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NHS Talking Therapies in the South East helps people with depression or anxiety feel heard and understood

A 39-year-old author shares her experience of using the NHS Talking Therapies service and encourages others experiencing feelings of anxiety, depression, and other common mental health concerns to seek help.

Talking Therapies can be offered in a number of ways including a self-help workbook with therapist support and as an online course. Appointments with therapists are conducted in confidence and help is available ono-to-one in person, over the phone, by video consultation or in a group.

Harmeet Bharya of Berkshire self-referred herself to Talking Therapies after her GP suggested using the service as she was suffering with low mood and anxiety.

After referring herself Harmeet was contacted by Talking Therapies for an initial assessment. She was then appointed a therapist who worked with her for several months.

Harmeet said “The most memorable and valuable point in the experience was the therapy itself. It was a chance for me to feel better, I felt heard and understood.

“I built a toolkit of resources to enable me to experience the day better, to help me through life challenges and most importantly give me some stability to my mind when I felt chaos.”

The avid badminton player said people suffering from mental health should not be afraid to ask for support.

“The first step is to acknowledge that you are struggling, and the next step is to reach out for help because you really don’t need to do it alone.

“The help is there but the forward step has to come from you. When it feels tough to reach out, speak to the person you find easiest to open up to and they will be able to help you seek professional help.

“If you feel you have no one, do what I did and have a chat with your GP, they are there to guide you.”

Olivia Falgayrac-Jones, South East Deputy Director of Clinical Delivery for Mental Health, said:

“I know the past few years has had a huge impact on the nation’s mental health and our message to people is clear: the NHS is open and staff want you to come forward, so please seek help either by referring yourself to the NHS talking therapy programme online or by contacting your local GP.”

Following a national survey carried out by NHS England and NHS Improvement in 2020/21, 427 of the 3,000 people who took part were from the South East.

  • 52% of the 427 people said they were concerned about their mental health, with 50% experiencing stress
  • 48% experiencing anxiety
  • 49% of people experiencing low mood or depression.
  • The majority of those who struggled (68%) also did not seek any professional help for their mental health.

However, since April 2020, over 230,000 people in the South East have come forward for NHS talking therapies. This number is expected to increase as those who were surveyed said they were more conscious of their mental health this year, with 52% of the 427 surveyed planning to focus on their mental health in 2022.

Talking therapies, or psychological therapies, are effective and confidential treatments delivered by fully trained and accredited NHS practitioners.

You can access talking therapies for free on the NHS by referring yourself directly, or a GP can refer you. Visit nhs.uk/help to find out more.