How does talking therapy work?
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.
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.
We will discuss treatments within our service that may be suitable or can help signpost you to another service which could be more appropriate.
Treatment is provided by trained 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
Find out more in our Talking Therapies Service remit (PDF, 146 KB).
Waiting times
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
- 17 days
| Service | Days |
|---|---|
| Therapeutic groups including young at heart, finding yourself again, menopause and stressbuster. | 25 |
| One-to-one therapy | 92.5 |
| Silvercloud therapy (accompanied) | 0 |
| Service | Days |
|---|---|
| Therapeutic groups including health relating, worry less and live more, mood booster and neuro. | 76 |
| Cognitive behavioural therapy | 141.5 |
| Counselling for depression | 109 |
| Couples' therapy for depression | 7 |
| Interpersonal psychotherapy | 25 |
| Mindfulness | 14 |
| Post traumatic stress disorder therapy | 118 |
This information was last updated on 29 October 2024.
Making space for therapy
Therapy is not something that we can do to you.
In fact, in many ways, it is exactly the opposite. For therapy to be effective, you need to actively engage in it. Much of what makes therapy successful is how you respond to it, reflect and use your growing awareness.
Due to the nature of our focussed, short-term work with you, it is likely that your therapist will ask you to do some work in-between sessions. In our experience those who actively engage in these tasks, often see the best results.
To help get the most out of your sessions, we hope you can build a positive relationship with your therapist. To help make this happen, both sides have responsibilities as detailed in our making space for therapy leaflet (PDF, 40 KB).
Case studies and testimonials
Testimonials from people accessing the service.
“My therapist was kind, lovely and understanding. She made me feel at ease and really listened to what I was saying to get me the help I need in future.”
“I have felt listened to and was offered a course that will hopefully help in showing me how to manage my feelings and cope with certain situations.”
“Excellent care, professionalism, good listening and pleasant therapist. She made me feel that somebody listens and cares about me. Thank you so much”
“My therapist has been amazing with me and has truly listened to what I wanted to get from my time in therapy. He knew when to push my limits and when to stop and I believe it has helped me greatly. I feel a lot more in-tune with myself and have a better understanding of how obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) impacts me. I now feel well equipped with the helpful tools necessary in improving my quality of life with OCD and have spent time practising these skills. I have had no negative experiences with the service and am extremely grateful that I could be seen regularly and in person.”
“I was very fortunate to be assigned to my therapist. There are not enough words to express how amazing she is in all areas of her work. She is professional at all times, whilst also being able to make you feel as if you are the only person on her workload. She listened so incredibly well and understood very quickly where I was at and worked with me to move everything forward for me in a way and pace that I could cope with.
She regularly seized 'in the moment' situations and grabbed every opportunity to turn a situation into a learning experience. Her knowledge and understanding and insight was sometimes of such a profound level that I just felt so privileged to have her in my corner. I am sad that our sessions are now complete, but I will be forever grateful and wish her all the best in her career.”
Patient feedback
Your feedback helps us in terms of what we are doing well and where we can improve the service for others.
After assessment and upon completion of treatment, we will ask you to complete a patient experience questionnaire. This provides us with valuable information about your experience of the service.
There may be times when the service does not meet your expectations. If this is the case, contact the Patient Advice Liaison Service (PALS).
We may exceed your expectations and we’d love to hear about your positive experiences. You may like to recognise a member of our staff, who has delivered excellent service. So, if you've received a great experience, please take a moment to share it with us via WOW! Awards.
Where to find us
Our psychological therapies and courses are delivered by online video, in person in venues throughout the county or over the phone.
We currently have treatment rooms for booked appointments in the following locations.
North and east Cornwall
- Bude: Neetside Surgery, Methodist Church Halls, Leven Road, Bude, EX23 8LA.
- Liskeard: Parade House, The Parade, Liskeard, PL14 6AF.
- Saltash: Pretoria House, 165-167 Fore Street, Saltash, PL12 6AB.
Mid-Cornwall
- Roche: Beacon Place, Victoria Offices and Conference Centre, Station Approach, St Austell, PL26 8LG.
- Wadebridge: The Town Hall, The Platt, Wadebridge, PL27 7AQ.
West Cornwall
- Hayle: Hayle Community Centre, 58 Queensway, Hayle, TR27 4NX.
- Penzance: The Penwith Centre, Parade Street, Penzance, TR18 4BU.
- Redruth: 2 Low Meadow, Low Meadow Business Park, Treleigh, Redruth, TR16 4AR.
How do I refer?
- Complete an online self-referral form.
- Call us on 01208 871 905, Monday to Friday, 9am and 4pm.
We will do our best to accommodate patient needs where we are able to.
Let your therapist know if we can better support you through accessible buildings, coloured paper for letters, or interpreted documents.
We can provide British Sign Language or interpreters for patients and adjust our therapy sessions times to help you access our services.