Blackpool Healthier Minds Service

Sometimes people with long term physical health conditions can experience some of these feelings. We can offer support to help you feel more able to cope with your health problem.

Similarly, if you or your partner are pregnant or have recently become parents and are experiencing any of the above, we can help with this too.

If you would like help to manage any of these problems please contact us by phoning 01253 955700

When you get in touch we will offer you a telephone Welcome and Assessment appointment with one of our Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners. This appointment will normally be within two weeks of your call. At the arranged time we will telephone you to and out more about the problems you are experiencing so we can ensure you are offered the most appropriate psychological intervention.

We offer a range of psychological interventions, including:

• Guided self-help

• Counselling

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)

• Stress Control courses

• Mindfulness courses

• Online CBT

These are offered in a range of community settings across Blackpool and Cleveleys. These psychological interventions are talking treatments that aim to help you deal with the distress that is interfering with your day to day life. It is not a quick fix and sometimes it may take time for you to see changes.

It involves helping you to help yourself, and providing you with the tools to get back to enjoying life and engaging in work or daily activities.

Talking treatments take place over a set number of regular sessions, usually weekly appointments, and you will need to be able to attend regularly to benefit from the treatment. The number of sessions offered varies depending on individual circumstances and needs.

When you begin treatment and when your sessions come to an end we will inform your GP that you have had involvement with our service, and you will also get a copy of the letters we send to your GP.

If you have any questions regarding confidentiality please raise these at your first appointment with your therapist, who will explain the boundaries of confidentiality and answer your questions.

We are not an emergency service and cannot offer ongoing support. If you are struggling to keep yourself safe, or feel you may pose a risk to someone else, you must contact your GP to discuss an urgent referral to the Single Point of Access for Mental Health services. They can assess your mental health and refer you to the most appropriate service.

We cannot provide reports for compensation, legal or benefit claims. We cannot prescribe medication. If you require help with any of these please speak to your GP

Throughout your treatment you will be asked to complete questionnaires. These help us to monitor together how you are progressing, and the impact of the intervention you are receiving.

We also value your feedback on your experience of the treatment you receive and you will be given the opportunity to provide us with this by completing a Patient Experience Questionnaire and the NHS Friends and Family Test.

If you are not happy with any aspect of the treatment you receive from our service, please contact us on 01253 955577 and ask to speak to the team manager. If we are not able to provide a solution ourselves you can contact the Patient Relations Team on 01253 955588 or 01253 955589.