If you'd like to find out more about TALKWORKS or have a question about our service, please read our frequently asked questions below and hopefully we'll be able to help. If you are unable to find the answer to your question, please call us on 0300 555 3344 (our phone lines are open Monday to Friday from 9am - 5pm) and a member of our team will be happy to assist you.
your questions
- Q1. What support can TALKWORKS offer me?
- Q2. How can a therapist help me?
- Q3. What kinds of therapy do TALKWORKS offer?
- Q4. How long does it take to see a therapist?
- Q5. I need support urgently, what should I do?
- Q6. How much does therapy cost?
- Q7. What do you mean by self-refer?
- Q8. What happens after I have self-referred?
- Q9. Do I need to bring anything with me to my appointment?
- Q10. What can I expect at my first session?
- Q11. How many therapy sessions will I need?
- Q12. Where do the sessions take place?
- Q13. Do you offer any early morning, evening or weekend appointments?
- Q14. What happens if I can’t attend an appointment?
- Q15. How do I book onto a wellbeing workshop?
- Q16. What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)?
- Q17. What is the difference between CBT and Counselling?
- Q18. Do I need to live in Devon to be able to receive treatment from TALKWORKS?
- Q19. What if English isn’t my first language?
- Q20. I have a physical disability, can I still access TALKWORKS?
- Q21. What if TALKWORKS isn’t suitable for me?
- Q22. Can I provide feedback on my experience using TALKWORKS?
- Q23. Are there mental health needs that can’t be helped in TALKWORKS and why?
What support can TALKWORKS offer me?
If you are suffering from low mood, poor sleep, anxious thoughts or worries, or are just not quite feeling yourself, our therapists can offer treatment and support to help you feel better again.
We offer a variety of treatment options including one-to-one sessions with a therapist, video consultations via Attend Anywhere, group therapy sessions and online self-help. All of our services can be accessed without needing to see your GP or a healthcare professional first - you just need to give us a call or fill out our online self-referral form.
Your appointments can take place in a format that works for you – face-to-face at one of our bases across Devon, or remotely, either over the phone or by video call.
Watch our new service video to find out more about the support we can offer to adults (age 18+) across Devon who are struggling.
How can a therapist help me?
TALKWORKS therapists are highly trained NHS professionals. They are accredited and/or registered with a national psychological therapy association (such as the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy), and deliver treatments with a strong research evidence base as recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
You may ask yourself, how can a therapist help me? In working alongside you to help you feel better and achieve your goals, our therapists will listen carefully to the difficulties and challenges that you are facing, help you to understand and make sense of how and why you may be struggling, and will then help you to learn tools and techniques to make changes to improve how you feel.
What kinds of therapy do TALKWORKS offer?
We offer a number of different therapies within TALKWORKS, designed to address a wide range of problems and difficulties. Some difficulties can be helped by more than one kind of therapy, in which case we offer people a choice of therapy that would best suit them. Some difficulties only have one recommended kind of treatment.
The therapies that we offer include Guided Self Help, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), CBT based Group Therapies, Counselling for Depression, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR, only offered to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), Mindfulness and Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT).
How long does it take to see a therapist?
We aim to see all of our referrals for an initial assessment within 6 weeks, however, our current waiting times are shorter. If you would like to access our services, you can call us on 0300 555 3344 or you can self-refer to TALKWORK.
I need support more urgently, what should I do?
Please be aware that TALKWORKS is not an emergency or crisis support service. If you have an urgent mental health need, please see a selection of services and helplines that can help.
How much does therapy cost?
There is no charge to access our services. TALKWORKS is part of the NHS and all treatment is available free of charge to adults over the age of 18, living in Devon (with the exception of Plymouth). You can access TALKWORKS by filling out an online self-referral form, or by calling us on 0300 553344. If you live in Plymouth please contact Plymouth Options to find out about they can offer.
What do you mean by self-refer?
By self-refer, we mean that you do not need to go through your GP to access our services. You can simply fill in our self-referral form, or speak to a member of our administration team by calling 0300 555 3344.
What happens after I have self-referred?
After you have self-referred to our service, a member of our admin team will be in touch to arrange an assessment. You will then be able to choose whether you would like to have your appointment remotely (either over the phone or by video call), or face-to-face in one of our bases that we work from across Devon.
Do I need to bring anything with me to my appointment?
You don’t need to bring anything to your appointment. If you are having a remote session, you’ll just need to ensure you are sat somewhere comfortable where you can talk openly, either over the phone or via video call, without risk of being overheard.
What can I expect at my first session?
At the first session, your therapist will ask you some questions to get a better understanding of how you are feeling and the problems you are experiencing. Your therapist will then talk through some different approaches for treatment and will work together with you to form a plan to help get you back on track. If you'd like to find out more about what you can expect at your first appointment, please watch our video or call us on 0300 555 3344 (our phone lines are open Monday to Friday, from 9am - 5pm).
How many therapy sessions will I need?
The number of therapy sessions you will need varies from person to person, depending on the difficulties that someone is struggling with. Some people find that 4-6 sessions is enough to help them get back on track. On the other hand, some people may need more sessions, depending on the kind of therapy that is being offered. Your therapist will be able to work with you on an approach that’s right for you and will have regular check-ins with you to see how you are getting on.
Where do the sessions take place?
We try to be as flexible and as accessible as possible with our therapy. We can offer face-to-face appointments at a variety of locations across Devon and Torbay.
We understand that some people may be nervous about receiving therapy, and may wish to do this in surroundings that they feel comfortable in. We therefore also offer remote therapy, where you can access treatment from the comfort of your own home, either over the phone or by video call.
You can also complete online therapy through Silvercloud - a flexible self-help and learning programme. This can be accessed at any time during the day, or at night, and is ideal for those who may not be able to commit to regular sessions with a therapist. You can still access feedback and support from your therapist through the platform, without needing to attend appointments.
Do you offer any early morning, evening or weekend appointments?
TALKWORKS operates as a Monday - Friday service, and at present we do not offer weekend appointments. We do however offer evening appointments, as well as early morning sessions, so that you can access our services outside normal working hours. Our online self-help programme, Silvercloud, is available to access anytime, day or night.
What happens if I can’t attend an appointment?
If you are unable to attend your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible. To cancel your appointment, please call our reception team on 0300 555 3344 or email dpt.talkworks@nhs.net. We want to help as many people as possible, and if we receive notice that you are unable to attend your appointment, we can then offer the slot to someone else who is waiting for treatment. Our team will then work with you to rearrange your appointment at a time that suits you.
How do I book onto a wellbeing workshop?
We offer a selection of wellbeing workshops, focused around improving sleep, reducing stress, practising mindfulness and improving your general health and wellbeing. You can book onto any of our wellbeing workshops over the phone, by calling our reception team on 0300 555 3344 (our phone lines are open Monday to Friday from 9am – 5pm). If you are looking for a bespoke workshop for your business, please email dpt.talkworksworkshop@nhs.net.
What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)?
CBT is an acronym for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and is a form of talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave. It looks at the way that thoughts, feelings and behaviours interact, sometimes in a helpful, and sometimes in an unhelpful way. The aim of CBT is to help you deal with overwhelming problems in a more positive way, by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable parts.
What is the difference between CBT and Counselling?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a form of talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave. Rather than looking into your past, we’ll help you to understand your current thoughts and feelings by breaking them down into more manageable chunks. On the other hand, Counselling for Depression (CfD) helps you to reflect on how you are feeling, working with you to identify feelings and emotions that may feel stuck or unprocessed. A CfD session is a form of therapy that focuses on the present day, but events from the past may be explored to help you identify themes and patterns that are contributing to your loss of happiness and low mood.
Do I need to live in Devon to be able to receive treatment from TALKWORKS?
In order to receive care and treatment from TALKWORKS you need be registered with a GP in Devon (excluding Plymouth) to access our services. Plymouth has its own service called Plymouth Options for adults living in Plymouth who are in need of support. Other services are available for people registered with a GP in Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset. If you live outside Devon and would like to access support, you can find details of your local service on the NHS website.
What if English isn't my first language?
If English is not your first language this isn’t a problem. We can provide an interpreter to ensure that you can still access the same level of treatment and support. Please make us aware of this when you refer yourself to TALKWORKS.
I have a physical disability, can I still access TALKWORKS?
Yes you can still access our services. We simply ask that you make us aware of this when you self-refer to us, and then we can ensure that any necessary arrangements are made.
What if TALKWORKS isn’t suitable for me?
At your initial assessment, one of our therapists will run through a series of questions with you to understand how you are feeling and what difficulties you are experiencing. Once we have completed the assessment, if we do not think our services are suitable for you, we will signpost you to a different service that is better placed to help.
Can I provide feedback on my experience using TALKWORKS?
Yes, we welcome feedback on your experience with TALKWORKS so that we can provide the best possible service to our patients. You can either leave a public review on Google, or you can fill out our Patient Experience Questionnaire. Your feedback is important to us, and we will use this to improve our offering as we continue to expand our services.
Are there mental health needs that can’t be helped in TALKWORKS and why?
Our aim at TALKWORKS is to help as many people as possible who are struggling with a common mental health problem. Our clinicians are trained to support people with mild to moderate difficulties. TALKWORKS, is not a specialist mental health or crisis service and we are therefore unable to work with all mental health difficulties.