Types of treatment
The type of treatment people may receive from Talking Therapies depends very much on individual symptoms. To make sure that the Talking Therapies service is right for you we will first offer you a brief initial assessment. The aim of an assessment is to explore the problems you have, the symptoms you are experiencing and understand your goals for treatment so that we can determine which treatment is most appropriate for you.
Most assessments are undertaken over the phone, although alternative arrangements can be made if required. At the end of the assessment, we will discuss whether the Talking Therapies service is suitable for you and if so what help is available for you.
We try to use the least intrusive method of care possible to treat people. This means that you will
generally be 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 may take the form of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), counselling for depression (CfD), or eye movement desensitisation or reprocessing (EMDR).
Where Talking Therapies is not the most suitable service we can signpost you to alternatives where available.
Treatments to help and support you
York and Selby Talking Therapies services provide psychological help which has been approved and recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE). We have two tiers of treatment options (these are known as Step 2 and Step 3) which include:
Treatment options – Step 2
SilverCloud - Computerised CBT
| At a glance | Designed to help you learn techniques to overcome symptoms of low mood and anxiety |
| What is it? | Online programme |
| How much does it cost? | FREE |
| How many sessions? | Between six and eight sessions (depending on the programme) lasting approximately 40 minutes. |
| When? | Anytime. You can work through the programme at your own pace. |
SilverCloud is an exciting new computerised cognitive behavioural therapy online programme which can be tailored to your individual needs. It is designed to help you learn techniques to overcome symptoms of low mood and anxiety.
SilverCloud is easy to use; you do not need to be a computer expert. The programme is accessible 24 hours a day from a PC, tablet or Smartphone.
You will be requested to set up your own unique username and password so that you can use SilverCloud at home or anywhere else linked to the internet. You will be guided through by an experienced Psychological well-being Practitioner (PWP) who will regularly review and support your progress.
A short introductory film is available to view online here
Psycho - educational courses
| At a glance | Stress control, Healthy Minds |
| How much does it cost? | FREE |
| When? | Anytime. You can work through the programme at your own pace. |
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.
Frequently asked questions about Psycho educational courses
What will happen on the course?
Each session is 90 minutes long. The course is run as a class. All the chairs face the front and the course leaders stand at the front and use a lecture style power point. No one is expected to speak in front of the group.
How do I get the most from the course?
Keep an open mind. Try out the ideas and tasks presented and see what happens. The workbooks are designed with worksheets to complete. It is often helpful to highlight or underline key points. Please feel free to write notes in the margins or anywhere else that helps.
Do I have to attend every session?
It is important to attend all sessions. Each session looks at a different aspect of anxiety or low mood and different strategies which have proven to be helpful as they connect together, a bit like a jigsaw.
How does confidentiality work on the course?
Although everyone is an individual, it is likely that those on the course are experiencing similar difficulties to you. However, as we don’t discuss personal problems you will not get to know why other people are attending.
All information collected by the Talking Therapies service will be held confidentially.
Why do I have to complete questionnaires at each session?
The Talking Therapies service throughout England asks individuals within the service to complete a set of questions. These are used to monitor your mood and also help measure how effective the course is at helping you move towards recovery.
What happens at the end of the course?
In our experience, individuals may continue to have some anxiety or low mood towards the end of the course. This is perfectly normal.
The gradual improvement we hope you have experienced generally continues once the course is complete. In order to enhance this effect, it is helpful to continue to practice the techniques covered on this course.
It will be helpful to allow yourself a period of consolidation beyond the end of this course, therefore we generally recommend discharge on completion of the course. If you feel you would like a review to discuss and plan your next steps you can book in for one at the final course session; we may also contact you if we notice in your questionnaire responses there is further work we think we can support you with.
You may wish to discuss a further referral to the Talking Therapies service with your GP after this period if your symptoms:
- Worsen
- Do not improve
- Cause you distress
- Interfere in your life
Guided self-help
| At a glance | Techniques to help you overcome anxiety and/or depression |
| What is it? | Telephone or face to face sessions |
| How much does it cost? | FREE |
Telephone
Uses self-help materials based on cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) principles in individual therapy sessions which last up to 30 minutes. You will be guided in the use of strategies and
techniques which help overcome anxiety and/or depression.
Face to face
Short term support which uses self-help materials. You will be guided in the use of strategies and techniques which help overcome anxiety and/or depression.
Treatment options – Step 3
Our Step 3 treatments are offered on a group or one to one basis. The principal aim of this approach is to enable you to become your own therapist by working with your Talking Therapies therapist to understand your problems and concerns and develop strategies to overcome them.
We offer a variety of step 3 treatments.
Cognitive behavioural therapy
CBT is a brief psychological therapy that can help you understand the way you think about:
- yourself
- the world
- other people
CBT can help you to change:
- how you think (cognitive)
- what you do (behaviour)
These changes can help you to feel better. Unlike some other talking therapy treatments, it focuses on problems or difficulties you are experiencing “here and now” rather than past symptoms or causes of distress. It can help you to make sense of overwhelming problems by breaking them down into smaller parts; linking your thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing is an evidence-based alternative to cognitive behavioural therapy for treatment of problems like trauma which can help to reduce the distress of different kinds of memories. In Talking Therapies it is offered for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) where appropriate.
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.