I’d like to speak with someone about how I am feeling

Support is there for you now, if you need it.

A good place to start is calling the Derbyshire Mental Health support line on 0800 028 0077 (available 24 hours a day, seven days a week). It's staffed by mental health professionals and is for all ages. They will be able to signpost you to further support options, suited to your needs at this time.

You can also ring the Derbyshire Recovery and Peer Support Service which has an emotional care helpline. Phone 01773 734 989, Monday to Friday, 9am to 7pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 9am to 5pm.

You may already know that you would like talking therapy. If so, you can self-refer to local Talking Therapy services (also known as IAPT services). They can provide evidence-based support for you to manage difficulties such as anxiety, panic and low mood. For more information about IAPT and some of the frequently asked questions take a look at the ‘Local psychological and talking therapies’ tab on this page.

For befriending, please contact your local CVS via their email addresses below:

• High Peak - hello@highpeakcvs.org.uk
• Dales - enquiries@ddcvs.org.uk
• Bolsover - bolsovertogether@bcvs.org.uk
• Chesterfield/North East Derbyshire - response@dva.org.uk
• Erewash - stella@erewashcvs.org.uk
• Amber Valley- admin@avcvs.org
• South Derbyshire - volunteer@sdcvs.org.uk

Relate are offering a range of local support services – for a range of people, not just couples.

You can self-refer to local Talking Therapy services (also known as Improving Access to Psychological Therapies or IAPT services). 

Services are now offering telephone support or video conferencing in line with Government guidelines. 

All of the Derby and Derbyshire IAPT providers below are accepting new referrals: 

Trent PTS - 01332 265 659

Vita Minds - 0333 0153 496

Insight Healthcare - 0300 555 5582

For information, an additional IAPT provider - Talking Mental Health Derbyshire (TMHD) who are part of Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation Trust - have announced that due to pressures caused by the Covid-19 virus, they are unable to accept any new referrals at present. TMHD remain open to people who are already receiving therapy.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about IAPT

How do I get help therapy? 

There are two ways to be referred:

1. Self-referral: where you access the service directly - usually by telephone, referral pack (with information about the service which may have been given to you by your GP) or online
2. GP referral: where your GP refers you to the service following a consultation.

If the referral is not accepted, you and your GP will be informed, or you may be referred to an alternative, more appropriate service.

If your referral is accepted, the provider will contact you to arrange an initial assessment. 

What psychological therapies can I get? 

One in four people will experience depression or anxiety at some point of their lives. Help is available for people whose daily lives are affected. 

IAPT services are psychological therapy services tailored to people’s needs and include talking therapies, group approaches, couples therapy and self-help support for people who experience anxiety and depression. 

Will I have to pay for therapy? 

No, IAPT services are free for people to access. Derby and Derbyshire CCG provides the funding for people to access this support.

Can therapy over the phone really help?

You can read about some positive experiences of people in Derby and Derbyshire who have had telephone and video support from local talking therapy services here.

How do I choose a therapy service? 

There are currently three IAPT providers in Derbyshire accepting new referrals. People who are registered with a Derbyshire GP practice can choose from any of these services. 

Referrals will be accepted from people aged over 18-years-old, although people aged between 16 and 18 will be accepted if they are assessed as benefiting from the service. 

All three providers offer the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended therapies and approaches for common mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. 

You might choose the provider closest to your home, workplace or family. Alternatively, you may choose the service with the shortest waiting times, the widest choice of types of treatment or the highest recovery or reliable improvement scores.

How long will I have to wait for therapy? 

Waiting times vary. This can be for a number of reasons including waiting longer:

• For the different types of therapy that the services offer
• If you want to be seen on a particular day or time
• If there is a particular location where you wish to be seen.

The target is that all patients should be seen for a first appointment –‘an assessment appointment’ - within six weeks of the provider receiving your referral. This is counted from the day you contacted the service or the day the service received the GP referral.

The assessment appointment is where the therapist decides with you if you need to be seen for more sessions – called treatment sessions. 

In some services you may need to wait again for a number of weeks until an appointment becomes available for treatment to take place. In others there is only a minimal waiting time between the initial assessment session and when treatment starts. They will also be able to estimate the waiting time between your first and second appointment.

There are lots of national organisations and charities offering support online, via text or phone at this time. Some are even running webinars on specific mental health difficulties. Please note some of the phone lines will charge.  

• MIND runs a supportive online community called Elefriends
• Silver Line offers a free 24-hour freephone helpline for older adults 
• CALM is a national movement against suicide and they have a helpline and webchat
• For text support you can contact SHOUT by texting 85258
• The Samaritans can be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• To speak with someone about domestic abuse, please click here for an up-to-date list of local support options
• OCD Action are the UK’s largest OCD charity and are running Skype and phone support groups for those whose OCD has been exacerbated by the current situation
• Anxiety UK offer a text support and phoneline service, for more details visit their website
• For support with an eating disorder, BEAT are offering a helpline and a one-to-one webchat
• For free support with gambling issues you can contact Gam Care

• Mental health support at work - this confidential service is delivered by Remploy and is available at no charge to any employees with depression, anxiety, stress or other mental health issues affecting their work. Click here for more details.

We know that many of you live with a lifelong or long-term condition. If you feel like you need a little more emotional support at this time, you may want to consider contacting some of the specialist organisations and charities below. Many have helplines (costs of calls may vary), and tailored web resources for you at this time.

• Autism - Relate Derby is extending the hours of the Living Well with Autism telephone helpline. This is a free service where you can speak to a specially trained counsellor without having to book an appointment - 0808 178 9363, Monday 10am-1pm, Tuesday 10am-1pm, Thursday 10am-1pm. Please check their website and social media @relatederby for further extended opening hours.
• Heart Helpline: Call the British Heart Foundation ‘heart helpline’ on 0300 330 3311 to speak to cardiac nurses and information support officers
• Kidney disease or renal failure – call the Kidney Care UK support line on 01420 541424 (9am-5pm, Monday-Friday)
• Macmillan Support Line: The Macmillan Support Line offers support to people living with cancer and their loved ones, call 0808 808 00 00
• Marie Curie Support Line: The Marie Curie Support Line provides practical or clinical information and emotional support if you're living with or caring for someone who has a terminal illness, call free on 0800 090 2309
• Motor Neurone Disease Association Connect Helpline: Call 0808 802 6262
• Parkinson's UK Helpline is a free and confidential service providing support to anyone affected by Parkinson's, phone: 0808 800 0303
• Dementia Connect support line: If you need dementia support, information, support and advice call the Alzheimer’s Society on 0333 150 3456

• For information about the support offer from Derbyshire Dementia Support Service please see this flyer.

There is support there for you, if you need it.

Local support

Derbyshire Recovery Partnership – for a chat and to find out how they can help you, call 0845 308 4010 (landline) or 0124 620 6514 (mobile) (charges apply). 

Growing Recovery in Derbyshire (GRID) - news and information for people in recovery from drugs and alcohol can be found on their GRID website including links to online support groups you can join.

Citizens’ Advice Mid Mercia (covering south Derbyshire and Derby City and some of Staffordshire), is open through remote working on a daily basis. They offer support and advice on a range of subjects including debt, financial resilience, gambling help, employment rights, benefits access and relationship help. Contact their advice line, Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm, on 0300 330 9002, or by text relay on 03444 111 445. Specific advice is available on their website for gambling. Since the lockdown, the gambling support service has begun regular newsletters, a YouTube channel and is now offering training through an online platform (Microsoft Teams) for interested frontline workers. For more information email gstenson@citizensadvicemidmercia.org.uk.

National support and information

NHS Live Well has details of a number of helpline numbers for those using drugs, and their families

GamCare offer telephone and online support for people with gambling problems. Visit their website to find out more.

Support with gambling is available from Citizens’ Advice and the NHS.

There are also a number of organisations providing support and advice to children, young people, and parent/carers around a range of issues at this time:

Local support options

You or your child can call the Derbyshire Mental Health support line on 0800 028 0077 (available 24 hours a day, seven days a week). It's staffed by mental health professionals, and provides mental health support for Derbyshire residents of all ages. They will be able to signpost you and your family to further support options, suited to your needs at this time.

You can also access free online counselling, in Derby and Derbyshire:

• Kooth is for children and young people aged 11 to 18 years, and up to 25 years for children in care 
• And for parents and carers (whose children are under 18 years) there’s Qwell

National support options

• Childline - is a national organisation supporting children and young people around a range of issues. If you're under 19 you can confidentially call, email or chat online about any problem big or small. Freephone 24-hour helpline: 0800 1111. Sign up for a childline account on the website to be able to message a counsellor anytime without using your email address.
• The calm zone section of the Childline website offers advice, tips and activities to help reduce anxiety and improve emotional wellbeing.
• Young Minds - website offering resources and support for young people (and their parents/carers)  – around anxiety, mental health issues, grief and bereavement.
• Young Minds Crisis Messenger provides free, 24/7 crisis support across the UK if you are experiencing a mental health crisis - just text YM to 85258. All texts are answered by trained volunteers, with support from experienced clinical supervisors. Texts are free from EE, O2, Vodafone, 3, Virgin Mobile, BT Mobile, GiffGaff, Tesco Mobile and Telecom Plus
• The Mix - is a UK support service for young people under 25. Range of services from mental health to money, from homelessness to finding a job, from break-ups to drugs. Online, social or free, confidential helpline 0808 808 4994 (1pm to 11pm daily).

For more information on local and national support

Visit this Derbyshire wellbeing website which is regularly updated - you will find up-to-date information on support for the whole family.

Bereavement support for children

There are a number of organisations providing support for children experiencing bereavement, or with family members who have a terminal and or life-limiting illness, including:  

• Winston’s Wish – a national charity providing support to children and young people after the death of a parent or sibling. Also advice to supporting adults. Winston’s Wish have a freephone national helpline - 08088 020 021. They also have an online chat facility open Monday to Friday, 10am-1pm.
• Cruse Bereavement Care: Hope - website, helpline and other support for young people aged 12-18 following a bereavement 0808 808 1677. Also provide email and online support.
• Childhood bereavement network - is the hub for those working with bereaved children, young people and their families across the UK.

Support for adults

There are a number of organisations providing support for those experiencing bereavement, terminal and or life-limiting illness and their families, including:   

Tree Tops Hospice - offers support to people affected by a terminal illness or affected by bereavement (south Derbyshire only). Call 0115 949 6944. 

Cruse Bereavement Care - a national charity providing bereavement support for both adults and children (see children’s section for more information). The Cruse Bereavement Care freephone national helpline - 0808 808 1677 - is staffed by trained bereavement volunteers, who offer emotional support to anyone affected by bereavement. The helpline is open Monday to Friday, 9.30am-5pm (excluding bank holidays), with extended hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, when they’re open until 8pm.

Griefchat - is a safe space for grieving or bereaved people to be able to share their story, explore their feelings and be supported by a qualified bereavement counsellor. In addition to this, GriefChat can help bereaved people to consider if they need additional support and where to get this from. Using GriefChat is free of charge and is open Monday to Friday, 9am-9pm to grieving or bereaved people.

What’s Your Grief – is an organisation providing support and information to those experiencing grief and loss. They have recently added advice and support around what you can do when you can’t be with someone who is sick or dying, this may be particularly useful given the current restrictions to visiting friends and family in hospitals, hospices and other care settings. 

Macmillan Support Line - offers confidential support to people living with cancer and their loved ones. Telephone helpline, Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm, on 0808 808 00 00. Online chat – Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.

Sue Ryder Online Community - a national charity providing palliative, neurological and bereavement support. If someone you love is dying or has died, the Online Community is a place to share experiences, get things off your chest, ask questions and chat to people who understand.

Marie Curie – provide care and support for people living with any terminal illness, and their families. They offer a wide range of support. Telephone support: 0800 090 2309.

Nelson’s Journey - is an organisation which provides support for bereaved children. They have put this information together based on recent announcements from the Government and advice from the National Association of Funeral Directors. Please bear in mind that funeral arrangements may have to change again in the future as the Government’s response to Covid-19 develops. This guidance is aimed at parents/carers of children and young people who have experienced a recent death and who may need some support in helping their child at this very challenging time.

Suicide bereavement support

The Tomorrow Project offers a variety of support to help someone manage loss up to one year after the death. There is no age restriction to access the service. A suicide bereavement support officer will make contact and arrange to meet face-to-face for ongoing emotional and practical support. People can refer themselves or can be referred by a professional by email bereavement.derbys@tomorrowproject.org.uk or leave a message on 0115 88 00 280 or 01246 541935, Monday to Friday, from 9.30am to 5pm.

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide offer longer term peer support. This is accessed through support groups, a national helpline, email and online forums and is available indefinitely. You can refer yourself by contacting a local support group.

Support for older children and young people

There are a number of organisations providing support for children experiencing bereavement, or with family members who have a terminal and or life limiting illness, including:  

Winstons Wish – a national charity providing support to children and young people after the death of a parent or sibling. Also advice to supporting adults. Winstons Wish have a freephone national helpline - 08088 020 021. They also have an online chat facility open Monday to Friday, 10am-1pm.

Cruse Bereavement Care: Hope - website, helpline and other support for young people aged 12-18 following a bereavement 0808 808 1677. Also provide email and online support.

Childhood Bereavement Network – This is a hub for those working with bereaved children, young people and their families across the UK.

There are also a number of organisations providing support and advice to children and young people around a range of issues, including anxiety and depression and more recently the impact of Covid-19.  

Child line - is a national organisation supporting children and young people around a range of issues. If you're under 19 you can confidentially call, email or chat online about any problem big or small. Freephone 24-hour helpline 0800 1111. Sign up for a childline account on the website to be able to message a counsellor anytime without using your email address. The Calm zone section of the Child line website offers advice, tips and activities to help reduce anxiety and improve emotional well-being.

Young Minds - website offering resources and support for young people (and their parents/carers)  – around anxiety, mental health issues, grief and bereavement.

Young Minds Crisis Messenger provides free, 24/7 crisis support across the UK if you are experiencing a mental health crisis - just text YM to 85258. All texts are answered by trained volunteers, with support from experienced clinical supervisors. Texts are free from EE, O2, Vodafone, 3, Virgin Mobile, BT Mobile, GiffGaff, Tesco Mobile and Telecom Plus. 

The Mix - is a UK support service for young people under 25. Range of services from mental health to money, from homelessness to finding a job, from break-ups to drugs. Online, social or free, confidential helpline 0808 808 4994 (1pm to 11pm daily).