This week we looked at some mental health related agencies and examined aspects such as their company ethos, what services and therapies they offer, how much sessions cost and other interesting bits of information.
I chose iTalk, as I have used them in the past. iTalk is a free service based in Hampshire which provides free treatment to people suffering from common mental health problems including depression, anxiety and stress. It is available to men and women above the age of 16 and is described as delivering high quality psychological therapy, mainly Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which is a talking therapy that looks at thoughts, feelings and behaviours and teaches coping strategies and other ways to manage how a person is currently feeling. Although it is stressed that iTalk is not a counselling service, I feel it could be very useful to refer a client to them if they needed more in-depth help to develop long-term coping strategies, or needed support with regards to their mental health and their employers (for example if their mental health problems are triggered by work-related stress), a support system that iTalk are very adept at providing.
A person can refer themselves to iTalk, or they could be referred via their GP or another health service. They will have an initial assessment which is used to assess their level of depression or anxiety, and to determine what level of treatment iTalk should offer. The most common level of support is delivered over the phone for an average of five sessions, whereas for more difficult cases they offer face-to-face treatment for an average of thirteen sessions. Most of their patients complete the treatment and find that their mental health has improved significantly.
Their “Step 2” treatment includes several different methods. There is Guided Self-Help which consists of working through booklets and worksheets with telephone support and encouragement from a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner, and these representatives from iTalk also set clients weekly goals. They also offer computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (cCBT) which is an automated, interactive computer program, and can be accessed from any PC. At this level iTalk also offers lifestyle support which is advice about things like diet, sleep and healthy living, as well as signposting to other services that can offer specialised support.
The “Step 3” treatment includes all of the above but replaces the telephone support with face-to-face Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with a High Intensity Therapist, which focuses on how a person’s thoughts, mood, behaviour and physical sensations are connected and looks at ways they can respond to the situations they find themselves in. iTalk also offer Inter-Personal Therapy which is time-limited which looks at interpersonal issues such as disruptive life changes, grief, loss and the difficulties in beginning and maintaining relationships.
