated with this (i.e. flashbacks and nightmares). Treatment sessions can last 60-90 minutes and typically take place weekly over a period of 12 weeks.
Counselling for Depression (CfD)
- CfD is a brief evidence based talking therapy offered in York & Selby Talking Therapies. You will work in a safe confidential setting, enabling you the opportunity to explore your depression with an experienced and qualified counsellor who will not judge you in any way. You will also have the opportunity to explore inner thoughts and feelings without having to worry what someone will think of you or worry about upsetting a family member or friend.
- CfD specifically works with emotional processes and explores the way our emotions impact on us in certain situations such as loss, abuse, low self- esteem, redundancy etc resulting in depression
To view our frequently asked questions click here.