Havering

IAPT stands for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies. The principal aim of the IAPT programme  is to offer recommended interventions to clients experiencing common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. 

A GP, social care or any other health professional can make a referral for you.

For Health Care Professionals, please see form: 

https://www.talkingtherapies.nelft.nhs.uk/download.cfm?ver=11138

You can also self-refer to us online.   

 

You can call: 0300 300 1554 Option 2 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm)
Contact via email: haveringtalkingtherapies@nelft.nhs.uk

How to refer yourself
A simple online form is used when you make a self referral. 

To be considered you should be 

• Registered with a General Practitioner in Havering
• Over the age of 18
• Made a referral yourself
• Had a referal made by a GP or Health Professional

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Panic Disorder
• Phobia
• OCD
• Health Anxiety
• Social Anxiety
• PTSD
• Stress
• Loss and Grief
• Interpersonal difficulties
• Long term conditions
• Covid related anxiety and low mood
• Covid bereavement
• Long Covid

One of our professional therapists will contact you by phone. We’ll aim to contact you within 2 – 10 days.  The phone call will usually take 30 minutes, however it could be up to 60 minutes. During this telephone discussion we will find out more about the difficulties you’ve been having and check we’re are the right service for you.

Treatment plan

If we’re the best service for you, we’ll talk you through the different options and agree a plan with you, either on the same or the next day . We’ll explain how long your therapy will last and what you’ll need to do.

We’ll put this in writing so you can see what we’ve agreed. You can expect to wait between 2 to 5 months to start treatment, depending on the type of treatment you need and your availability.  On average you would expect to remain in therapy between 6-12 weeks, depending on the treatment option suitable for you and your attendance plan with your therapist.  Some of our counselling approaches are slightly longer than 12 weeks.

At the end of your course of therapy, we would welcome your feedback on how you found the service experienced.  You can also have the option to opt into being a member of our patient service user forum (just ask your therapist at the end of your course of treatment).

Signpost

After talking to you, the therapist might decide that none of our treatments are right for you. They’ll let you know what to do next.

Don’t self-refer if:

• You’re already being treated for a mental health problem somewhere else by a different service, doctor or nurse team
• You have a diagnosis of psychosis, schizophrenia or a personality disorder 
• You misuse drugs or alcohol
• You are currently in crisis and require urgent support.
• Speak to someone in your healthcare team – your GP or health care professional – about how you’re feeling.WHEN NOT TO SELF-REFER

Symptoms of Stress
Stress can cause many different symptoms. It might affect how you feel physically, mentally and also how you behave.
It's not always easy to recognise when stress is the reason you're feeling or acting differently.

 

Physical symptoms

Headaches or dizziness

Muscle tension or pain

Stomach problems

Chest pain or a faster heartbeat

Sexual problems

 

Mental symptoms

Difficulty concentrating

Struggling to make decisions

Feeling overwhelmed

Constantly worrying

Being forgetful

 

Changes in behaviour

being irritable and snappy

sleeping too much or too little

eating too much or too little

avoiding certain places or people

drinking or smoking more

Find out more information about stress on the NHS website

Overview of Depression

The symptoms of depression can be complex and vary widely between people. If you're depressed, you may feel sad, hopeless and lose interest in things you used to enjoy.

The symptoms persist for weeks or months and are bad enough to interfere with your work, social life and family life.

The symptoms of depression can be complex and vary widely between people. If you're depressed, you may feel sad, hopeless and lose interest in things you used to enjoy.
The symptoms persist for weeks or months and are bad enough to interfere with your work, social life and family life.

 

Psychological symptoms
The psychological symptoms of depression include:

continuous low mood or sadness
feeling hopeless and helpless
having low self-esteem
feeling tearful
feeling guilt-ridden
feeling irritable and intolerant of others
having no motivation or interest in things
finding it difficult to make decisions
not getting any enjoyment out of life
feeling anxious or worried
having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself

Physical symptoms
The physical symptoms of depression include:

moving or speaking more slowly than usual
changes in appetite or weight (usually decreased, but sometimes increased)
constipation
unexplained aches and pains
lack of energy
low sex drive (loss of libido)
changes to your menstrual cycle
disturbed sleep – for example, finding it difficult to fall asleep at night or waking up very early in the morning

 

Social symptoms
The social symptoms of depression include:

avoiding contact with friends and taking part in fewer social activities
neglecting your hobbies and interests
having difficulties in your home, work or family life

Find out more information about depression and other types on the NHS website

Overview

Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe.

Everyone has feelings of anxiety at some point in their life. For example, you may feel worried and anxious about sitting an exam, or having a medical test or job interview.

During times like these, feeling anxious can be perfectly normal.

But some people find it hard to control their worries. Their feelings of anxiety are more constant and can often affect their daily lives.

Anxiety is the main symptom of several conditions, including:

panic disorder
phobias, such as agoraphobia or claustrophobia
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
social anxiety disorder (social phobia)

GAD can cause both psychological (mental) and physical symptoms.

These vary from person to person, but can include:

feeling restless or worried
having trouble concentrating or sleeping
dizziness or heart palpitations

Find out more information about GAD on the NHS website

Insomnia
Insomnia means you regularly have problems sleeping. It usually gets better by changing your sleeping habits.

Check if you have insomnia
You have insomnia if you regularly:

find it hard to go to sleep
wake up several times during the night
lie awake at night
wake up early and cannot go back to sleep
still feel tired after waking up
find it hard to nap during the day even though you're tired
feel tired and irritable during the day
find it difficult to concentrate during the day because you're tired

What causes Insomnia
The most common causes are:

stress, anxiety or depression
noise
a room that's too hot or cold
uncomfortable beds
alcohol, caffeine or nicotine
recreational drugs like cocaine or ecstasy
jet lag
shift work

 

Find out more information about Insomnia on the NHS website

Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder where you regularly have sudden attacks of panic or fear.

Symptoms of panic disorder
Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of unease. It can range from mild to severe, and can include feelings of worry and fear. Panic is the most severe form of anxiety.

Panic attacks
During a panic attack you get a rush of intense mental and physical symptoms. It can come on very quickly and for no apparent reason. A panic attack can be very frightening and distressing.

 

Symptoms include:

a racing heartbeat
feeling faint
sweating
nausea
chest pain
shortness of breath
trembling
hot flushes
chills
shaky limbs
a choking sensation
dizziness
numbness or pins and needles
dry mouth
a need to go to the toilet
ringing in your ears
a feeling of dread or a fear of dying
a churning stomach
a tingling in your fingers
feeling like you're not connected to your body

Most panic attacks last between 5 and 20 minutes. Some have been reported to last up to an hour.

The number of attacks you have will depend on how severe your condition is. Some people have attacks once or twice a month, while others have them several times a week.

Find out more information about Panic and Anxiety on the NHS website