Welcome to Talking Therapies

Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Talking Therapies operates across five local services:

Bolton

Manchester

Salford

Trafford

Wigan

Your journey with NHS Talking Therapies begins with a telephone appointment. This first appointment is an opportunity for us to understand your needs and explore the most suitable support options for you.

Telephone appointment

• A practitioner will call you at a pre-arranged time. 
• The call will last approximately 30 to 45 minutes.
• The number may appear as withheld or unknown - please be prepared to answer.
• The practitioner will attempt to call twice within 10 minutes. If they are unable to reach you, you may be discharged back to your GP in line with our access policy.

Preparing for the call

• Please ensure you are in a quiet, private space where you can speak freely.
• The call cannot take place if you are driving or in a public or noisy environment.
• If you answer but are in an unsuitable location, this will be considered a non-attendance.

What will be discussed

• The practitioner will talk with you about your current difficulties, your goals, and the support options available.
• You’ll also go through the questionnaires you’ve been asked to complete. Please ensure these are filled out in advance. You will be asked to fill these out on the portal and will be sent a reminder of this before your appointment.
  
  

What happens next

After your telephone assessment, if it is agreed that we are the most appropriate service for you, the option of therapy will be discussed with you and you will be placed on a waiting list to meet with a therapist. This allows us to match you with the most appropriate support based on your needs and availability.

• You will be contacted when an appointment becomes available.
• The waiting time can vary depending on demand, but we will keep you informed and aim to offer you a suitable slot as soon as possible.
• Please make sure your contact details are up to date so we can reach you easily when it’s time to begin your sessions.
  
  

In the meantime, you may find it helpful to explore self-help resources or speak with your GP if your situation changes.

Once your therapy begins, you and your therapist will work together to arrange ongoing regular appointments using a modality that is suitable to your needs (video, face to face, telephone etc).

Your therapist will discuss this with you in your initial appointments together. Therapy is a personal journey. The length and type of support you receive will depend on your individual needs, goals, and progress.

Your therapist will work with you to regularly review how things are going and adjust your treatment plan as needed. Your therapist will explain confidentiality and how your information is used at your first appointment. For further information on how we use your information please click on the links below.

Your information and how we use it.

How the NHS and care services use your information.

Examples of talking therapies include:

• Guided self-help - where a therapist coaches you as you work through a self-help course in your own time, either using a workbook or an online course
• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) - This is a type of talking therapy that helps you to change how you think and act. It can treat many different mental health problems.
• Counselling - a type of therapy designed to explore and resolve personal, emotional, or psychological challenges through guided conversation and active listening.
• Trauma focussed therapy (e.g. CBT or EMDR), mindfulness based cognitive therapy, couples counselling for depression, and brief relational therapies are also available in some services.

 

Talking therapies are offered in different ways, including:

• using a self-help workbook with the support of a therapist
• as an online course
• one-to-one sessions either in person, over the phone or as a video consultation
• in a group

For more information on the types of therapy we offer, information please click here.

We understand that plans can change. If you’re unable to attend your appointment, please help us reduce waiting times by letting us know as soon as possible. 

Please contact us on:

Phone: 0161 271 0190 (If the lines are busy, please leave a message with your name, date of birth and telephone number).

Please note that:

• We require at least 48 hours’ notice to cancel an appointment so we can offer the slot to someone else.
• If you cancel your first appointment with less than 48 hours’ notice, you will be placed back on the waiting list from the date you contacted us.

It is essential to your recovery that you are able to commit to your therapy and attend your booked appointments. Please note that you will be discharged from the service if:

• You miss your first appointment and do not contact us within 48 hours.
• You miss or cancel two appointments after your therapy has started.

If you are discharged, we will notify both you and your GP in writing. If you still wish to access therapy, please speak to your GP about being re-referred.

Expectations and preparation for therapy

Our aim is that therapy will be a positive experience and will help you to explore unhelpful thoughts, feelings and behaviours. 

Better outcomes are more likely if you:

• Attend all your scheduled sessions.
• Complete any between-session work that you and your therapist agree would be useful.
• Are ready to engage and are open to exploring your thoughts and feelings.
• Have a willingness to change patterns that are unhelpful to you.
• Take time to consider what has been discussed in your sessions.
• Complete the required questionnaires prior to each appointment.     

We would suggest spending some time thinking about the below before you embark on a course of therapy:   

• What would you like to achieve in therapy by setting goals.
• How do your feelings change over a day or a longer period.
• Are there any specific events that change the way you feel.
• What do you currently do to manage difficult feelings.

Therapy can bring up some strong emotions which can feel uncomfortable. Experiencing these feelings can be more difficult in the early stages of therapy as you are still building a relationship with your therapist.

Sometimes people’s initial response to these feelings is to leave therapy or request a change of therapist. Before deciding, we would always advise talking to your therapist about any concerns you may have as they will be able to support you through this process.

If you're experiencing a mental health crisis or emergency, support is available right now.

Immediate help

• Call 999 or go to A&E if there is an immediate risk to life or if you if you feel unable to keep you or someone else safe.
• Do not hesitate to seek help. Mental health emergencies are just as serious as physical ones.
  
  

Urgent advice

• Call 111  or visit 111 online and select the mental health option.
• You may be able to speak to a trained mental health professional.
• You can also contact your GP for urgent support or treatment options.

These services are free and won’t appear on your phone bill. Confidential support is available 24/7:

Samaritans	Call:  116 123 Email:   jo@samaritans.org URL: www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan
Shout Crisis Text Line	Text:  ‘SHOUT’ to 85258 ( or text ‘YM’if you're under 19) URL: giveusashout.org
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)                   Helpline for men.	Call: 0800 58 58 58 Available: 5pm to 12am, 365 days a year  URL: www.thecalmzone.net
Domestic abuse: Refuge Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline for Women.	Call: 0808 2000 247 Available: 24 hours 7 days a week URL: www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk
Childline (under 19s)	Call:  0800 1111 URL: www.childline.org.uk

Helpful resources:

Mind Ways to help yourself cope during a crisis

URL: https://www.mind.org.uk/need-urgent-help/what-can-i-do-to-help-myself-cope/