Mental health therapy

Individual therapies

Cognitive behavioural therapy

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a family of talking therapies based on the idea that our thoughts, emotions and behaviours are interconnected and impact how we feel and what we do. Cognitive behavioural therapy can help to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours, helping people cope with, or overcome, various problems. Cognitive behavioural therapy is a goal-focussed and active treatment, where you will work with your therapist to create tasks and challenges to complete at home. These tasks are designed to help you make the most progress during therapy.

Counselling for depression

Counselling, also referred to as person-centred experiential therapy (PCET) explores feelings and emotions to aid recovery. It aims to help people suffering from depression by exploring their feelings and how they impact on their thoughts and behaviour.

Couples therapy for depression

People who are depressed often find their relationships suffer. Sometimes, problems in the relationship can lead to a partner becoming depressed or anxious. Couples therapy for depression deals with both the depression and the relationship distress. Sometimes, couples might struggle to talk to each other, and meeting with a couples therapist can help to improve communication, which is a key part of a relationship.

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is used to treat symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a range of other common difficulties.

Interpersonal therapy

Interpersonal therapy, (IPT) is used to treat the symptoms of depression. It looks at the link between depression and relationships with others. This means it can be used as a treatment for patients whose depression may be linked to adjusting to significant life events such as divorce, retirement, loss or the diagnosis of an illness. It can also help people wanting to develop healthier relationships or manage differences of opinion in relationships.

Guided self-help

Guided self-help is based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Sessions are with a psychological wellbeing practitioner (PWP) who can help you to better understand your problems and learn how to control symptoms of low to moderate levels of stress, low mood and anxiety.

Group therapy: The Talking Therapies Stress Buster course

Stress is a natural part of our lives; however, our stress levels can sometimes become too high, and it may start to affect us negatively. Our six-week Stress Buster course provides you with tools and techniques to help you to understand and manage your stress, anxiety and depression. Each session will cover a different topic.

This group course may take place in person or online. You will not be asked to share your experiences or to speak up in front of others. You can just sit back, listen, and put your new skills into practice.

Plan your journey

If you use public transport, the Traveline journey planner provides information about what services and times are available.

Page last reviewed: March 19, 2025
Next review due: March 19, 2026