Depression and Anxiety Service(TALKWORKS)
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OptimistMinds
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Author bio
The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
In this article, we will discuss depression and anxiety service – TALKWORKS.
We will shortly present what it is, as well as what inclusion criteria and restrictions it has.
In the article, you will find a list of suggested help by the service and some positive and negative reviews of the customers.
Depression and Anxiety Service – TALKWORKS; What is It?
TALKWORKS is a free, confidential, NHS talking therapy service, that suggests help people with stress, anxiety, or depression, giving tools and techniques, which can improve mental and physical wellbeing.
TALKWORKS is formally known as Depression and Anxiety Service (DAS) and is provided by Devon Partnership NHS Trust.
TALKWORKS – Inclusion Criteria
TALKWORKS has some inclusion criteria, which assumes:
- Depression and anxiety service is available for people aged eighteen and up.
- Primary diagnosis – it assumes depression and anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, PTSD, phobias, and OCD.
- Co-occurring problems – Depression and Anxiety Service accepts people with depression and anxiety, who have other co-occurring problems too, sure, if they can get some benefit from therapy.
- They accept people with suicidal thoughts, in case the latter is emotionally stable enough to get some use from therapy.
- Prioritization is given to perinatal women and veterans with anxiety and depression (often PTSD).
Depression and Anxiety Service is Restricted!
You should know that Depression and Anxiety Service or TALKWORKS is restricted.
It is connected to the fact that the service can provide primary support to people with primary anxiety and depression (like Melancholia), and does not provide general or emotional support.
TALKWORKS is not a mental health specialist service and includes in the stuff only psychological therapists.
Connected to restrictions, TALKWORKS cannot support:
People with a risk of self-destruction
People who have apparent intentions or plans about committing self-destruction, or who have had recent suicidal attempts, are not accepted by the service.
People with a risk of neglect
People who are with self-neglect that affects daily life do not get support.
People with a risk of harming others
If there is an actual risk to harm surrounding people, the person does not get help from the service.
If a person is at risk to get harmed by others
For example, if the person lives in an unfavorable environment, and thus, gets harmed by family members and relatives, the therapeutic support by service would not give any positive result.
People diagnosed with some certain disorders which can impact on therapy.
People diagnosed with psychosis, bipolar disorder, or personality disorder do not get TALKWORKS support because they can affect therapy, preventing improvements.
Depression and anxiety service does not accept people who are currently receiving help from specialist mental health services, who are in a current mental health crisis, who have a history of recurrent treatment failure, and people who have numerous life problems that influence on daily activities, and can prevent the person’s involvement in therapy.
The Help Suggested by TALKWORKS
At first, you should make an online referral or call the service.
Then the service will arrange a 40-50 minutes consultation to discuss your worries and difficulties.
If you are ready and willing for changes, TALKWORKS will suggest you options (mostly based on CBT), and you can choose the one (or the ones) that is more comfortable and suitable for you.
The consultation can be done in both ways: face to face meeting, or by a call.
Three main ways can provide the help suggested by depression and anxiety service:
- Face to face therapy,
- Therapy by phone,
- CBT online programs.
CBT online programs include the program Silvercloud, which, being a self-help program, allows managing stress, anxiety, and low mood.
As soon as you feel that you are ready to involve in therapy and learn to deal with your problems, there is a wide choice of the help:
- Counseling for anxiety and depression,
- Helping you to identify and realize your current difficulties,
- Helping you to decide from where to start,
- Recommending to read something that can be helpful and useful for you,
- Informing you about local resources that can be helpful for you,
- Helping you to identify and realize the thoughts and actions that are negative and unuseful for you,
- Helping to identify your inner resources, strengths and personality features that can help you to deal with the problems you have,
- Individual and group therapy,
- Supporting to set realistic goals and achieve them,
- Suggesting effective self-management programs,
- Providing groups and courses for mood management and stress reduction,
- Providing stress reduction courses.
TALKWORKS or Depression and Anxiety Service Reviews
Anonymous
My counselor was amazing. After two visits, she realized that I needed CBT, and she switched me over without me noticing any difference.
She helped me to understand why I have these thoughts and why they are no longer helpful.
Then she taught me a new way of thinking.
A year ago, I was convinced that I would one day end my own life, but now I look at the future with ‘hope.’ I cannot express how grateful I am.
Anonymous
Met with a member of staff to assess my situation, he then said that the staff is not trained to deal with anxiety, then said there was limited space, and I would have to go elsewhere and pay for counseling even though I will not be able to.
Helen
Without this invaluable service, I do not think I would be here!
That sounds dramatic, and I have always considered myself a strong person, however, when life events that come at you all at once, it can be overwhelming!
I had been in physical and emotional abuse (the latter the hardest) marriage but managed to remove myself from that situation.
Seven years of divorce, proceedings, moving, and a one-way friendship that came to an abrupt end, running my own business with two children, became too much for me!
I found I was unable to do the most simplistic of tasks, washing, cooking, and others.
This was due to depression others, which I was not, to be honest, aware.
I was offered CBT counseling, which was retraining my negative thoughts that I thought I only had!
Every week I was asked to assess how difficult or easier specific tasks were, which helped to show where I needed help.
Also, how each situation that may have happened during the past week was looked at and rethought differently!
I started to recognize more when the negative thoughts were surfacing, and using the methods given to me through the counseling; I was able to see things more positively!
I am now through the other side, and it is all thanks to this service. I realize I am not an extreme case! But at the time it felt very extreme!
I know names are not allowed, but I hope that my counseled can read this and know how truly grateful I am for His support and expertise!
I now know ‘how to shut the duck up’ Thank you.
Anonymous
They gave me six months of CBT before just dumping me on my own without any direction feeling worse than when I went in.
Anonymous
I have met this Councillor on four occasions now and, to be honest, have not got any further than her exploring people around me and whether they are safe or what are their circumstances.
Sod their circumstances, what about me?
A culmination of all the people around me is why I feel under so much stress and pressure and suicidal, and I go here only for these people to start on about how are they doing?
Sorry, but I did not find it an individualized experience, something I perhaps was looking for, for just once. What about me.
Nicky
I have used this service a few times over the last few years and again recently.
I once again found my PWP. Empathetic understanding, caring, and very good at her job.
I have emailed PALS to say how impressed I am with her and to thank her.
The Belgian
An utterly pointless service is full of clueless people who give vulnerable and desperate people the runaround.
Moreover, they wonder why the southwest is the self-destruction capital of England.
The money needs to be spent on mental health services that care about the client and have the experience, knowledge, and expertise to help their potentially extremely vulnerable patients — a nice try at streamlining mental health services.
However, people are dying – Please Try Harder!
Anonymous
I have benefited hugely from the work of the Depression and Anxiety Service in Barnstaple.
They have offered me support, help, and guidance when it is most needed.
I have truly appreciated the advice given, and they have treated me with great dignity and respect.
I am truly grateful for this service for all the help given.
Recommended books and sources
- Happy: Finding joy in every day and letting go of perfect
- Coping with Anxiety and Depression (Overcoming Common Problems)
- The CBT Deck: 101 Practices to Improve Thoughts, Be in the Moment & Take Action in Your Life
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple: Most Effective Tips and Tricks to Retraining Your Brain, Managing and Overcoming Stress, Anxiety, Phobias, Depression, Panic, and Other Mental Health Issues: Intelligence and Soft Skills
- HFNE “Social Anxiety Support”
- HFNE “Overcoming Anxiety (HOW?)”
Conclusion
TALKWORKS is formally known as depression and anxiety service, which is a free, confidential, NHS talking therapy service, that suggests help to people with stress, anxiety, or depression, giving tools and techniques, which can improve mental and physical wellbeing.
The service suggests a list of a wide choice of help, which can be useful for you to check if the service can be helpful for your problems or not. have TALKWORKS has some inclusion criteria and restrictions, so if the service interested you, you should pay attention to them before making a referral.
Please feel free to comment on the content or ask any questions in the comments section below.
References
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