Mental Health Support

Before treatment can be offered, an assessment is carried out over the phone to determine if the support we offer may be appropriate for you. If brief therapy is clinically appropriate, this can be either Structured Wellbeing Counselling or Supported Self Help.

Structured Wellbeing Counselling

This could include up to six sessions of Structured Wellbeing Counselling which may be delivered by phone, face-to-face or video calls with a counsellor in our network.

Supported Self Help

This is guided self help based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The therapy we offer is low intensity and aims to help with mild to moderate depression and anxiety by developing personal coping strategies. You’ll receive a set of supportive materials and exercises to complete either online or paper based. You’ll work through your
programme and have up to six support sessions, either over the phone or via video call from a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner.

This will give you an opportunity to explore the exercises and techniques further and review your progress in a supportive way. This type of approach offers practical ways of improving mood and wellbeing.

Guided Self-Help via Computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (cCBT)

cCBT is a therapy that aims to help with depression and anxiety by developing personal coping strategies. Essentially it helps you look at the problems you’re experiencing, the impact they’re having on your life at that moment in time and what you’d want to be different.

cCBT is a structured therapy with a focus on change and the steps you can take to get there. How we think (cognition), how we act (behaviour), how we feel (emotion) and what’s happening in our bodies (physiology) all link together and influence how we see ourselves, the world and other people. By understanding those links cCBT can help you to make changes to how you think and act. cCBT is an active therapy that requires you to work through your assigned self-help materials alongside your therapist. You'll be working to develop practical skills and tools to help you manage your own health and wellbeing.

cCBT through Benenden Health will provide you with secure digital content, or a workbook, which will include self-help materials personal to you to support your treatment, with over 30 issue specific modules, programmes and mood diaries.

You’ll also be supported by sessions with an assigned therapist over the telephone or video and, much like a coach, your therapist will help you use the workbook or digital tools to support you, guiding you towards your specific goals and recovery.

• This service isn’t intended to provide ongoing care or support for more severe, long-term conditions or difficulties requiring higher intensity therapies as determined by the counsellor. As a result, there may be cases where we’re unable to support you due to the nature of the psychological needs that you have, or your circumstances.

• This service will not initiate, monitor or review any mental health medications.

• We’re unable to provide mental health support for children under the age of 11.

• We can’t provide support when you’re receiving other types of support from another service (such as the NHS or a private therapist, community psychiatric nurse, psychiatrist, psychologist and recovery programmes).

• If we’re unable to provide mental health support via our network, we may offer an alternative solution.