RDaSH Talking Therapies

a printed worksheet is held in front of a printer

🖨️Let's start by printing all my worksheets to hand out to patients throughout the day.

I like to provide this worksheet at the beginning of treatment since it provides a helpful summary of how physical and mental health are interconnected.

#psychologicalprofessionsweek

A laptop shows a council website with links to helpful community services

🗣️I've just done an assessment with a patient who was feeling lonely with limited social interaction.

Alongside support from Talking Therapies, I think they would benefit from talking to the council's Wellbeing Team, who can support people to find social groups or befriending services.

a laptop shows a presentation being put together

💻Between appointments I am working on developing our upcoming workshop to support older adults in the community with their mental wellbeing.

⚙️My colleagues and I are still very much in the planning stages with this but hope we can start running the workshop from Spring 2026 - watch this space!

a screen shows a teams video call between Chiara and her supervisor, Jane

Smile! I caught my supervisor off guard and grabbed a pic at the end of our meeting!

Every week, we discuss patients ensuring they receive the best care. One that we spoke about was feeling much better after 3 months of treatment, so they were able to be discharged - well done to them!👏

A graphic has ideas on ways to support your mental health this autumn. In the middle of the page is a brain with tangled looking wool representing thoughts, with someones hand holding an untangled ball of wool. In autumnal coloured orange, red and brown boxes are tips, which include Head out into the fresh air and enjoy the crunchy, colourful leaves, Prioritise self-care. A long bath or a cosy night-in with a book are our favourites! Check in with yourself: How am I feeling? Am I getting enough sleep? Am I being kind to myself? Find a hobby you enjoy, take time to relax Enjoy a healthy, balanced diet - Autumn is a great time to eat plenty of in-season veggies! Reach out to Talking Therapies if you need support.

🍁Just feeling 'under the weather'? Dark nights getting you down?

🧣As Autumn draws further in, we can all feel a bit down now and then. However, frequent feelings of low mood, panic or worry are signs you need some support.

🍂We can help you: rdash.nhs.uk/services/nhs-talking-therapies

a diagram showing the links between low mood, behaviours, thoughts, situations , thoughts, feelings and emotions

🔁My first patient completed a "5 areas" diagram to help them understand the vicious cycle of low mood they seem to be trapped in.

The beauty of a cycle is that you only need to change one area to create a positive knock-on effect. We'll be focussing on this, to eventually break out of the cycle!

Chiara is smiling and waving at the camera

a clinic room shows two chairs set up ready for a talking therapy appointment

☀️Good morning! Welcome to a day in life as a PWP (Practitioner) working for Talking Therapies. I'm Chiara, and today I'll be giving you an insight into my role for #PsychologicalProfessionsWeek.

📍I'm working at the Jade Centre, Bentley and have 6 appointments - best get prepared for a busy day!

a red post with white poppies on says 'on the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, we will remember them.

We will remember them.

Plan your day: When you know there will be fireworks, being prepared can help. Know what you are going to do, whether this is staying at home or going out. Know your triggers: Smells, sounds and flashes caused by fireworks can act as strong triggers. You can reduce the impact of this by having sensory aids such as essential oils or music, or noise cancelling headphones and blackout blinds. Use coping skills and ground yourself: Take a look at the photo of breathing and grounding techniques from Op Courage - the veterans mental health and wellbeing service. They can help to reduce distressing feelings and remind yourself that you're safe. Talk to others: It can be helpful to connect with friends and loved ones. You could ask family or friends to be with you during Bonfire Night. Finally, remind yourself: This is temporary. This will pass.

Box breathing. Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, release for 4, hold for 4, repeat. Grounding - name things you can see, touch, hear, smell and taste. Stop skill: Take a step back, don't react. Stay in control. Take a deep breath. Don't let your feelings make you act impulsively. Observe - what is going on around you, what is the situation, what are your thoughts and feelings. Proceed mindfully. Act with awareness and think about your goals. TIP skill: tip the temperature, ground yourself by splashing your face with cold water. Intense exercise, to calm your body down when it's revved up. Paced breathing if your breathing needs slowing down and pair it with muscle relaxation by tensing and releasing.

🎆Many people look forward to Bonfire Night, but for some veterans, it can be a really challenging time.

Sudden loud noises, flashes of light and the smell of fireworks can trigger traumatic memories or PTSD.

🪖Take a look at this advice from Op Courage, the veterans mental health service.

a dream bubble says sleep hygiene in it. around it are ways to help set yourself up for a good nights sleep. these include winding down with a book, gentle exercise, routine, avoiding fatty foods, limiting electronics, avoiding stimulants, having a comfortable room temperature and a dark room.

😴

Sleep. It's so important to our mental health and wellbeing. On average, we need 7-9 hours per night. In reality, almost 1 in 5 people aren’t hitting those hours.

Without sleep, our mental health can really suffer. Here are some #WellbeingWednesday sleep tips, to help you wind down.

⬇️Download the SystmConnect or NHS app today. For more information, head to the self-referral page of our website: rdash.nhs.uk/services/nhs-talking-therapies

❌Don't fancy another app on your phone? No problem, you can still sign up for support in the usual ways too.

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a phone screen shows two notifications on it. The first says reminders, you can now manage talking therapies appointments on your phone and online. The second one says Download the SystmConnect or NHS app to book, manage or cancel appointments in the palm of your hand. You can also contact our admin teams through your app, instead of calling.

📱We've made it easier to access Talking Therapies and manage any future appointments! You can now self-refer via the SystmConnect or NHS App.

What does it mean for you?
💬Faster decisions around your care
💬Contact us via app/web
💬Cancel appointments online
💬Quicker to self-refer

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a quote says You never expect to be in a situation where you’re unable to go to work because of your mental health, so when it happens and you don’t know what to do about it, having someone to turn to has been fundamental. My return to work plan that I completed with Connie was brilliant, helped me to understand actions I had to take and what to expect from my employer too. I had some helpful information about my rights, reasonable adjustments and also learnt about the equality act and protections that apply to my circumstances. I also wrote a document with Connie to help my employer learn about my mental and physical health conditions and better support me. My employer even fed back that this was really helpful for them. I think this approach to support is great and I am grateful it has been available to me in my time of need. I’d recommend this service to anyone who needs it; the support,opportunity to learn and also work alongside my therapist has been a really positive experience.

Employment support that's tailored to you 💼

Sign up to work with our employment team, when you're accessing Talking Therapies, for full, wraparound care. They can help you to find, remain in or return to work.

Well done to Connie, this week's Feedback Friday star✨

Self-refer online. Link in bio.

LIVE: Julie's Journey, Vlog #3 🤳

The next instalment of Julie's Talking Therapies patient vlog is live on our Facebook and Instagram pages!

Head over to see how Julie is feeling after her first appointment...

instagram.com/rdashtalkingtherapies

A graphic of 3 people with speech bubbles and text that says Are you struggling with sleep? Avoiding stuff you would usually enjoy? Are you feeling snappy or irritable? Getting muscle tension, aches and pains? Do you want to be able to relax more and challenge negative thoughts? Our Talking Therapies Stress Buster course can help you!

Be less stressed by Christmas...🎄(yep, we've used the C word!🎅)

Our next online 6-week Stress Buster courses start soon, so you can enter the festive season feeling like yourself again.

📍Doncaster, 30/10, 5.30-7
📍North Lincs, 29/10, 5.30-7
📍Rotherham, 12/11, 6-8

Sign up online, link in bio.

How can Talking Therapies help someone with symptoms of OCD?

A green background has the words Treatment for OCD is usually a type of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in front of it. To the right is a cartoon image of a man looking worried and stressed. Below this, it says This involves: Working with your therapist to break down your problems into their separate parts, such as your thoughts, physical feelings and actions. Encouraging you to face your fears and have obsessive thoughts without neutralising them with compulsive behaviours; you start with situations that cause the least anxiety first, before moving on to more difficult thoughts.

A green background has information about ocd symptoms on it. to the right is a cartoon image of two people talking. The text says If you’re struggling with OCD symptoms: obsessions – unwanted, intrusive and often distressing thoughts, images or urges repeatedly entering your mind emotions – the obsession causes a feeling of intense anxiety or distress compulsions – repetitive behaviours or mental acts that a person with OCD feels driven to perform as a result of the anxiety and distress caused by the obsession RDaSH Talking Therapies can help you.

If you're struggling with the symptoms of OCD, you don't have to face your challenges alone. Talking Therapies can help you.

We hope you've gained more awareness of what OCD is, or isn't, this #OCDAwarenessWeek. If you need us, you can self-refer online: rdash.nhs.uk/services/nhs-talking-therapies

A green background has a dark blue design on top which includes lines on the top left and bottom right corners, a talking therapies speech bubble to the bottom left and stars to the top right. In the centre, a quote says I have OCD - untreated and undiagnosed for more than 40 years. This lead to severe anxiety and depression. I cannot speak highly enough of Talking Therapies at RDaSH, they were brilliant and I don't think I would be here now without them. Everyone is brilliant and so empathetic. I had 20 hours of CBT with a therapist who got my depression score from 90% down to about 10%.I now feel confident in handling my OCD and know I'm in control of it. Now, I'm a volunteer for Talking Therapies and want to tell as many people as I can that help is out there. Go to Talking Therapies - they saved my life. They can help you too, they really can!

✨ It was only right that we showcased this incredible story on Feedback Friday for #OCDAwarenessWeek!

💬Struggling with symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)? Talking Therapies can help you: rdash.nhs.uk/services/nhs-talking-therapies

LIVE: Julie's Journey, Vlog #2 🤳

The next instalment of Julie's incredible Talking Therapies patient vlog is live on our Facebook and Instagram pages!

Head over to see how Julie is feeling ahead of her first appointment...

instagram.com/rdashtalkingtherapies

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. - YouTube

This #OCDAwarenessWeek we're bringing back Allan to tell his story.

Allan would constantly count, check and repeat things. He came to us for support with his OCD symptoms after his wife and employer urged him to get help.

🎥: youtube.com/watch?v=6LN3IfEQ6wQ

These symptoms can become a vicious cycle and have a massive impact on a person's life.

💬You don’t need a diagnosis to get help. If you’re struggling with the symptoms of OCD, we can support you. Self-refer to us today, using our online form: rdash.nhs.uk/services/nhs-talking-therapies

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🔵Obsessions: intrusions, thoughts, images + words in your mind that you don't want there
🔵Anxiety: obsessions cause distressing emotions such as anxiety, plus distress, guilt and shame
🔵Compulsions: behaviours used to try to reduce the anxiety and distress

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It's a term that can often be used incorrectly or misunderstood. It’s not always about cleaning, tidying or being organised. Here are some examples of what OCD can look like, to help us understand more about it...

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at the top of the image it says 'what some people think OCD is' and underneath this are four grey boxes, with text to the side of them which say 'being organised, tidying often, enjoying order, liking things to be clean'. Below this in bold letters it says ' what OCD actually is'. Underneath are 12 colourful boxes in rainbow colours, each with a description of what OCD can feel like. These are "obsession themes, overt compulsions, intrusive thoughts, mental rituals, avoidance, reassurance seeking, feelings of guilt shame and doubt, impaired functioning, unwanted sensations, mental images, feeling stuck, distress and having to face fears.

💬What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

This #OCDAwarenessWeek, we'll be shining a light on the condition.

There are lots of misconceptions around what OCD is – or isn’t. That’s despite almost 1 in 50 people in the UK being affected by it.

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This #WMHD2025, we'd love you to meet Julie.

Julie is bravely sharing her experience as she goes through CBT treatment with us.

Each week, she'll update you on her journey. Head to our Facebook/Instagram to follow her progress:
facebook.com/RDaSHTalkingTherapies
@rdashtalkingtherapies

A graphic of 3 people with speech bubbles and text that says Are you struggling with sleep? Avoiding stuff you would usually enjoy? Are you feeling snappy or irritable? Getting muscle tension, aches and pains? Do you want to be able to relax more and challenge negative thoughts? Our Talking Therapies Stress Buster course can help you!

⚡Want to learn more about managing stress? Our next Stress Buster courses are starting soon!

Over 6 weeks, you'll develop skills, techniques and knowledge to help you reduce your stress levels and improve your confidence.

Self-refer online rdash.nhs.uk/services/nhs-talking-therapies

A green background has a dark blue design on top which includes lines on the top left and bottom right corners, a talking therapies speech bubble to the bottom left and stars, a CV and briefcase to the top right. The quote says "I have benefitted hugely from these sessions. I was suggested the employment sessions alongside my therapy and feel that the two complimented each other greatly. Each of these sessions covered different topics and areas of employment support. I was given encouragement around my previous job role and reassured that it was okay to leave the position that I wasn’t enjoying. Alison supported me with my CV, formal resignation letter, and interview advice. We covered the STAR method, which was extremely helpful in my interviews! I have gained so much confidence and reassurance from these sessions, and would not have felt comfortable to get into a new job role without them."

🧠💼 From CBT to CVs...we offer both therapy and employment support to help you get back to feeling like yourself again.

✨Well done to this week's Feedback Friday star, Alison, an employment advisor in our Rotherham team!

Self-refer to online: rdash.nhs.uk/services/nhs-talking-therapies

You could also encourage someone to get the support they need, or sign up yourself. It's really simple to do. You can call your local team (please click the link for our contact numbers), or fill in a form online on our website: rdash.nhs.uk/services/nhs-talking-therapies/

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at the top of the page is writing in an arch that says mental health mythbusting. below this are two blue speech bubbles and an image of two older adults. In the first speech bubble it says 'it's normal to feel depressed as you get older'. The second one says 'that's absolutely not the case! Older adults live happy, fulfilling lives and research shows over 65s often report higher levels of wellbeing.

at the top of the page is writing in an arch that says mental health mythbusting. below this are two blue speech bubbles and an image of an older adult female in a wheelchair. The first speech bubble says 'i don' want to be a burden and waste anyone's time' the second says 'health teams, including NHS Talking Therapies, are here to be used to make you feel better! Everyone's mental health is important, no matter your age. Our teams love to support patients and get them feeling better. If you need support for you mental health and wellbeing, we would love to help you.

at the top of the page is writing in an arch that says mental health mythbusting. below this are two blue speech bubbles and an image of an older adult male. In the first speech bubble it says 'i'm just feeling fed up these days' the second says 'feeling 'fed up' or having frequently low mood can be signs that you're needing some support for your mental health. Worrying a lot or not wanting to leave the house for fear that something bad might happen are also really common symptoms of needing mental health support as we get older.

Have you got a loved one who's struggling and says something similar? Are you an older adult who can relate to those comments?

This #InternationalDayOfOlderPeople, why not start a conversation about mental health? We've popped some older adults myth busters on this post to help!

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at the top of the page is writing in an arch that says mental health mythbusting. below this are two blue speech bubbles and an image of an older adult male wearing glasses. In the first speech bubble it says 'if I say I'm struggling with my mental health they'll think I'm crazy the second says 'struggling with your mental health is very common and does not make you 'crazy'. Our team of therapists are understanding and on-judgemental. We would never think a person is 'crazy'.

at the top of the page is writing in an arch that says mental health mythbusting. below this are two blue speech bubbles and an image of an older adult with a thought bubble and tangled up string in it. The first speech bubble says"what does depression or anxiety look like?" the second says "depression and anxiety can affect a person for many reasons, and there can be a range of different symptoms. common symptoms include: *feeling unhappy or hopeless *worrying frequently *losing interest in things you once enjoyed *feeling exhausted or restless *sleeping too much or too little"

at the top of the page is writing in an arch that says mental health mythbusting. below this are two blue speech bubbles and an image of two older adult females power walking together. The first speech bubble says 'i'm just frustrated because of my long-term health condition. The second says 'It's completely understandable that a long-term health condition, or health changes, may affect the way you feeling mentally, too. Our teams can support you to live well mentally with your health condition. We also have a dedicated long-term conditions team in Doncaster!

at the top of the page is writing in an arch that says mental health mythbusting. below this are two blue speech bubbles and an image of two people talking about treatment. The first speech bubble says 'i'm too old to be getting any support' and the second says 'that’s absolutely not the case! in fact, research suggests that older adults with depression are even more likely to benefit from psychological therapies than younger people are. you don’t have to keep feeling down or worried, talking therapies can help you."

🌧️"I'm just feeling a bit under the weather, that's all"
👐"I'm not depressed, that's a thing the younger generation struggles with"
🧠"I'm too old for any help for my mental health"

👆They're just a couple of things we hear when we're out and about speaking to older adults about mental health.

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A green background has a dark blue design on top which includes lines on the top left and bottom right corners, a talking therapies speech bubble to the bottom left and stars to the top right. In the centre, a quote says Kerri was the name of the lady who facilitated the sessions. She was Excellent, a brilliant listener who prompted me when needed. She shared tools with me to help me on my future journey. Also gave me sound guidance. Spoke in a very professional manner, These sessions I have found life changing. I’ve learnt a lot about myself.

✨ Well done to Rotherham therapist Kerri, this week's Feedback Friday star, for her 'life changing' sessions.

🗨️Are you struggling with stress, depression, anxiety, panic, a phobia, PTSD or OCD?

🔵Talking Therapies can help. Self-refer online: bit.ly/RDASHTalkingTherapies