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Wiltshire
Phone lines are open: Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm excluding public holidays.
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NHS Wiltshire Talking Therapies - previously known as Wiltshire IAPT - aims to help people access support for a range of wellbeing problems. Talking therapies offers services to people registered with a GP in Wiltshire, except Swindon, which has its own talking therapies service called NHS Swindon Talking Therapies.
We offer individual and group psychological therapies in accordance with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for common mental health problems.
Talking therapies services do not provide urgent care. If you need help right now, call AWP’s 24-hour urgent response line free on 0800 953 1919.
For someone to talk to, you can also contact The Samaritans for free on 116 123. The Samaritans offers 24-hour telephone emotional support and befriending in complete confidence.
How we can help
Many people can struggle to manage their emotions or feelings and need support to find helpful ways to cope. Our services can help you manage a range of common problems, including:
- low mood
- depression, including post-natal depression (PND)
- anxiety
- stress
- obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
- phobias
- post-traumatic stress (PTSD)
We use evidence-based therapies, like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Evidence-based means there is proof that the therapies are likely to make you feel better. We can assess what might be affecting you, however we are unable to offer specialist mental health treatment, medication or final diagnosis. You can find helpful information for other conditions via the main search area of the AWP homepage
The main types of support we offer are:
- self-help resources, for example information leaflets to help with difficulties such as stress, low mood, anxiety and some long-term physical health conditions. You can find a range of useful media and links in our self-help resources section below.
- following an assessment with our service, we may also suggest Silver Cloud. This is an online CBT programme with secure access from a computer, tablet or mobile phone with a login. This is a guided self-help programme, meaning a practitioner works with alongside you through 6 online sessions.
- courses and workshops which you can attend in person or online.
- one-to-one appointments, assessments and therapy sessions.
Who we offer services to
Talking therapies are available to anyone from the age of 16 years with a registered GP in Wiltshire.
Our services offer help to people with a range of circumstances and from different backgrounds, including:
Perinatal – pregnant people and their partners, or those within the first two years of being a parent.
Veterans – if you have been in the armed forces and have experienced upsetting or traumatic events.
Older people – over the age of 65 who are just as likely to struggle with wellbeing as any other age group, but are less likely to look for help.
Students – financial worries, friendships and exams can all cause stress and anxiety for students.
People with employment and money worries – losing a job, being unemployed or struggling to pay bills can cause common mental health problems.
People with long-term physical health conditions – a physical condition can affect your mental wellbeing.
How to access our service
You need to refer yourself to our services, though in some cases a professional might refer you if you have a long-term physical health condition, such as COPD or diabetes, which is affecting your mental wellbeing. For more information on how to make a referral, visit our referrals sections below.
You can refer yourself to Talking Therapies by calling our team on 01380 731335 to book an appointment.
All referrals to our service are screened to confirm this is the most appropriate service at the time. Once the screening confirms this is the best service for you, we will then offer an assessment with one of our staff, either on the phone or face-to-face.
For more information about what happens during your appointments, please visit the section about appointments further down this page.
If you are a doctor, social worker, employment advisor or any other professional, you can download our referral form here. Please complete this with as much relevant information as possible for the referral and email it to us at: awp
Please note:
- To make a referral, GPs and other health and care professionals will need the consent of the person they are referring.
- We are unable to accept referrals for patients who are currently under the care of other mental health services.
- Each referral is reviewed for suitability and we might contact the referrer for additional information or discussion.
During your appointment with the Talking Therapies service, you will be asked to complete the following routine service questionnaires. These are used to monitor your mood and help us to understand what treatment or support might be suitable for you. The questionnaires relate to the last two weeks and ask you score how often you have experienced different symptoms. You can find the questionnaire here.
Talking therapies offer short-term, evidence based psychological interventions for common mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. An assessment is an opportunity for you to speak with a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) to discuss your current difficulties, your current goals and to consider how the talking therapies service may be able to support you in reaching them. From this discussion, we may consider treatment options within our service such as courses, online guided self-help or one to one sessions, but sometimes we may suggest other services or resources if we feel that your needs may be best supported outside of talking therapies.
What can I expect from a talking therapy assessment?
An assessment appointment with talking therapies will last up to 45 minutes and is usually over the telephone. However if accessing an assessment via telephone is difficult for you, we will work with you to find a suitable alternative such as a video or face-to-face appointment.
During the assessment, the practitioner will share with you some information about our service and there will be opportunity for you to discuss your reasons for accessing our service. You and the practitioner will then work together to discuss possible options and make a plan based on your discussion.
The practitioner will also complete some questionnaires with you to rate how often you have experienced common symptoms of depression and anxiety over the past two weeks, plus some additional questions about areas of your life that are being impacted by these symptoms such as work, hobbies and relationships. We email these to you approximately 24-48 hours before your session so that you can complete them online in advance if you prefer.
Creating a problem statement and goals:
During your assessment, the practitioner will guide you to create a problem statement and goals. A problem statement is a summary of the main problem that you would like to focus on and will include key parts of your discussion including how the problem affects your life, the symptoms that you experience and situations or triggers that make the problem better or worse. Along with your problem statement, we will support you to consider some goals that relate to this problem that can support us and you to consider which treatment options may be most suitable.
It can be helpful if you have been able to consider some of your goals or reasons for accessing talking therapies before your assessment, but we will also support you to do this during the appointment. If you would like to think about your goals before your assessment, there is some helpful goal setting information below.
Information Sharing and Confidentiality:
To support the wellbeing of people who access talking therapies, it is important that we share some information with others who may be involved in your care and wellbeing. We update your GP with your attendance and a brief summary of the outcome of your assessment or therapies with us. Occasionally, we may also liaise with other mental health services or agencies such as our safeguarding team to ensure you and others around you are safe and supported. At the start of your assessment, the practitioner will advise you of our confidentiality statement and you are welcome to ask any questions about this.
Talking therapies does not routinely share information with third parties such as family members, workplaces or other agencies unless we have your consent to do so. An exemption to this is young people under the age of 18, where we may need to share some information with a parent or guardian should we feel additional support around your safety and wellbeing is necessary. For more information, click here.
What happens if I am referred for one to one sessions or online guided self-help within talking therapies after my assessment?
If agreed in your assessment, that one to one therapy or online guided self-help with talking therapies can support your problem and goals, you will be added to our waiting list. We are unable to give the exact time you will wait for your treatment to start, but the practitioner can estimate how long our current waiting list is.
During your wait, the practitioner may give your some information to read, self-help material to work through or some links to other resources. Using these can be a helpful way to kick-start your therapy and begin working on some of your goals.
Should you feel that your symptoms are worsening whilst you wait, we would encourage you to discuss this with your GP and refer to our ‘Keeping Safe’ leaflet for additional helplines and advice.
If you have any questions or would like to book an assessment appointment, please call our admin team on 01380 731335.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our group courses and workshops have taken place online using video meeting software called Microsoft Teams. This has allowed more service users to take part, so we plan to continue with online courses in the future.
If you are interested in attending a course, please book an appointment by calling the service on the number above for an initial assessment.
To attend our online courses, you need a device with internet access. This can be a laptop, mobile phone or tablet with an internet browser so you can use Microsoft Teams. We will email you an invite with a link to join the session and will include details of how to use Microsoft Teams.
How we run our courses and workshops
We run a wide range of free courses and workshops to support people with different psychological and emotional difficulties.
To make them as accessible as possible, our courses run in the day or evening at different venues around Wiltshire. They are usually short courses of between one and six weekly sessions, with each session lasting up to two hours. We also run one-off workshops. You can find out how long each course is and when it takes place by taking a further look into the details of each course.
We value everyone’s need to feel as comfortable and welcome as possible, so we encourage you to take part in discussions and ask questions only if you want to. There is no expectation to do anything or speak on your own if you feel uncomfortable to do so.
How to book a course or workshop
Our current courses and workshops are listed at the bottom of this page and are available for people registered with a GP in Wiltshire. We recommend that you only book one course at a time to make the most of the content.
For more information or to book a course, please contact our team on 01380 731335 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).
Living with a long-term physical health condition can be challenging both physically and emotionally. The symptoms of health conditions can affect your day-to-day functioning and they often require active and demanding self-management, which can negatively impact your emotional wellbeing.
Within the talking therapies service, we offer a wide range of support for many different long-term health conditions, including:
- chronic pain
- fatigue
- diabetes (type 1 and type 2)
- respiratory conditions (e.g. asthma, COPD),
- cardiac disease
- long COVID
- irritable bowel syndrome
Talking therapies offer a variety of treatment options based on an approach called cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which seeks to change our thoughts and behaviours to improve our physical state and emotional feelings. CBT is an evidence-based treatment for long-term health conditions and is a recommended component of rehabilitation and treatment programmes by the NICE guidelines.
Our available treatment options are delivered in a variety of formats, including:
- online
- virtual
- guided self-help
- one-to-one appointments
- group-based workshops
Below is an overview of the various services we offer for some of the more common long-term health conditions. To book a course or to find out more information, contact your local talking therapies service on 01380 73133.
Coronary heart disease (CHD)
SilverCloud: Space in CHD from Depression and Anxiety
SilverCloud is a free online CBT-based programme designed to aid self-management of coronary heart disease and enhance wellbeing when living with the condition. The course contains a number of online modules that you can work through in your own time over the course of eight weeks. When you sign up, you will be linked to a ‘SilverCloud Supporter’, who is a qualified Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner. They will review your progress with the programme and make sure you get the most from it by unlocking more modules that suit your needs as you go on.
One-to-one appointments
Individual psychology appointments are available to explore the impact of the cardiac condition and understand how it affects your emotional wellbeing. These sessions can be accessed via self-referral by contacting your local talking therapies service or via your GP.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
SilverCloud: Space in Lung Conditions from Depression and Anxiety
SilverCloud is a free online CBT-based programme designed to aid self-management of lung conditions (for example COPD, asthma) and enhance wellbeing when living with the condition. The course contains a number of online modules that you can work through in your own time over the course of eight weeks. When you sign up you will be linked to a ‘SilverCloud Supporter’, who is a qualified Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner. They will review your progress with the programme and make sure you get the most from it by unlocking more modules that suit your needs as you go on.
One-to-one appointments
Individual psychology appointments explore the impact of COPD and its symptoms on your life, helping you to understand how it affects your functioning and emotional wellbeing. During the sessions, you will explore strategies to enhance your day-to-day functioning as well as self-manage the common symptoms such as fatigue and breathlessness. These sessions can be accessed via self-referral by contacting your local talking therapies service or via your GP.
Diabetes
SilverCloud: Space in Diabetes from Depression and Anxiety
SilverCloud is a free online CBT-based programme designed to aid self-management of diabetes and enhance emotional wellbeing. The course contains a number of online modules that you can work through in your own time over the course of eight weeks. When you sign up you will be linked to a ‘SilverCloud Supporter’, who is a qualified Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner. They will review your progress with the programme and make sure you get the most from it by unlocking more modules that suit your needs as you go on.
Living Well with Type 2 Diabetes Workshop
This free CBT-based workshop aims to help you with the self-management aspects of type 2 diabetes as well as improve your emotional wellbeing. Topics covered include goal-setting, problem-solving, communication and managing difficult thoughts and feelings.
One-to-one appointments
Individual psychology appointments explore the impact of diabetes on your life, helping you to understand how the reciprocal relationship between blood sugars, functioning and emotional wellbeing. In the sessions you will explore strategies to enhance your wellbeing, day-to-day functioning as well as self-manage condition. These sessions can be accessed via self-referral by contacting your local talking therapies service or via your GP.
Chronic pain
SilverCloud: Space in Chronic Pain from Depression and Anxiety
SilverCloud is a free online CBT-based programme designed to aid the self-management of pain and enhance emotional wellbeing. The course contains a number of online modules that you can work through in your own time over the course of eight weeks. When you sign up you will be linked to a ‘SilverCloud Supporter’, who is a qualified Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner. They will review your progress with the programme and make sure you get the most from it by unlocking more modules that suit your needs as you go on.
One-to-one appointments
One-to-one appointments explore the impact of chronic pain on daily life, helping you to understand the interaction between daily functioning, emotional wellbeing and pain symptoms. In the sessions you will explore strategies to enhance your day-to-day functioning as well as to help you to self-manage the pain. These sessions can be accessed via self-referral by contacting your local talking therapies service.
Fibromyalgia
One-to-one appointments
One-to-one appointments explore the impact of fibromyalgia symptoms on daily life, helping you to understand the interaction between daily functioning, emotional wellbeing and symptoms. In the sessions you will explore strategies to enhance your day-to-day functioning as well as to help you to self-manage some of the common symptoms such as fatigue, pain and cognitive difficulties. These sessions can be accessed via self-referral by contacting your local talking therapies service.
Fatigue
One-to-one appointments
One-to-one appointments explore the impact of fatigue on daily life, helping you to understand the interaction between daily functioning, emotional wellbeing and symptoms. In the sessions you will explore strategies to enhance your day-to-day functioning as well as to help you to self-manage the fatigue. These sessions can be accessed via self-referral by contacting your local talking therapies service.
Long COVID
Long COVID is a condition that develops following an initial infection of COVID-19. Symptoms typically include fatigue, pain, breathlessness and cognitive difficulties. People with long COVID are welcome to access the Living Well with Long-Term Pain and Living Well with Fatigue courses, as well as the SilverCloud modules that are relevant to their symptoms.
Your COVID Recovery
This NHS website aims to help you to recover from long COVID and manage the effects on your body and mind. You can sign up on the NHS website here.
One-to-one appointments
One-to-one appointments explore the impact of long COVID on daily life, helping you to understand the interaction between daily functioning, emotional wellbeing and symptoms. In the sessions you will explore strategies to enhance your day-to-day functioning as well as to help you to self-manage the common symptoms of long COVID such as pain, fatigue, breathlessness and cognitive difficulties. These sessions can be accessed via self-referral by contacting your local talking therapies service.
You will find a selection of self-help guides and resources to give you, or the person you care for, the information and tools needed to effectively support your mental health. Visit our self-help and resources page here for tips and advice on managing your mental wellbeing. In addition to general resources, you will find links to specific resources depending on your life situation.
Featured Events
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Understanding OCD: A Psychoeducational Group Course (6 sessions) Copy
7 May 2024, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
This is a 6-week online course suitable for people experiencing obsessions and compulsions. For people who want to learn techniques and skills to help them independently regulate their mood.
This is an online taught course, run in a group format, so although there will be some group discussion it is up to you how much or how little you choose to take part. We do encourage cameras to be turned on during sessions.
This course will run for 6 sessions held on a Tuesday starting at 14:00 and finishing at 16:00.
Internet access is required, and you will need to use Microsoft Teams to access this course.
Important - GP surgery:
If you do not have a GP in Wiltshire please contact your GP surgery to find out what services are available in your area.
Please note: If attendance of courses is fewer than 4 people it is felt that it may not be appropriate to continue with the course.
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Bump to Baby (4 weeks)
10 May 2024, 10:00 am to 11:30 am
This 4-week online course may be beneficial for anyone wanting support for anxiety, depression, or education on mindfulness and relaxation during pregnancy.
Our service is available to people over 16 years and registered with a Wiltshire GP.
To book an assessment and reserve a place on the course, please ring Wiltshire Talking Therapies on 01380731335 or email awp.WiltshireTalkingTherapies@nhs.net
Please do so at least 21 days prior to the course start date, to see what we can offer you.
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Behavioural Activation for Depression (8 weeks)
14 May 2024, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
This free online course is aimed at people experiencing depression and low mood. This might include feelings of low motivation, low energy and withdrawal from people and activities.This course will support you to build motivation and do more of the things you enjoy or may have been putting off with the aim of lifting your low mood.
This is an online taught course, run in a group format, so although there will be some group discussion it is up to you how much or how little you choose to take part. We do encourage cameras to be turned on during sessions.
Internet access is required, and you will need to use Microsoft Teams to access this course.
Our service is available to people over 16 years and registered with a Wiltshire GP.
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Graded Exposure for Phobias (6 sessions)
21 May 2024, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
This free online course is aimed at people experiencing problems with specific phobias, focusing on overcoming the fear of specific objects, places etc. to improve wellbeing and reduce distress. This course is also available for those experiencing Agoraphobia, where avoidance of situations due to heightened fear and panic is the main presenting problem.
This is an online taught course, run in a group format, so although there will be some group discussion it is up to you how much or how little you choose to take part. We do encourage cameras to be turned on during sessions.
This course will run for 6 sessions held on a Tuesday morning, starting at 10:00am and finishing at 12:00pm.
Internet access is required, and you will need to use Microsoft Teams to access this course.
Important - GP surgery:
If you do not have a GP in Wiltshire, please contact your GP surgery to find out what services are available in your area.
Please note: If attendance of courses is fewer than 4 people it is felt that it may not be appropriate to continue with the course.
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Applied Relaxation for Generalised Anxiety Disorder (6 sessions)
30 May 2024, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
This free online course introduces applied relaxation as a way of managing stress, anxiety and worry.
This is an online taught course, run in a group format, so although there will be some group discussion it is up to you how much or how little you choose to take part. We do encourage cameras to be turned on during sessions.
Internet access is required, and you will need to use Microsoft Teams to access this course.
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Managing Worry (6 weeks)
3 June 2024, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
This free online course is aimed at people experiencing problems with anxiety, focusing on general anxiety and excessive worry.
This is an online taught course, run in a group format, so although there will be some group discussion it is up to you how much or how little you choose to take part. We do encourage cameras to be turned on during sessions.
Internet access is required, and you will need to use Microsoft Teams to access this course.
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Mindful Way through Depression (8 sessions)
25 July 2024, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
This free online course is aimed at people experiencing problems with depression and low mood, focusing on simple meditation exercises that help us to stay grounded in the present moment and respond to negative emotions in a calmer, wiser, more compassionate way. Mindfulness has been shown to help with depression and also prevent future relapses after recovery.
This is an online taught course, run in a group format, so although there will be some group discussion it is up to you how much or how little you choose to take part. We do encourage cameras to be turned on during sessions.
This course will run for 8 sessions held on a Thursday starting at 14:00 and finishing at 16:00.
Internet access is required, and you will need to use Microsoft Teams to access this course.
Important - GP surgery:
If you do not have a GP in Wiltshire please contact your GP surgery to find out what services are available in your area.
Please note: If attendance of courses is fewer than 4 people it is felt that it may not be appropriate to continue with the course.
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