Our service has a new name!

The service which was historically called Outlook South West in this area and was also known nationally as Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT), will now be called:

  • NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression.

We are currently updating our systems to reflect this change and will share more information shortly.

Welcome to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies service

The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service provides free, confidential talking therapies for people who are registered with a GP in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, aged 16 years and over, experiencing common difficulties including:

  • low mood
  • stress
  • anxiety
  • worry

We can also help people experiencing long-term physical health conditions, which affect their low mood, stress and anxiety. 

This includes:

  • diabetes (type 1 and 2, and pre-diabetes)
  • cardiovascular related problems
  • irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
  • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

What are the benefits?

  • We will help you learn the skills you need to overcome your difficulties.
  • You will feel heard and understood.
  • You will be able to better manage your physical health.
  • We will help you link in with other support in the community.

Community mental health transformation

Our talking therapy services are also in the process of transformation. Our work on wider mental health transformation is coordinated with developments happening within the transformation programme.

Referrals

You must be registered with a GP surgery in Cornwall or the Isles of Scilly to use the service. You can self-refer online or call 01208 871 905. Appointments are by phone, video or face-to-face.

Please note that if your self-referral raises concerns about your safety, we will signpost you to a more appropriate service.

How our service works

It is important to be aware that we are a talking therapy service and not a traditional counselling service. We offer many evidenced-based treatment options recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Once we receive your referral, we will book your assessment appointment. After assessment, we will decide with you the most suitable talking therapy from the following NICE-recommended therapies:

  • interpersonal psychotherapy
  • couples therapy for depression
  • counselling for depression
  • mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
  • cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), low or high intensity

We provide people with different treatments, depending on their needs. We usually start with the least intensive treatment first.

It may be that another service is more suitable for your current needs and we can help signpost you to one of these.

Treatment is provided by trained IAPT therapists, either one to one or in a group course, and can be:

  • by online video call
  • face to face at one of our locations across the county
  • by telephone

Video appointments

We provide video appointments using Attend Anywhere. Join your video appointment.

Thoughts of harm or suicide?

We are not a crisis or emergency service. If you need help now, visit our mental health crisis Cornwall webpage or call the 24/7 mental health response line on 0800 038 5300 for support and advice.