View Full Version : ANXIETY UK - support line and cheaper therapy services
Hi all,
I mention this organisation a lot, and no I am not on their payroll. It's about time they got a thread. I talked to them about getting them more members which they need if the organisation is going to stay around in the long term. So this thread is here to make you aware of their services and to ask you to join them if you can.
Anxiety UK have helped me greatly since I found out about them in 2010. They are a team of anxiety survivors who provide first-hand advice, guidance and support. If you are suffering from clinical anxiety then you will almost certainly find this service more useful than the Samaritans, although I would not ever recommend people to stop using the Samaritans service!
Anxiety UK takes a proactive stance, helping you to make sense of what you're going through. On nearly every occasion I have spoken to them I have find them polite, friendly, sympathetic and most of all understanding. They have been through what you're going through. I cannot think of anyone - no doctor, no specialist - more qualified to act as a guide than someone who has already blazed their own trail through the hell of anxiety.
Reduced-price therapy
You can also get cheaper therapy from Anxiety UK's qualified specialists. This can be done over the phone, which is cheaper and much more convenient for those who cannot travel, although the range of telephone services is more limited - for example, trying to conduct hypnotherapy over the phone would be ridiculous.
They currently offer counselling, CBT, neuro-linguistic programming and hypnotherapy, possibly among other things.
They have a tier system of charges. Most people would fall into the £20-£25 per session bracket with students and people living on benefits paying only £5-£7.50 per session, and the heavy earners paying £40-£45.
In most cases, applications for therapy are processed the same day they arrive and your therapist will contact you within 14 days. Imagine trying to arrange that on the NHS! You'd be here til Christmas.
Membership
You will need to join Anxiety UK if you want their professional services. Membership for a year costs around twenty quid. You get a quarterly magazine called Anxious Times which is worth £4 if you buy it on its own. Also you get a membership pack with your details and lots of information about their services.
If you do sign up for a professional service such as counselling, there is a one-off £5 admin fee. If you ever actually speak to the people at Anxiety UK you will pay this without hesitation, believe me. Twenty-five quid in total to get access to cut-price therapy... there aren't many bargains left in Britain, so get one while you can.
Just giving their phone line a ring to talk about your problems is fine, you can do that any time they're open. Membership is not a requirement - I was just thinking of getting counselling or hypnotherapy for such a low price.
Well anyway, that's my two-penneth, I hope other people will take the company up on this.
CONTACT DETAILS
http://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/
Tel: 08444 775 774 (Mon-Fri 9.30-5.30)
MyNameIsTerry
09-08-15, 08:09
Spotted this off the back of the Inositol thread and thought it worth a bump.
Here is the memberships section if anyone wants it:
https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/membership/
They offer a sliding scale for various therapies and membership is currently £30 per year.
For those struggling to find a therapy solution, maybe this can help? Having a major charity vetting the therapists & counsellors is a big tick in the box. BACP membership (or BABCP too if looking on NHS websites) is a good way to find an approved therapist or counsellor but BACP are not very good at vetting their members and I know I've seen 2 members on their register that shun CBT in favour of an unproven "guru's" methods which have ZERO proof yet remain on there despite complaints from a charity about them. This is not good for anyone looking so please be careful and look around the internet incase there are any ties to guru's.
AnxietyUK offers more protection I would think since you know they have been checked out by them too?
https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/membership/membershiptherapyservices/therapy-fees/
MEMBERSHIP £30.00 PLUS FEES SCALE just so everything is clear.
I wish to point out that I am not passing judgement on this organisation just so that you know all the various costs. This is aimed at very low income households only as far as I can see,but please correct me if I am wrong as if you are a higher earner the rates are more or less the same as any private therapist who usually charge for a 50 minute consultation.
It is not clear how long a consultation is by phone or face to face with anxietyuk.
.
I must have misread the first two categories or my English is crap. Proof of income required for Level 1 or 2.
MyNameIsTerry
09-08-15, 09:36
Let's not forget that this is a 40 year old charity with a fair few impressive NHS/academic specialists on their advisory panel (Salkovskis is one I know of who NICE have used for 2 rounds of anxiety recommendations and has close ties to OCD UK, another charity). So, I think their pedigree is well established.
As a charity, they are well governed by The Charities Commission.
The therapist & counsellors are part of a network, hence they are private. Sessions will be inline with the standards they are expected to deliver. It does explain the likely sessions for 2 forms of therapy.
I would disagree on low income households. A single man in a city further north than the M25 can easily be earning £22k a year inline with an average salary for their city. £30k a year is a good salary in many areas of the UK. These people can still access reduced cost therapy so whilst it is less helpful to those further towards the capital (like any scheme that doesn't set it's tiers based on geographical location) it could be helpful to people in other areas of the UK whether low income or doing well for themselves.
Rennie1989
09-08-15, 11:14
A single man in a city further north than the M25 can easily be earning £22k a year inline with an average salary for their city.
Unless you have the qualifications and/or experience to. The unfortunate reality is that this is not strictly true.
MyNameIsTerry
09-08-15, 11:24
Unless you have the qualifications and/or experience to. The unfortunate reality is that this is not strictly true.
Based on national statistics it can be an average salary. It has been in my city.
I take it you mean that average salaries per area are often too high? I would agree on that. I can remember this being published years ago for my city and it was higher than most of the managers on site.
However the basic principle is the same - £30k is a very good salary in many areas of the UK but they would still qualify for the reduced cost. It seems unfair that way since 2 parents could be pulling in the same combined wage with kids to feed.
It's very comforting to know this organisation is out there
I'm seriously considering joining them
Thank you for posting this!
I have spoken to them twice in the last two weeks, so please don't disagree as I know what they told me. The HO which is just a house and I was asked to speak to a lady called Sheila, who in fact answered the phone. She wasn't very enthusiastic and without asking me any questions told me 6 phone calls would cost £40.00 plus £10.00 membership.She told me she was eating her lunch when I phoned so I suggested that I call back but she said she would e mail me the details .I am still waiting.
I would say their free service to phone is very good if you can get through.
My impression is that it is a very very small organisation, with very few helpers and last time I looked they had 8 members on FB
MyNameIsTerry
28-09-15, 09:51
My impression is that it is a very very small organisation, with very few helpers and last time I looked they had 8 members on FB
I'm not sure you have looked at Anxiety UK, Ricardo.
Their 2014 annual statement seems to suggest they are anything but "very very small":
https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Annual-Report-2014.pdf
"The charity has also gained over 15,000 new followers on Twitter and Facebook with a combined following of over 50,000 people who view our posts and updates."
They have been around since the 1970's afterall. They seem sizeable but nowhere near the size of MIND of course.
Quite right it was Anxiety UK a link was posted on here a couple of weeks ago.They all have very similar names.
https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/membership/membershiptherapyservices/therapy-fees/
I have spoken to them twice in the last two weeks, so please don't disagree as I know what they told me. The HO which is just a house and I was asked to speak to a lady called Sheila, who in fact answered the phone. She wasn't very enthusiastic and without asking me any questions told me 6 phone calls would cost £40.00 plus £10.00 membership.She told me she was eating her lunch when I phoned so I suggested that I call back but she said she would e mail me the details .I am still waiting.
I would say their free service to phone is very good if you can get through.
My impression is that it is a very very small organisation, with very few helpers and last time I looked they had 8 members on FB
Hmm, not sure I'd want to part with any cash ringing Sheila. All sounds a bit dubious...
Sheila was a name on Complaints Thread that MM and Bottle Blond gave me ...lol:roflmao:
MyNameIsTerry
28-09-15, 22:27
Well it's a national charity with a good reputation and you see them in the national media, they work with the medical profession and universities on projects to improve mental health in the UK, etc so they seem reputable. They have a load of medical advisers on board and a few celebrity patrons including Ruby Wax who is well connected to Oxford.
My local charity had been around decades but they offer courses, walk ins, social stuff, etc so nowhere near as much but they are good.
MyNameIsTerry
29-09-15, 07:04
Just in case anyone is worried that they are "small" or otherwise, you can find them listed on NHS Choices:
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/pages/mental-health-helplines.aspx
Notice the company on that webpage i.e. MIND, Rethink, Relate, NSPCC, etc.
Something I do wonder about though is their network of therapists. Presumably they vet them to ensure they are up to a certain standard given the sector is full of quick online diploma merchants. Whether they offer any further cover once they pass you to a therapist though, I'm not sure e.g. help resolving conflict, issues about fees, ethics, etc. Therapists should belong to an appropriate association but many of those are attached to the colleges selling the certs/diplomas so they hold less value.
I joined them yesterday and I had this brochure that detailed (amongst other things) their therapists:
Therapists registered with ANXIETY UK are volunteers and are not directly employed by AUK. The fees paid for therapy sessions help to cover the cost of therapists’ expenses such as external supervision and room hire and are kept by therapists.
All therapists registered with ANXIETY UK have undertaken an Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau disclosure check – this is repeated on a three year basis.
Each therapist is required to provide two references (one of which has to be an academic referee), undergo an interview with an AUK staff member and show evidence of their qualifications, insurance cover and membership of any relevant professional bodies.
Additionally, counsellors must hold a Diploma in Counselling from a BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy) or BPS (British Psychological Society) accredited course, or be working towards one on a course that is accredited by the BACP or the BPS.
CBT practitioners must hold a qualification from a course accredited by the BABCP (British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies) or be on a CBT diploma course recognised by the BABCP.
I opted to see a counsellor rather than a CBT because with counsellors you get more sessions. I may be missing something but the above says their counsellors don't have a degree in their chosen profession. Or is a diploma higher than a degree?
I'm worried now because I expected a bit more scholarship - perhaps not a phd but at least a degree :huh:
I have to very careful what I say to you Terry or you will run to the Head Mistress (again).
I think there is utter confusion as I said previously, but that sailed over your head.
We are talking about two different organisations.Do I have to repeat myself again. Phone Sheila up yourself. It is a small anxiety group mainly for people on very low incomes and is run by volunteeers.Nothing wrong with that,if that is what certain people want, but I got bad vibes from it.
The association you mention is an entirely different proposition, but I have already realised that and said so previously.
I make my own judgement when I speak to an organisation and as you well know we are a group of people who can be very vunerable through our condition and there are plenty of so called therapists who offer more or less a magic cure,but it's usually a scam.
Oh by the way I have had a bet with myself that you will respond playing the trump card,as you always do lol.
MyNameIsTerry
29-09-15, 08:29
I have to very careful what I say to you Terry or you will run to the Head Mistress (again).
I think there is utter confusion as I said previously, but that sailed over your head.
We are talking about two different organisations.Do I have to repeat myself again. Phone Sheila up yourself. It is a small anxiety group mainly for people on very low incomes and is run by volunteeers.Nothing wrong with that,if that is what certain people want, but I got bad vibes from it.
The association you mention is an entirely different proposition, but I have already realised that and said so previously.
I make my own judgement when I speak to an organisation and as you well know we are a group of people who can be very vunerable through our condition and there are plenty of so called therapists who offer more or less a magic cure,but it's usually a scam.
I'm confused here and I was in your previous response because you are commenting on Anxiety UK in a thread about them but to now sounds like you are talking about a different one? It confused me because you appeared to agree in your last post but then posted a link to Anxiety UK. Which organisation did you call then? It confused me as well because the fees you quoted matched Anxiety UK but I wasn't sure about the HO thing you mentioned but assumed it was because of your need to have therapy in your home?
Please stop misleading people with your first statement.
Whatever you say, you're in charge :whistles:
MyNameIsTerry
29-09-15, 08:46
I joined them yesterday and I had this brochure that detailed (amongst other things) their therapists:
Therapists registered with ANXIETY UK are volunteers and are not directly employed by AUK. The fees paid for therapy sessions help to cover the cost of therapists’ expenses such as external supervision and room hire and are kept by therapists.
All therapists registered with ANXIETY UK have undertaken an Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau disclosure check – this is repeated on a three year basis.
Each therapist is required to provide two references (one of which has to be an academic referee), undergo an interview with an AUK staff member and show evidence of their qualifications, insurance cover and membership of any relevant professional bodies.
Additionally, counsellors must hold a Diploma in Counselling from a BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy) or BPS (British Psychological Society) accredited course, or be working towards one on a course that is accredited by the BACP or the BPS.
CBT practitioners must hold a qualification from a course accredited by the BABCP (British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies) or be on a CBT diploma course recognised by the BABCP.
I opted to see a counsellor rather than a CBT because with counsellors you get more sessions. I may be missing something but the above says their counsellors don't have a degree in their chosen profession. Or is a diploma higher than a degree?
I'm worried now because I expected a bit more scholarship - perhaps not a phd but at least a degree :huh:
A BABCP recognised qualification to provide CBT would mean they are on a par with IAPT high intensity therapists. IAPT have stated they wish all their HIT's to be registered with them but it's not a formal requirement and they brought in a policy for each local IAPT partner to ensure they had their own policies to cover minimum standards to match BABCP ones.
Counselling at BACP standard should be good. Not sure about BPS since they are more for the degree grads and don't accept people for full membership below that (last I looked). Links below to show some of the standards that they could have.
What I don't like is how for counselling they could be on a suitable BACP training course. That could mean someone with no experience or training. I guess they must have to resolve this with the referees? I would ask them. Besides, you can check your counsellor out as BACP have a register.
http://www.bps.org.uk/bpslegacy/ac?frmAction=results&CourseType=UG&Search_Type=NC
http://www.bps.org.uk/what-we-do/benefits-belonging/membership/membership
http://www.bacpregister.org.uk/
http://www.bacp.co.uk/student/step2.php
http://www.bacp.co.uk/crs/Training/careersincounselling.php
With BACP, the counsellor will have done the previous 2 courses. You could ask one of the Admins, Rennie, about this as she has been studying some of these. I think she passed her cert recently so she will be able to tell you more about what experience level she gained through it.
Please can we stop the personal insults and the sly digs
MyNameIsTerry
29-09-15, 08:50
Whatever you say, you're in charge :whistles:
:shrug:
OK, if you want to keep making out I run off complaining but Nic knows the truth about why. Members on here may choose to believe what they wish, they can't see the facts afterall.
Ok now I'm slightly confused :)
Yesterday I joined this anxiety uk organisation: www.anxietyuk.org.uk
They have 40 years experience
I'm not aware of another Anxiety UK organisation though
MyNameIsTerry
29-09-15, 08:59
Ok now I'm slightly confused :)
Yesterday I joined this anxiety uk organisation: www.anxietyuk.org.uk
They have 40 years experience
I'm not aware of another Anxiety UK organisation though
Thats why I'm confused as well.
The one you have joined is the one NoPoet raised the thread about and one I'm talking about all the way through. There are loads of charities out there, many are small local ones, so I'm not sure if that is what Ricardo is mentioning? Anxiety UK ran by Nikki Leadbetter is well known.
I'm a member of a local one that I used to attend before here but not any others. Let us know how it goes because there seems to be little info about things like their forum and whether it's as good as here. I don't mean that to sound like I mean to leave, it's I looked at OCD UK and the thing that bothers me is whether I would get the right support for my GAD on there but Anxiety UK might do. Since I can't access any CBT in my area now, if I have to pay, I would look at somewhhere like Anxiety UK as a way to get someone with a pre-vetted reputation and be able to make use of the sliding scale treatment options without phoning around a load. I asked one in my area and he wanted £80 per hour and I don't fancy paying that.
You might want to look at CCBT as well. NICE state they accept evidence that it is as efficient as face-to-face therapy as long as their is remote therapist support. I know of a few that do offer that, including one on here.
Something the NHS/IAPT are quite bad for is their insistence on face-to-face. Many private ones offer Skype thesedays. So, thats another reason I was interested in Anxiety UK as it could help me there with my funny daily hours and the also that I'm not limited to the local therapists.
Thats why I'm confused as well.
The one you have joined is the one NoPoet raised the thread about and one I'm talking about all the way through. There are loads of charities out there, many are small local ones, so I'm not sure if that is what Ricardo is mentioning? Anxiety UK ran by Nikki Leadbetter is well known.
I'm a member of a local one that I used to attend before here but not any others. Let us know how it goes because there seems to be little info about things like their forum and whether it's as good as here. I don't mean that to sound like I mean to leave, it's I looked at OCD UK and the thing that bothers me is whether I would get the right support for my GAD on there but Anxiety UK might do. Since I can't access any CBT in my area now, if I have to pay, I would look at somewhhere like Anxiety UK as a way to get someone with a pre-vetted reputation and be able to make use of the sliding scale treatment options without phoning around a load. I asked one in my area and he wanted £80 per hour and I don't fancy paying that.
You might want to look at CCBT as well. NICE state they accept evidence that it is as efficient as face-to-face therapy as long as their is remote therapist support. I know of a few that do offer that, including one on here.
Something the NHS/IAPT are quite bad for is their insistence on face-to-face. Many private ones offer Skype thesedays. So, thats another reason I was interested in Anxiety UK as it could help me there with my funny daily hours and the also that I'm not limited to the local therapists.
I'm going to phone them when they open at 9:30am because they asked me to. I'll find out what I can (I've a few questions for them) and I'll let you know what they say.
One thing I do know though, is that they do not have a chat forum (which for me at least is both disappointing and a little odd in this day and internet age), but, they are about to open up a Live Chat room facility for members soon, so hopefully that will go some way to resolving that little issue. At least that is what they said.
EDIT: Who is the member Davit? Is the person a therapist or someone with a lot of knowledge of how anxiety affects the mind? Reason I ask is the person seems knowledgeable but I'm wary of accepting theories from non therapists. If it is something I am quite familiar with myself then that's fine because I know the person is on the right track but if they start talking about things I don't know about then that's when I start asking how does this person know this? Sorry I don't mean to be judgemental or anything, I'm just trying to protect myself from incorrect information even if it is meant with good intent. Hope this doesn't offend anyone.
Why are you both confused.The link I put up was with a similar name but a completely different web page. It's not rocket science.
You have joined the correct one SeaJay.
How many more times do I have to apologise, I have now said for the third time that because the links had very similar names I was speaking about the wrong one.Is this such a crime.In fact if anything I have pointed out an association which doesn't appear to be that professional in it's approach. Can we leave it there please.
It's my wife's birthday today so I will leave you to it.:)
Why are you both confused.The link I put up was with a similar name but a completely different web page. It's not rocket science.
You have joined the correct one SeaJay.
Ok cool, thank you for confirming that for me :)
Hope you and your wife both have a great day
So.. Can someone clarify?
Which organisation has the vetted counsellors?
This is similar to ...
no more panic. And. No panic. Web sites. :doh:
MyNameIsTerry
29-09-15, 09:51
It's no biggie, Ricardo, I was just confused as both of your posts went to Anxiety UK so I was wondering what I was getting wrong. What are the others called out of interest so we know who to avoid?
I hope you wife has a nice birthday.
Couple of things
You have to pay for 3 therapy sessions up front before starting therapy. I asked if I could use the service on a 'as and when needed' basis and they said yes if the therapist is ok with that (I assume some might and some might not)
I raised concerns about the brouchure they sent me because the qualifications required didn't seem to be that high. I was directed to a page on their website and I saw this
Cognitive behavioural therapists (CBT): Applicants must hold a qualification from a course accredited by the British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) or be on a CBT Diploma course recognised by the BABCP, or hold individual accreditation with the BABCP.
The red doesn't tell me much and the blue mentions a diploma which isn't quite a degree.
Counsellors: Applicants must hold a Diploma in Counselling from a British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) or British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited course, or be working towards a Diploma in Counselling on a course that is accredited either by the BACP or the BPS, or hold individual accreditation with the BACP.
The above says you don't even need a diploma; that you only need to be working toward one? It seems a risky proposition to expose someone with mental health issues to a therapist who hasn't even got a diploma. It's very probable that I am missing something here, and that everything is taken care of.
Clinical hypnotherapists: Applicants must be registered with one of the following professional bodies the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council ,the British Society of Clinical Hypnosis or be registered with the General Hypnotherapy Register, National Council for Hypnotherapy and/or be registered with the UK Council for Psychotherapy and or The Hypnotherapy Society.
The above doesn't tell me anything about their qualifications.
Clinical psychologists: Applicants must hold a BPS approved Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and be registered with HCPC with experience of delivering CBT based therapy. Membership and /or individual accreditation with the BABCP would be welcomed.[/I]
This sounds much more like it. A Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. But how do you know you'll have this therapist?
They do not have a chat forum but agreed it would be a good idea. The site is changing all the time they said, so they could implement one in the future.
MyNameIsTerry
29-09-15, 10:17
Diplomas can be at various levels e.g. 3 (A Level), 4 or 5 (the first & second year of a foundation degree). BUT when it comes to BACP & BABCP, it means the a professional standard including supervised hours, client hours, etc. The difference is that there are many online colleges (and proper uni's) offering diplomas with no client contact hence BACP & BABCP don't recognise them as as enough experience to work with clients.
You don't need a degree to work as a CBT therapist for IAPT (the NHS) and be a member of BABCP. So, whilst it would be nice, you won't find many like that because if you go the degree route, why would you become a therapist when you can become a psychologist working on a multiskilled basis? CBT therapists are just trained in that.
One of the criticisms of IAPT is that it's therapists are not as well trained. Some are good, some are not so good. But with a private one you can ask more about them to understand their background whereas with the IAPT route our GP's send us to, you get what you are given.
Have a look at what BABCP say http://www.babcp.com/Accreditation/Accreditation.aspx
BUT a word of caution. Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWP) in the IAPT structure do not do CBT, they tend to work on the level below (Level 2) giving Guided Self Help. So, some could be these that are students of a CBT course so they can become High Intensity Therapists. Thats what I found when I went through IAPT anyway.
To understand about the hypnotherapists, have a look at the members pages of those societies. It will tell you the expected levels to be doing that.
BPS are the original people you would see, the BSC+MSC people HOWEVER does a degree mean you are any good. Not from my experience in business. Do they spend time working with clients or just studying? I've worked with law grads who were quite thick (but I have worked with many who were the opposite). So, again whilst it looks good, it doesn't mean they have a pedigree in a clinical setting.
I would expect they will tell you who the therapist will be. Then Google them as they will likely have a private practice or be a partner in someone elses.
Thats strange, it said they had a members forum. Charities like OCD Uk & OCD Action have them.
Bare in mind that this sector is full of people who didn't train through these routes, some of them could have been therapists in successful practices for decades. To become members they can do conversions or likely just let BACP/BABCP look at their CV's to determine whether they have the experience already. (it works like this in other industries)
That does make sense
Thanks Terry very much
I have spent the last 30 minutes trying to find the original site that was posted somewhere on NMP a few weeks back.
I didn't make up the conversation with Sheila but there is the possibility that I got confused with the link I posted earlier on this thread as it does appear to be the same thread and link that SeaJay joined and Terry also went into deal on.
Sorry to confuse every one but so many of these sites have similar names and Sheila's site is on FB.
No problem at all Ricardo
MyNameIsTerry
29-09-15, 10:49
That does make sense
Thanks Terry very much
I'm probably being a bit harsh on the psychologists, I just think there is a lot to be said for experience and it's not all about degrees so perhaps don't be put off.
BUT having said that, if I have 2 cameras on sale for the same price I would normally be picking the one with the zoom function :winks: What the MSC guys have a big advantage in is being multidisciplined. They would normally be working at the level above CBT therapists and dealing with the harder cases that failed at the level below. They would also be dealing with the more serious mentla health issues like schizophrenia, psychosis, etc so they bring a wider range of skills to the equation that could help them be more successful. There is a member on here, anthrokid, who works in this sector in Australia and she explains this very well when it has been discussed on the Therapy board. I've not seen here on here for months though.
---------- Post added at 10:49 ---------- Previous post was at 10:48 ----------
No worries, Ricardo.
MyNameIsTerry
29-09-15, 11:08
Sorry, Masters degree.
Sorry, Masters degree.
That sounds impressive
Thanks Terry
I phoned these people up, the ones that are Anxiety UK that Terry mentioned but I must tell you that the main discussion was about our household income so that they could formulate their fees.
They maybe endorsed by a number of people but my impression is that if you pay bottom dollar you get bottom advice or therapy. Something doesn't add up with this organisation to me anyway and they are tempting you to buy various products all the time, family or groups get a discount for membershi.not for me i'm afraid.
I'm sure Sheila would probably do a BOGOF deal (outside her lunch hour that is:D)
I agree with you, Ricardo. It's very hard to choose a therapist (if you have that option). Qualifications can be irrelevant if there is no rapport. Life experience of mental health issues would be more important to me. Banging on about finance would not be a good starting point either.
MyNameIsTerry
02-10-15, 04:54
I think a successful track record would matter to me more than qualifications. It would be great to have someone who has been through anxiety too but it's such a vast area that I think unless you have someone who was severe and had many different issues, you can find someone who doesn't understand e.g. if didn't have HA, couldn't understand the reassurance issue as much.
It's the same in anything though, if you want top people, you pay top prices. Stump up for The Priory. If like most of us you can't afford it, these services can be useful. But I think you have to look at the therapist to see what they are about. Having the recognised diplomas mentioned in their criteria would mean they are the same as the ones our GP's refer us to for CBT in the Level 3 on NICE's pathways. Those studying for a diploma can be the Level 2 people, and I think they are more of a risk. The biggest risk is those that haven't trained to become Level 2 types that are just working on the diploma as for all you know, he could have been a binman before! You would expect Anxiety UK to make sure people are adequate to ensure the therapy can be delivered and since they work with uni's and the NHS (the MD sits on a couple of boards) I guess we have to trust them.
Ricardo - you can always report them to the Charities Commission if you feel that they are selling as opposed to operating as a charity.
There is no way they are going to have the better therapists anyway, not on those fees. But, it's the same chance with using the NHS, so we can call them out for being the same with IAPT. You can study for 18 months to get the recommended diplomas and work for IAPT.
How do they compare to the therapists in the MIND network? I know they provide some IAPT services, so they could be similiar. My therapist was part of the Rethink network so would be about the same.
When I was doing exposure therapy with my NHS cpn, a student occupational therapist joined us for the session.
She was 24, couldn't get a job with her degree in English history!!!
So decided to do this post graduate course. And in her (very short) placement wanted to specialise in mental health!!
Through conversation she told me she knew no one with mental health problems, so any understanding she would have, would need to come from text books. SHE HAD NO MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE/TRAINING OR KNOWLEDGE.OF MEDICINES, WITHDRAWAL OR SIDE EFFECTS
She was however, lovely, placid, kind and I would feel confident doing exposure therapy with her should the worst happen (major panic attack),
I do think report is VERY important with a therapist, but equally some medical knowledge too
I have come to the conclusion that CBT is not for everyone and definitely in many cases not by telephone or skype.
Qualifications are secondary IMO you have to have a feel that you can open up to to a complete stranger and also hope they understand your circumstances.It can be extremely complex.This could be a therapist in any field f the mental health institutions be it private or otherwise.
Your GP will give you ten minutes once or twice and then basically make a snap judgement on medication and if it's the NHS go through the long winded process of possibly getting you some sort of therapy.I have been both privately and via the NHS and the same applies to both except you get longer with the GP and a quicker response to be seen by the therapist,when one goes private.
There really isn't a great system in the UK with an ever increasing amount of people with mental health issues.
I was at my local support group the other day, and I raised this very point with them; qualifications.
I told them what Anxiety UK therapists were about and their credentials, and I was told I really shouldn't worry. That going for a diploma with the BACPS (I probably got those letters all wrong) was quite a high bar - higher than having a degree in psychology (which as was rightly pointed out to me, doesn't mean much because it's more about the rapport and experience a therapist brings to the table)
Sorry, that's a long way of saying Anxiety UK have been going for 40 years and their therapists are quite highly qualified.
Or so it goes
Also, here's a personal email I was sent when I asked about the qualifications
Thanks for your email and question regarding the therapist allocation.
Naturally the first thing to assure you of is that all therapist are qualified to see clients although as in any walk of life the level of experience will vary. The selection of therapist is usually driven by the needs of the client, the level of their anxiety condition be that mild, moderate or severe, their preferences for therapy modality and then availability in their geographical area.
In addition I would add that it is a requirement for all of our therapist to be in receipt of regular supervision from an experienced therapist who hey can turn to if they needed a second opinion or guidance, which is extremely valuable for those with less experience. In cases where a client presents with complex needs
Finally with talking therapy sometimes a client and therapist find for some reason they don’t “click” and in those circumstances we would always be happy to allocate an alternative therapist subject to one being available.
All in all then, I'm somewhat reassured by their credentials.
Seajay
It is not for me to stop you as you need some therapy but if you read that e mail they are covering all angles carefully .I personally wouldn't take that route, others might.
I started a CBT session yesterday for the second time after the guy had been here twice to access me. He is much much better than my first experience and stays for nearly 2 hours.Initially it was for 4 sessions but now its 4 and then 4 at their base before I join the mindfulness group,but no start date for that. I find it a lot to take in but in simple terms changing ones thought process is not the easiest thing to do.he is chineses and keeps calling me Wicardo lol.
Seajay
It is not for me to stop you as you need some therapy but if you read that e mail they are covering all angles carefully .I personally wouldn't take that route, others might.
I started a CBT session yesterday for the second time after the guy had been here twice to access me. He is much much better than my first experience and stays for nearly 2 hours.Initially it was for 4 sessions but now its 4 and then 4 at their base before I join the mindfulness group,but no start date for that. I find it a lot to take in but in simple terms changing ones thought process is not the easiest thing to do.he is chineses and keeps calling me Wicardo lol.
Thanks for the advice Ricardo
What I don't understand with CBT, is that after 6 to 12 sessions, they basically say that's it. All done. What if you're not better though? What if you require a lot more sessions? Some stuff can take years to work through, and 12 sessions doesn't seem enough.
SeaJay
I am no expert with regards to CBT but I believe is that a good therapist will give you the tools to gradually learn but ultimately it's up to you, what is known as Homework, in fact a lot of work.
Sessions vary depending where you live and resourses but there is no given time frame to say you will improve 50% 75% or 100%.
MyNameIsTerry
04-10-15, 06:31
SeaJay,
If you want to determine the level of the diploma, it should be matched some form of national framework to allow them credits so it should be available to see somewhere. Diploma levels can go up into a Masters level but from looking at the number of hours involved, there are not the same as traditional education routes. For instance, I checked out the A Level ones a while back and there hours expected in the year were nothing like the amount I spent on my A Levels. Diplomas are about the level they are pitched at in terms of their complexity level. If you look at the PWP role alone, universities ask for a relevant degree or suitable experience so this can be seen as a postgraduate or undergraduate training course. The HIT diploma will be based on the back of PWP qualification hence raising the bar further. Thats for IAPT style qualifications but BACP may be a bit different to this and more accessible for undergraduates so worth checking out as I can't remember seeing it as high in terms of entry requirements, but I could be wrong as it's been ages since I looked.
BACP accreditation is considered the closest to industry standard, as is BABCP. If you want to work for the NHS in the IAPT structure as a High Intensity Therapist, you have to reach the BABCP level for their CBT therapists. So, if you get someone through Anxiety UK at that level, you are getting the same as you would if your GP referred you. Until you reach Level 4 service (e.g. community mental health teams) you are with IAPT in England & Wales.
Have a look at what the IAPT expect:
http://www.iapt.nhs.uk/workforce/high-intensity/
http://www.iapt.nhs.uk/silo/files/national-curriculum-for-high-intensity-cognitive-behavioural-therapy-courses.pdf
My GP referred me for CBT and I ended up with a HIT providing Level 3 services. Thats good enough for the NHS, so it's good enough for Anxiety UK.
Here is the lower level PWP's who do Level 2 services in IAPT (e.g. Guided Self Help, groups, etc)
http://www.iapt.nhs.uk/workforce/low-intensity/
http://www.iapt.nhs.uk/silo/files/national-curriculum-for-the-education-of-psychological-wellbeing-practitioners-pwps-.pdf
http://www.iapt.nhs.uk/silo/files/psychological-wellbeing-practitioners--best-practice-guide.pdf
So, if the person you are seeing is training towards a certificate, they are working towards being a PWP level. If they are training towards the diploma, more HIT. However, thats just for BABCP and BACP, there are many others out there which these industry standard bodies don't recognise e.g. 100 hours online diploma from an online college with no practice work or supervision.
This is a bit clearer now because if you are seeing a trainee, they will be expected to be at that certificate level and working upwards. So, if you see them, you will be used as part of their programme of training I would imagine as they need to see so many cases under supervision. You could inquire about that to understand how their supervision protects you since they are really not qualified at that point.
However, get the name of the therapist and look them up before committing. There are online directories where they advertise and list their credentials. I would expect they would be provided upon request anyway.
---------- Post added at 06:31 ---------- Previous post was at 06:11 ----------
Thanks for the advice Ricardo
What I don't understand with CBT, is that after 6 to 12 sessions, they basically say that's it. All done. What if you're not better though? What if you require a lot more sessions? Some stuff can take years to work through, and 12 sessions doesn't seem enough.
When you paying for something yourself, you have greater control over this and as long as the therapist is acting ethically inline with the codes they are signed onto, then running on longer seems fair. There are people on here paying privately who have had more sessions than this, I've seen it said in the odd thread. This charity may have an issue with that so that they free up therapists signed onto their network allowing new clients to get help. You would have to ask if you can have it over more sessions, if needed.
IAPT work to NICE guidelines, which are all available online. It stipulates the minimum number of sessions to constitute a therapy.
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg113/chapter/guidance
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg31/chapter/1-guidance#steps-35-treatment-options-for-people-with-ocd-or-bdd
Anything below these minimums is seen on here in threads by poor IAPT services that mustn't be doing enough due to economic reasons, I guess.
Thank you very much for that in depth reply Terry I really do appreciate the feedback. The problem though is that the information you supplied whilst accurate, has lead me to believe it's more involved than I first thought. Just to confirm, is PWP a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner?
Thank you very much for the input though - I really appreciate it.
This information on their therapists is what I found on their brochure which I received after joining:
Additionally, counsellors must hold a Diploma in Counselling from a BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy) or BPS (British
Psychological Society) accredited course, or be working towards one on a course that is accredited by the BACP or the BPS.
CBT practitioners must hold a qualification from a course accredited by the BABCP (British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies) or be on a CBT diploma course recognised by the BABCP
Not sure what that means exactly or how it squares with the qualifications set out in your post.
MyNameIsTerry
04-10-15, 08:50
No worries, it's there if needed. With the NICE guidelines, I just attached them as they state the number of sessions based on the severity levels of anxiety so they might be helpful that way.
The rest is probably just best scanned over. I think what is important here is that if you get someone who has passed a BABCP accredited diploma, they are recognised as able to work for the NHS to provide you with high intensity CBT. If they are still studying, they still have a PWP levels as you can't start the diploma without either the certificate for PWP or something of that level. The only concern for those studying is are they being supervised for those sessions as the diploma requires?
Aside from that, getting the name of the therapist and looking at their qualifications will probably remove the need for this anyway.
No worries, it's there if needed. With the NICE guidelines, I just attached them as they state the number of sessions based on the severity levels of anxiety so they might be helpful that way.
The rest is probably just best scanned over. I think what is important here is that if you get someone who has passed a BABCP accredited diploma, they are recognised as able to work for the NHS to provide you with high intensity CBT. If they are still studying, they still have a PWP levels as you can't start the diploma without either the certificate for PWP or something of that level. The only concern for those studying is are they being supervised for those sessions as the diploma requires?
Aside from that, getting the name of the therapist and looking at their qualifications will probably remove the need for this anyway.
Would you say there's a threshold of qualification I should steer clear from? Perhaps if I knew what NOT to go for in a therapist, it would make it easier for me to make a decision.
MyNameIsTerry
04-10-15, 09:37
It's tricky since experience is very important, as well as their personality really, so I think if you have less qualifications but a great track record you can still consider people. But it's people with online diplomas and diplomas from unis that are not accredited courses like BACP, BPS, BABCP, ones. Those people can be dodgy. Anyone on here could pass an online diploma, get insurance, set up a company and be a therapist/counsellor in a matter of a few months. Thats the problem with a lack of regulation.
I think if I was going the Anxiety UK route, I would prefer someone has has passed their diploma since someone still studying could fail. But beyond this I would want to know a bit more about them and their successes as qualification only means so much. So, you could look at their degrees, there other diplomas/certs and whether they have a background in mental health. For instance, some of the PWP's are former CPN's and that gives you some confidence in that they must have a lot of experience in dealing with more serious cases as inpatient or as outpatient under supervision of a psychologist.
Beyond that though, it will all come down to your impression of them. Do you speak to them for an assessment prior to committing financially? If so, that would be a good way to sound them out and see if you like how they relate to you.
Although it's appreciated by many, going into such depth is way above most people's heads.
It's plain common sense and a feeling that the person who is your therapist and you get on with each other, you feel relaxed, be comfortable in asking as many questions a you like and try and move forward.
Level of qualification can be important but really it's only a piece of paper.Explaining to you in layman's terms counts for a lot more, IMO.
Hi seejay,
This is mabey irrelevant, as you are wanting to go 'private'.
But, when I had CBT via the NHS, no one mentioned a timescale of number of sessions to me.
My problem was agoraphobia
When I had 1x session per week for roughly 8 weeks
(The first two sessions were theory, physiological response to anxiety and how to alleviate it in situations)
I was then cut to fortnightly with an exposure plan to do on my own.
I was given sessions help for over a year, and we t ended by mutual agreement.
Mabey my NHS branch had enough funding for me or mabey I was lucky.
I think if, when I started, (and was VERY agoraphobic) I was told the sessions were going to b limited, I would've either really panicked (because it was such a huge struggle to face exposure) knowing that the sessions were limited,
Or mabey just given up when some weeks were very hard to do.
MyNameIsTerry
04-10-15, 10:10
Hi seejay,
This is mabey irrelevant, as you are wanting to go 'private'.
But, when I had CBT via the NHS, no one mentioned a timescale of number of sessions to me.
My problem was agoraphobia
When I had 1x session per week for roughly 8 weeks
(The first two sessions were theory, physiological response to anxiety and how to alleviate it in situations)
I was then cut to fortnightly with an exposure plan to do on my own.
I was given sessions help for over a year, and we t ended by mutual agreement.
Mabey my NHS branch had enough funding for me or mabey I was lucky.
I think if, when I started, (and was VERY agoraphobic) I was told the sessions were going to b limited, I would've either really panicked (because it was such a huge struggle to face exposure) knowing that the sessions were limited,
Or mabey just given up when some weeks were very hard to do.
It will depend who you get. With IAPT services you get them faster but you don't get them as long. If you go the level above them, the traditional community mental health teams, they spend mush longer with you. These higher levels are what are often term "psychotherapy" but CBT is a form of that in reality too. These levels above can do bi-weekly meetings up to a year and beyond but they are really there are more severe cases. This might have been who you had as you mentioned a CPN and thats where they work as inpatient or outpatient services.
IAPT work to NICE guidelines. However, NICE have only published guidelines for certain disorders so I have no idea what they do dor the others. For instance, HA isn't covered but could it come under GAD or OCD? From a diagnosis point of view, if it is a Somatoform Disorder, it won't but from a guideline point of view which are they picking they use as they are quite different?
Invaluable advice - thank you all
Do you speak to them for an assessment prior to committing financially? If so, that would be a good way to sound them out and see if you like how they relate to you.
I'm not sure, but I have sent them an email to see if they can tell me which therapist I'd be seeing, and what qualifications they have.
Thanks all again.
For all the NICE guidelines and various "levels" of access to therapy, at the end of the day there are far too many people being referred on to mental health services thus clogging things up for people in genuine need of help.
I don't have the time or patience to go down this route for my own needs-I'd just get too frustrated and that would be counter-productive. I honestly think that there needs to be a tightening up of the system-my own daughter's needs are way too complex for the mainstream community mental health team yet we depend on the local CCG to give the nod to access to the Maudsley. If they don't we are stumped.
Maybe Sheila could be of help? (provided she wasn't having her lunch?:D)
Sorry for the rant but the whole system is just too complicated when it doesn't have to be...
Maybe Sheila could be of help? (provided she wasn't having her lunch?:biggrin:)
Classic :hugs:
http://www.justonesmallstep.org/faqs/#howmuch
I took this at random.Just carefully read the wording,that's why one must be careful.
MyNameIsTerry
07-10-15, 04:45
http://www.justonesmallstep.org/faqs/#howmuch
I took this at random.Just carefully read the wording,that's why one must be careful.
Which bits? The bits about how can you measure your happiness in financial teams?
She doesn't show her memberships other than state her training for online & Skype work. I looked her up on the counselling directory to find a list of memberships including BACP. I checked their register and she isn't listed so best membership had likely expired or she was never a member. I haven't checked ant of the others.
I'm not sure how this is relevant to AnxietyUK. The sector is full of poorly trained people because the government won't regulate it BUT there is regulation of charities so some protection is afforded there.
I'm also unsure what you expect for the fees quoted. Any professional sector means you pay more for better people. If the NHS are happy with these qualifications then it means we can't let our GP's refer us either if this is wrong.
Terry thanks as usual in delving further than most of us would do on here,but you completely missed the point.
If the intention is to go private there is no fixed fee generally or it is vague.
I have had CBT 2 years ago and there was no given amount of sessions,but we mutually ended it after 12 or so sessions,though I knew as did the therapist that we just didn't get on after about 5/6 sessions and each session was 50 minutes and she never stayed a minute longer.
Now I am on my scond CBT course as explained previously and I was told before I started it was 4 sessions at home,no time given, to prepare me for mindfulness with no start date and 50 minutes away by bus,and I would be able after these 4 CBT sessions to be able to do this on my own, which is complete tosh, and I am being realistic, not negative.
I shall tell the therapist tomorrow,( who incidently has said on the 3 visits to me, of which the first 2 were for assessments, that I can stop the therapy whenever I like, which was a strange thing to say,unless he had a feeling that CBT was not for me, ) that if anything I feel worse and cannot do the prescribed homework,my concentration levels are very poor due to my other health and teeth issues.
Sorry you had that experience Ricardo - can't have been easy
Can I ask, if it's not too personal a request, when people say you and the therapist may not get on, what are some examples of this?
Thanks and sorry if it's too personal but I have to ask because I've rarely if ever encountered this. About the only time I can remember being made to feel bad (criticised and questioned basically) was by some man who was assessing me to see what kind of therapy I might require.
Please stop the sly digs, it makes for very unpleasant reading.
Is that aimed at me yet again Elen,I have said absolutely nothing that is a sly dig and secondly when I send you a P.M. the least you could do is a reply.
SeaJay
I think the most important thing is that you both feel comfortable with one another, and if not there maybe misunderstanding in certain things either of you say or you don't feel at ease in letting out thoughts and feelings to what amounts to a complete stranger.
MyNameIsTerry
07-10-15, 10:37
Terry thanks as usual in delving further than most of us would do on here,but you completely missed the point.
If the intention is to go private there is no fixed fee generally or it is vague.
Checking the BACP register is exactly what you should do when a therapist advertisers themselves as members. She isn't on there so its a red flag for me because I've come across people who use BACP logos on their websites when they are not on the register which is a breach of their advertising policy.
In the case of this one i'm not sure since the same text is visible on her website and the counselling directory and it could be possible that she has only updated one. But this does raise questions over her trustworthiness. If I checked the other associations to find the same issue I think I would view her with suspicion.
I don't understand what you mean about fixed fees. In my city private therapists offer fixed fees per season and block deals. I thought that was the norm?
What I could see on her website was the sales patter about how you can't put a figure on your health. I don't like that when it comes to health problems and it's a frequent one seen on overpriced product websites selling anxiety "cures". It had been used as an excuse for overcharging of an ebook on here too and I felt the same way.
Area you trying to point out that AnxietyUK shouldn't be offering fixed prices and/or number of sessions?
Number of sessions can be a standard for CBT. NICE have recommended a range for GAD and OCD, for instance. The people treated must have been far less severe that me then or a lot of the people we all talk too on here :doh:
You know I agree with you about the farcical number of sessions before you beat your agoraphobia enough to travel. It's a joke and doesn't give me any faith that have a clue. I would be just as annoyed hearing something so ludicrous.
Which bits? The bits about how can you measure your happiness in financial teams?
She doesn't show her memberships other than state her training for online & Skype work. I looked her up on the counselling directory to find a list of memberships including BACP. I checked their register and she isn't listed so best membership had likely expired or she was never a member. I haven't checked ant of the others.
I'm not sure how this is relevant to AnxietyUK. The sector is full of poorly trained people because the government won't regulate it BUT there is regulation of charities so some protection is afforded there.
I'm also unsure what you expect for the fees quoted. Any professional sector means you pay more for better people. If the NHS are happy with these qualifications then it means we can't let our GP's refer us either if this is wrong.
I put that link up because I have unfortunately 30 years experience of trying various methods to try and cure or at least make manageable my condition and yes you are right it isn't relevant to Anxiety UK, but it is literally hit and miss in either sector if you get the required help or tools to put one on the road to a better quality of life.
I am not giving a right or wrong opinion about Anxiety UK, just my general experiences.
Because I have had such bad experience especially in the private sector I am extremely weary who I seek help from.
The lady in my link operates from Spain, as do many doctors and dentists who have been struck off in various countries and have re-opened over there, so it is feasable but not definite that she doesn't appear on your list because she was either struck off or in fact never had the official qualifications that she advertisers.
You know as well as myself that many people needing help don't ask for proof of qualifications when they go to see a therapist, which IMO they should.
If you google therapists in this particular field,within 3 miles of where I live there are over 80 who claim to be successful in treating every conceivable form of mental illness,the charges vary from £55.00 to £80.00 for a 50 minute session.
I'm not sure that therapy would make many inroads on a long standing entrenched anxiety disorder-realistically. Are we expecting too much from therapists no matter how many qualifications they have after their name? Would keeping expectations lower maybe facilitate some type of adjustment in thought processes?
I really don't know. As someone who has been told that they are "past help" and am best just getting on with it myself I wonder whether undergoing therapy for a decades-long disorder might just make matters worse? Or am I being defeatist?
I'm not sure that therapy would make many inroads on a long standing entrenched anxiety disorder-realistically. Are we expecting too much from therapists no matter how many qualifications they have after their name? Would keeping expectations lower maybe facilitate some type of adjustment in thought processes?
I really don't know. As someone who has been told that they are "past help" and am best just getting on with it myself I wonder whether undergoing therapy for a decades-long disorder might just make matters worse? Or am I being defeatist?
Unfortunately,I think you are right and being realistic.
I really don't know. As someone who has been told that they are "past help" and am best just getting on with it myself I wonder whether undergoing therapy for a decades-long disorder might just make matters worse? Or am I being defeatist?
I think it was wrong whoever told you you are past help. Nobody is ever past help. Never ever give up
Actually it was a psychiatrist, SeaJay, and realistically he was right because the NHS money is best spent on someone who is in a better position to recover. It's not a question of giving up, more of acceptance and making the best of things for me. I don't see acceptance as being a negative attitude at all but I know others would do. We all have different views and that's fine.
[QUOTE=SeaJay;1479949
Can I ask, if it's not too personal a request, when people say you and the therapist may not get on, what are some examples of this e.[/QUOTE]
See jay,
There are many forms of mental health illness, mine is agoraphobia. I would require my therapist to at least know about the condition and also any side effects/ contraindications to f any meds I am taking. Because this can affect mood on a daily basis and may be aa helpful tool to be used in aiding recovery. Is Valium or propanalol during exposure.
But equally, there are some people who are receiving therapy who are excessively stressed due to withdrawing/changing meds. And this can affect their whole psychy.
MyNameIsTerry
07-10-15, 23:04
See jay,
There are many forms of mental health illness, mine is agoraphobia. I would require my therapist to at least know about the condition and also any side effects/ contraindications to f any meds I am taking. Because this can affect mood on a daily basis and may be aa helpful tool to be used in aiding recovery. Is Valium or propanalol during exposure.
But equally, there are some people who are receiving therapy who are excessively stressed due to withdrawing/changing meds. And this can affect their whole psychy.
Through the IAPT route it's less likely they will understand much about meds and it may be an experience thing since the focus is on training in specific therapies, how to deliver them and foundation skills. Once you get to the community mental health teams though you will be accessing multidisciplinary teams who will.
My CBT therapist didn't know much about meds and said that was for my GP. So, she's wouldn't have been able to use them during exposure. The IAPT route is a bout like a filter for many of us, I guess.
---------- Post added at 23:04 ---------- Previous post was at 22:55 ----------
Actually it was a psychiatrist, SeaJay, and realistically he was right because the NHS money is best spent on someone who is in a better position to recover. It's not a question of giving up, more of acceptance and making the best of things for me. I don't see acceptance as being a negative attitude at all but I know others would do. We all have different views and that's fine.
You know I respect your views on this, pulisa, but I don't agree, I think it may just mean taking a more realistic view and seeing where it takes you. I don't know whether you see it that way that you can still move forwards with it. I know its not defeatist for you, for some it is because they misinterpret acceptance. Undoing long term thinking is going to mean a lot of work and I don't think the IAPT route is there for that, even the NHS themselves say it's not for more complex cases. I see this as a service to meet a gap, not to help patients as it is aimed at the more milder cases Hey severe cases are forced to pass through it too when they must know it won't do much.
It is noble to think that way about resources but it could be applied to many scenarios. NHS resources are better used treating some things over others but we could say that about life threatening vs the annoying aggravating stuff too but people still go to their doctors.
If it's right to you, that's all that matters but I want you to know that there are also people who believe you deserve more and I'm one of them!
MyNameIsTerry
08-10-15, 04:33
Sorry you had that experience Ricardo - can't have been easy
Can I ask, if it's not too personal a request, when people say you and the therapist may not get on, what are some examples of this?
Thanks and sorry if it's too personal but I have to ask because I've rarely if ever encountered this. About the only time I can remember being made to feel bad (criticised and questioned basically) was by some man who was assessing me to see what kind of therapy I might require.
I have only been through therapy once. First I had to go through the Guided Self Help stage to access CBT afterwards. Both the ladies I saw through these stages were very friendly and fine with everything. My CBT therapist was especially open & friendly. She would ask if I was ok to discuss what she wanted or if something else needed discussing and because of all this I found talking to her very easy.
Ricardo is right about the relationship. There have been a few threads in recent months where the therapist seemed less then friendly or more interested in ditching the client. You will only really know when you speak to them but if they have a website with videos on you can get a feel for how they speak. If it doesn't feel right, ditch them. I guy who worked for me years ago was having ongoing therapy for a suicide attempt and he didn't gel with his therapist at all. By chance he had to see a different one and he had a breakthrough session the first time and ended up in tears over it. He said he felt this person really was there for him and it really helped to move him forward.
---------- Post added at 04:33 ---------- Previous post was at 04:27 ----------
I put that link up because I have unfortunately 30 years experience of trying various methods to try and cure or at least make manageable my condition and yes you are right it isn't relevant to Anxiety UK, but it is literally hit and miss in either sector if you get the required help or tools to put one on the road to a better quality of life.
I am not giving a right or wrong opinion about Anxiety UK, just my general experiences.
Because I have had such bad experience especially in the private sector I am extremely weary who I seek help from.
The lady in my link operates from Spain, as do many doctors and dentists who have been struck off in various countries and have re-opened over there, so it is feasable but not definite that she doesn't appear on your list because she was either struck off or in fact never had the official qualifications that she advertisers.
You know as well as myself that many people needing help don't ask for proof of qualifications when they go to see a therapist, which IMO they should.
If you google therapists in this particular field,within 3 miles of where I live there are over 80 who claim to be successful in treating every conceivable form of mental illness,the charges vary from £55.00 to £80.00 for a 50 minute session.
Yes, I agree with you. I've only been through CBT so far and the stage before it so my experience of therapists is very limited. I have looked at private last year and some of the local ones seemed underqualified and I opted to contact a former CPN of many years who had gone into psychotherapy and was known to universities and the local media. The trouble is, he wants £80 per session and I can't really pay that. The others wanted more £30-40 but that seemed more a standard rate for my area and once I spent time researching their diplomas I knew they were nothing more than online colleges so these people could be anyone and I wasn't willing to take such chances.
People don't know how to look into them and lets face it, when you are struggling that badly, it's a massive task when fighting through the days is all uphill.
That lady mentioned being based in an area of the UK so thats very naughty. It explains why she seems to only do remote work. If you have something concrete, if you see the homepage where she says she is based, you could complain to the Advertising Standards Association (ASA) about that. It's a confidential service but they can be a bit "thick" in working out where these people are based from what I've seen so they can need a prod at times. (which is very sad as they are supposed to be the pros!) However, her website it registered to her UK business address and Companies House shows her as still a resident and with several businesses at that address so the ASA would need something that evidences her operaying from Spain. I would love to know how she manages the face-to-face. Her site isn't optimised for mobiles but when I looked tonight it does indeed say she is BACP registered although she isn't using their logos. She isn't BACP registered so that could be added to any complaint.
Very insightful
It hadn't really occurred to me there might be less than competent therapists out there. Let's hope the government will do what they say they'd do and start taking mental health more into the equation.
Thanks everyone for the information
Just to put this to bed,the lady I provided a link for gives a UK mobile number as a contact apart from e mail facility initially but remember no fee is mentioned until after you make contact.
In 12 years of living in Spain, it is fairly well known that the Costa del Sol is a bit of a notorious region and you learn by your mistakes. People have english websites with diverted calls to Spain and also many of these therapists have literally learnt their trade by reading a book, so IMO I would just say if you or anyone is going down the private route be ultra careful and if you go through the NHS route stand up for yourself if you feel uncomfortable with the therapist.That is the rality I wish the whole mental health spectrum was really looked into in the UK
MyNameIsTerry
08-10-15, 07:40
Very insightful
It hadn't really occurred to me there might be less than competent therapists out there. Let's hope the government will do what they say they'd do and start taking mental health more into the equation.
Thanks everyone for the information
I wish they did. The fact is, one Welsh Labour MP has twice raised a bill to regulate this sector and on both occasions he has not followed up on it and allowed the session to end and not argued to carry it forward! :mad: So, despite his blurb about investigating cases (gay conversion therapy was added to the 2nd bill) he clearly only did it to make out our taxes are going somewhere and to boost his profile. Looking at his campaigns I really can't see what he has done. Maybe he has been voted out now, I haven't checked.
It was a very woolly bill though. God knows what would have happened to all the substandard trained ones. They could have been "grandfathered" in so we had to get them removed via coimplaints or been given a period to reach a minimum standard.
It is a minefield. AnxietyUK at least provide some protection from this by vetting themselves. It's not perfect and I would say get the name and Google them to find out more but it's better than using Yellow Pages or the Counselling Directory.
To become a qualified counsellor or therapist you can purchase an online diplomas course for a couple of hundred quid, spend 200 hours learning it, pass, get the right insurance, register a company name (if required) and off you go never having seen a single patient. A good famous example if The Speakmans who just did their at a college. Some may be good, some may be excellent, but they are also a risk as it's not like even studying for a degree...not that all grads are intelligent.
Really encouraging to see the chat room is up and running!
I'm using Google Chrome for the record, and it seems to be working just fine
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