I have been having problems with depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember, it was at a point where it was getting close to me not being able to go to work. I mentioned it to my doctor and he mentioned you can refer to the IAPT service. I had already attended some sessions of another type of therapy called 'Guided Self Help' in a different service.
Goal Setting In Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), setting goals is an important and helpful part of therapy but is something that you may be able to start before your therapy begins. Very often, when people first start to think about goals in therapy they may say things like: “I want to feel happy” “I want to get back to my old self” “I don’t want to fee anxious” Of course,
What to expect at your first cognitive behavioural therapy appointment A lot of clients get nervous about their first CBT appointment and do not know what to expect. First appointments may vary a little from person to person, but here is an idea of the kind of things you might expect in your first CBT appointment. You will meet your therapist and they will introduce themselves, ask for your
To coincide with National Story Telling Week (30 Jan - 6 Feb) one of our therapists Louise A has written a piece on the therapeutic benefits of writing for wellbeing: Writing for wellbeing When we feel upset, low or anxious we can often feel the urge to talk about it, whether that is with someone close to us or within a talking therapy. Sometimes though, we may not be able
During 2014–2015 there have been numerous developments in the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) team. The staff team has grown to 18 staff, including a trainee PWP (Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner) who is on track to becoming qualified as well as a new role in the team of Deputy Manager. We have continued to provide a service to a large portion of the Leeds’ community in 12 venues including Harehills,
We can easily reach for a drink of alcohol to try and change the way that we feel, this is because alcohol can quickly affect the chemicals in our brain and body. We may feel like it is relaxing us at the time, but what we know from a wealth of research; is that alcohol can actually become an unhelpful way to cope. Alcohol can increase levels of stress,
The work of Touchstone's IAPT team has been featured in an article in Therapy Today discussing the services who are trying to meet the mental health needs of refugees arriving in this country. Below is a small extract from the article. Richard Garland is Manager of Touchstone IAPT in Leeds, one partner in the consortium of NHS and voluntary sector organisations providing the IAPT service across the city. He is
The following is a written collaboration by one of our High Intensity CBT therapists Debbie R and a client who has recently completed treatment with Touchstone IAPT. Relapse prevention is a vital part of the therapeutic process. It serves many functions but one of the most important is to provide clients' with a powerful tool to reflect on themselves and their experiences in the months and years to come post-treatment. This
The following case study, written by Morteza H, outlines the collaborative nature of the work taking place at Touchstone IAPT. Working with other organisations, and with the client, to provide a package of care tailored to their individual circumstances. Client name has been changed for confidentiality. X is a refugee originally from Pakistan. X had been subjected to physical violence from her previous partner for a long time, which eventually led her to flee