"Mixed experience with mental health service"

I valued the attention given by the therapist who spent time with me and helped identify issues to be addressed.

I found the initial telephone assessment, when I was at a very vulnerable point, very encouraging and supportive. there was no sense of being rushed through the questions.

I was disappointing at the time gap between referral and the telephone assessment and the time gap before my first meeting with the therapist. If I did not have supportive family and friends I am not sure how I would have coped in those months. On the positive side I was more able to deal with probing questions and tackling issues. Hover I suspect that this is not part of a treatment strategy. if it is it would have been helpful to explain this.

At the time of assessment I explained that I has already received CBT treatment which had helped with presenting issues but not dealt with underlying issues or other causes of recurrent mental health episodes. I was assured that all therapists had a range of skills and so could apply approaches as necessary. I was therefore surprised that I was only offered CBT and the therapist, excellent though he was, was only able to use a CBT process. We talked about this and so I was transferred to another therapist.

Whilst I appreciate resourcing and budgets are an issue I feel that another couple of sessions or so could have ended a more precise definition of underlying issues and set out a precise strategy programme. It seems I had my allocation.

I hope these comments help your gathering of evidence to gain additional funding for the mental health service.

Having said all of this I am in a better state of mental health but I shall need to find some kind of continuing support and challenging questions to prevent a relapse in the future. I have had to deal with this for 50 years.