Getting suitable counselling when you're broke

[AlexanderSkarsgardIWould]

What do you do if you think you'd really benefit from counselling but have no money to go privately and are not sure about the value of trying of seek counselling on the NHS, one, because you've already had a course of CBT on the NHS three times, and two, because you want to be able to try a few different counsellors until you find one that's right for you? (And three, coz you're not sure of the helpfulness of CBT, which is all the NHS seems to have to offer you). And you have problems that are classified as moderate i.e. day-to-day life is a big struggle but you've never needed inpatient psychiatric treatment?

Maybe look for local charities that can offer free/cheap counselling in your area.
Googled and found this that has some links to groups that provide counselling.

www.siriusproject.org/charities.html

I hope you get some support.

I have had TA on the NHS, it might be worth asking your GP about alternatives to CBT available in your area. Or you could try a local counselling centre and see if they have any trainees? Or ask to be assessed for care by the CMHT.

There is longer-term psychotherapy available on the NHS, but I'm guessing it's very variable according to area. CBT seems to be the first port of call for GPs, and some don't seem to realise that anything beyond that actually exists.

This is a South London NHS trust offering longer term psychoanalytic therapy, for eg.

And here is an overview of all their services.

I'm guessing not all areas would have anything like that area of provision, but there may well be something available if you can find the right referral pathway via the NHS - though obviously you wouldn't have the freedom of selecting your therapist in the same way that you would in the private sector.

The obvious thing to do would be to do a bit of research into whichever mental health trust has responsibility for your area, and see what provision they have for longer-term psychotherapy. Some trusts have a post entitled Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy, who are psychiatrists who have chosen to specialise in talking therapies. So if you can find out whether something like this exists in your area, you could then ask your GP or psychiatrist if they'd be prepared to refer you to that service for assessment.

I had a 2 year wait to get my last round of CBT.

Thank you everybody, I looked at the Sirius project website and followed links to the websites of all of the providers mentioned but none do counselling in my part of the country. Polly, I looked at what services my local NHS Trust provide - I never thought to do that before - and they do psychodynamic psychotherapy so I think I'm going to go to my GP and ask to be referred for that. If I have to wait 2 years I suppose I have to wait 2 years.

Hi - the NHS can and does offer more than CBT but it can be very difficult to access. I was offered an assessment for psychodynamic psychotherapy (ran by trained nurses in my area) and then told there was an 18mth wait. Then it is limited to 6 months treatment - which is better than the 6 sessions I'd had in total.

There is also support available from local CMHT's, if you are referred and accepted by them. This is usually a psychiatrist, a cpn or social worker or an OT.