What to expect from initial call with NHS talking therapy

[startingtobreak]

I self referred to nhs talking therapies earlier this week as I've been feeling very stressed recently with motherhood, work, house and relationship stuff. And after an incident last week I'm seriously questioning my marriage (not violent or abusive) and I realised I need to talk things through with someone to work out what I want.

I have my initial call in 45 minutes - what should I expect? What's the likely outcome?

They’ll just chat with you to find out what your issues are and decide on an appropriate therapy to help you. You might have to wait a few weeks for some therapy to start.

Thank you @Lizzbearthat's helpful, since making the appointment I'm questioning if I should go ahead or not. I guess I'll see what they say. No idea when I can fit any regular sessions in, even if they do happen

I have referred myself a few times over the years. Ive had CBT and am now having a more intense therapy. Psychodynamic interpersonal therapy.
You will need to be able to commit to regular sessions but as long as you give them enough notice, it’s ok if you have to reschedule a few. I’d go for it as it’s free and can help if you feel overwhelmed x

depends on who you get for the call. I've had one person that was really rude and dismissive and another that was really helpful and caring. all they are doing is signposting you on to further therapy / therapist that they think aligns with your issues.

Thanks both
@yesicannoicantrude and dismissive is what I'm worried about. Like if they decide I'm just making a mountain out of a mole hill and that I should pull myself together. Or they go the other way and notify social services. I'm ok, just overwhelmed and unsure about the future

even if they are rude and dismissive, which I think I was just unlucky about, just remember the person you ultimately speak to likely won't belittle your experiences. you have to keep an open mind. this is one small part of a bigger process and you will never speak to them again! :) hang in there, and be kind to yourself.

I work in a talking therapy service. Usually more junior staff conduct these assessments so it can influence the quality of it. I hope you have a good experience. If you receive questionnaires about how you are feeling complete them before your call because otherwise you will take up time doing the questionnaires instead of talking about your issues. It’s a good idea to make a few notes in preparation about how your mental health struggles are affecting you or what you want from therapy.

They will only ever contact social services if you say you want to harm someone or yourself.
Definatey not because you’re feeling like you do. They won’t decide you’re wasting their time. Did you have the interview yet?

Well I got through it and it was fine - I felt about uncomfortable when she started asking about my kids and their ages etc but I get why she had to.

She said they don't offer what I need though - I could have gone for CBT but imo what I actually need is someone to talk to to sort through how I'm feeling, so she's going to email some services over. Oh well.

Yes, unfortunately NHS therapy types are quite limited. I managed to get some talking therapy myself but had to push for it. It was ok. It was DBT, did they mention they offer that? Might be worth looking into / asking. :)

I didn't find it very helpful.

The lady was nice but I couldn't actually see what help she provided other than listening and then emailing me some links to things.

I had about 6 phone sessions and kept waiting for the actual therapy to start but it never did. I was hoping for some advice on coping strategies and actually doing those strategies on the phone, not just being sent stuff that I didn't have time to properly read.

To be honest, expecting too much in the first call is not great idea. You should stay natural to this and this will take time to sort things and get you to a conclusion.

My experience is they want to know:

Are you suicidal
Are you working
Do you have children (who could be at risk)

They then ask general questions about symptoms. The wait will then be months.

I hope your experience is better.

They ask you lots of questions & you wait a year. When it comes, the therapy is very good ime.