Groups and courses

Takes place over 8 x 2-hour sessions.

Focusing on low self-esteem, building self-compassion and a sense of self for young people aged 16 to 21 years old.

In this group we look at:

• understanding anxiety and depression
• exploring the impact life as a young person can have on our self-esteem
• increasing self-compassion
• tools to manage anxiety in a range of situations
• challenging unhelpful thoughts
• getting going and doing things we may be avoiding
• exploring our identity as a young person and improving our sense of self
• increasing self-compassion and resilience

Takes place over 8 sessions of 90 minutes

The group is a cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) treatment group for people with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and includes psycho-education on OCD, how it is formed, and how it is maintained.

The course will explore individuals' intrusions and compulsions, and there is an expectation to complete both in session and between session homework tasks. The course will also look at:

•    what is OCD? Diary of OCD
•    what maintains OCD?
•    beliefs about intrusions
•    behavioural experiments and response prevention
•    beliefs about responsibility
•    skills and techniques to overcome OCD

Takes place over 6 x 2-hour sessions.

Mums often find life with a baby or toddler challenging. New demands and responsibilities, together with broken sleep, can sometimes leave you feeling overwhelmed, low in mood, irritable or anxious. This group offers support for mums with children up to the age of 2 who may be struggling with the transition into parenthood.

In this group we will look at:

• expectations versus reality
• managing your worries
• bonding with baby
• stress, poor sleep and irritability
• self-compassion and staying well

Takes place over 6 x 90 minute sessions

This course is focussed on behavioural activation, which is a clinical technique used to help manage a reduction in behaviour and activities, a common symptom of low mood. During the course we will also look at:

• understanding the link between behaviour and depression
• behavioural activation and 'getting going' again
• goals and values
• sleep problems and lifestyle factors, and how these can impact on our mood
• barriers to change, rumination, avoidance and procrastination
• staying well and relapse prevention

Takes place over 8 x 2 hours sessions held fortnightly.

The course provides an opportunity for clients who are diagnosed or self-identify as autistic and/or ADHD to learn more about their individual neurodivergent challenges.

Through the course you will learn some coping strategies and build a better sense of self-compassion.

Topics include:

• introduction to:
  • acceptance and commitment therapy
  • mindfulness, values and doing what matters
  • our nervous system
• acceptance and commitment therapy approach to dealing with unhelpful thinking
• trauma and neurodiversity
• identifying what is important and what gets in the way
• tips to overcome barriers of neurodivergent challenges
• fight, flight and freeze psycho-education
• managing uncertainty and worry
• masking and burnout
• unmasking and being our authentic self
• accepting what we cannot change

Takes place over 5 x 90-minute sessions.

This course looks at our emotions linked to the experience of depression. The aim is to help people to recognise their emotions better and increase acceptance and compassion towards the self. The course will explore:

• what is depression?
• what are emotions and how can they keep us 'stuck'
• self-care and self-compassion
• our interactions with others and social activity
• relationships and communication
• relapse prevention and moving forward

Takes place over 5 x 90-minute sessions.

The transition through menopause can bring physiological and psychological changes that can lead to low mood, anxiety, or stress.

Uncomfortable physical symptoms, low energy and memory difficulties can be challenging. The course helps people learn more about the impact of the menopause transition, as well as strategies to adapt and live well, through and beyond the menopause

This course focuses on:

• menopause facts, causes and stages
• impact of the menopause
• depression and anxiety
• unhelpful thoughts and thought challenging
• behaviour and getting active
• worry management and problem-solving
• hot flushes, anxiety, and panic
• improving sleep and responding to night sweats
• diet and nutrition

Introduction to mindfulness

Takes place over 4 x 90-minute sessions.

Providing a first step in mindfulness for anyone who is experiencing or has experienced depression, anxiety, stress, or long-term health conditions.

The course aims to:

• provide practical support and tips for practising mindfulness
• teach ways to apply mindfulness skills to everyday life
• give space for practising the skills and attitudes for mindfulness

Mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy

Takes place over 9 x 2-hour 30-minute sessions.

The course style is experiential. It is about cultivating awareness of present-moment, body and mind experience.

It is about developing the 'being' mode of mind, and coming out of the 'doing' mode, which is often overworked and stuck in unhelpful patterns.

We learn to identify these patterns and begin to move from reactive (leading to more suffering) to responsive (leading to less suffering) ways of meeting life’s& challenges.​

Practices include lying down, walking, gentle stretching and sitting meditations. These are always invitational and adaptable to the individual physical needs of patients.​

Participants will not be asked to share the stories of their personal situations in the group. The focus will be kept to present moment awareness.

Mindfulness for pain

Takes place over 4 x 90-minute sessions.

This course explores how mindfulness might help with pain management.

We will focus on:

• what mindfulness is and how to bring mindfulness practices into daily life
• how mindfulness can help you to develop a different perspective on living with pain, focusing on wholeness rather than feelings of being flawed and isolated
• how to gently turn towards the pain when it feels safe to do so
• how to respond more skilfully to pain, worry and stress

Takes place over 5 x 90-minute sessions.

This course looks at how stress, low mood and anxiety can impact on the way we think, feel, and behave.

We focus on:

• symptoms of stress
• setting goals and becoming more active
• managing worry, rumination, panic or anger
• relaxation and mindfulness
• challenging negative thoughts
• reducing avoidance and procrastination
• assertive communication
• getting a good night’s sleep

Takes place over 4 x 90-minute sessions.

Sleep Well aims to help you make changes that will aid positive sleep.

We focus on:

• stages of sleep and different sleep problems
• negative sleep habits and sleep hygiene
• techniques for improving sleep
• challenging sleep perspective
• how stress affects our sleep
• tips for managing shift work and other lifestyle factor

Takes place over 5 x 90 minute sessions

This course is designed to help us understand PTSD and trauma - it is not a treatment group but will help give a better understanding of what treatment is, if it is needed, and will give tools and techniques to help manage symptoms whilst waiting for therapy. The course will look at:

• what is PTSD?
• physiology of the threat system
• grounding techniques, relaxation techniques
• coping with flashbacks and disassociation
• nightmare rescripting
• healthy living and reclaiming your life
• self-compassion

This course takes place over 6 sessions of 90 minutes.

The aim of the course is to help you learn more about your own neurodivergent differences and to learn some individualised coping strategies. The course will cover:

• an introduction to autism and ADHD
• the nervous system, anxiety versus overwhelm
• sensory sensitivities and soothing
• managing executive functioning, challenges and barriers to finishing tasks
• managing worry and emotions
• communication challenges
• relapse prevention and staying well

Takes place over 6 sessions of 90 minutes

This course is for people experiencing long term health conditions. The aim is to build an understanding of how anxiety, depression and stress can interact with our physical health. Understanding that physical and mental health symptoms often overlap, and by managing our wellbeing we can better manage our physical health. The course will also explore:

• 'Boom and Bust', pacing
• overcoming barriers
• values and goals
• stress, anxiety, relaxation techniques
• worry management and problem solving
• negative thinking, illness beliefs
• self-compassion, maintaining progress

Takes place over 4 x 2-hour sessions.

Focusing on low mood and anxiety for people aged over 65, we discuss:

• changes in later life, including retirement, loneliness, bereavement, and changes in health and mobility
• how these changes can lead to anxiety and low mood symptoms
• tools to manage anxiety, worry and unhelpful thoughts
• techniques to boost activity and overcoming barriers
• healthy living and ways you can grow in later life
• ways to improve your resilience and learn how to adapt to the challenges life may bring

Within 5 working days of receiving your referral, you will be contacted by a member of our Admin Team. They will arrange your initial telephone assessment appointment with one of our therapists.

Once confirmed, your appointment details will be emailed or posted to you and will include further information about what to expect.

There may be times when we would need to discuss transferring your care with other services if we are not the appropriate service to meet your needs. If you do not hear from us after 5 days, call us on 01208 871 905 or email the Talking Therapies Service. The team will respond Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm.

We expect 12,500 people to access talking therapies a year across a range of services. We assess 93% of people within 6 weeks. Some services receive more referrals than others and these median waiting times give you a guide as to what you can expect.

Assessment current wait time in days

• 46.5 days.

Low intensity current wait time in days

Service	Days
Therapeutic groups including young at heart, finding yourself again, menopause and stressbuster.	28
One-to-one therapy	57
Silvercloud therapy (accompanied)	24

High intensity current wait time in days

Service	Days
Therapeutic groups including health relating, worry less and live more, mood booster and neuro.	28
Cognitive behavioural therapy	213
Counselling for depression	171
Couples' therapy for depression	59
Interpersonal psychotherapy	23
Post traumatic stress disorder therapy	179

This information was last updated on 28 February 2025.