“Some progress has been made on reducing waiting times for treatment in child and adolescent mental health services over the past year, although waiting times are still very long in many cases.” - Education Policy Institute; 2017

Whilst the National Health Service is a valuable service to this country, and the clinicians and practitioners are second too non, it is often a growing (and sad) reality that the wait times for people to receive treatment are increasing - for both adult and adolescent services. As well as increasing the risk of struggles becoming worse, this reality also causes many to seek support from other services and providers. Some alternative providers may ask that you give up a place on waiting lists as it is considered by some, that you cannot receive treatment from two providers at the same time. Whilst this statement does hold much truth and it can be unhelpful to seek mental health support from two different sources if its not accessed in a planned way, it again limits options to individuals who need help immediately but who may also benefit from accessing the full services available through the NHS.

NHS Waiting lists - ADult & adolescent

As a practitioner and registered professional I believe three things when it comes to NHS services and waiting lists;

1. In most cases (but not all) it isn’t helpful to receive therapy from two different sources

2. There is absolute value of NHS Mental Health Services and there are very few affordable alternative answers that provide the skill and length of service care that patients can receive

3. Some people (regardless of age) may find themselves in need of intervention faster than can be provided whilst on a waiting list (with the exception of crisis services which can be accessed through your local A&E).

nhs waiting lists & support through clearview

I have been working with people who are on NHS waiting lists for some time now, and believe that help when you need it most can prevent deterioration and even help you to make the most out of your NHS treatment. Whilst every person is different, and as such all cases are worked with differently I am able to offer 3 options to clients who seek support from me whilst they are also engaged with local NHS services.

option 1 - GP referral to mental health services & awaiting assessment

• This option is most useful to clients who have been to their GP or self referred and are waiting for an assessment from NHS mental health services. In this scenario the general focus of our work together would be to think about where you are in your journey to receiving treatment and ultimately recovery. We would think about what your concerns are, and work out an approach so you can spend the time constructively - this maybe thinking about risk, immediate coping strategies, In cases where we think this might be useful, I can also provide a brief report summarising our work together for you to take to your assessment session.

Option 2 - NHS assessment completed & now on waiting list for treatment

• This option is useful to clients who have had an initial assessment session with a local NHS provider and are waiting for treatment, in the form of either individual therapy or group therapy. We can review together your journey through NHS services to date, and then think about what may be useful to cover or work on whilst you are waiting. When your appointment comes up, you have a number of options available including;

  • Stopping work with ClearView and fully engaging with your individual therapist - a handover summery letter can be sent detailing an outline of our work together if you wish

  • If you are starting group therapy, we can stop our work together and then pick up at the end of the group program, OR we can continue individual work and use this to think in more detail about the topics covered in group and how to apply these to daily life, complimenting your group program.

  • A mixture of the above - depending on your needs and the nature of the NHS treatment on offer

Option 3 - gp advice to attend nhs services (but you don’t want to)

• Some people (for varying reasons) may decide that they do not want to attend the NHS mental health services and wish to remain under their GP and seek psychological & emotional support from else where. I have worked with many clients who have chosen this rout and my advice is always to refer into NHS mental health services and begin work with me at ClearView using the framework in option 1 or option 2 as detailed above. However, if NHS services are not your primary choice, I am happy to work with you and liaise with your GP, or any other private psychiatry arrangement that you may have decided or needed to engage to support you through your mental health concerns.

07747197180 to discuss or book!

If you would like to discuss booking a session or to have a further conversation about being on an NHS waiting list for local mental health services call me on 07747197180. For information on session structure and costs click here.

Areas of work in relation to young people

Stress & Anxiety

Depression & Mood related difficulties and issues

Exam Stress 

Young Carers

Counselling for Men & Male Mental Health

Self Harm

Poor or Negative Coping

Parenting - Advice & Support 

Long & Short Term work

(ClearView Counselling & Psychotherapy is a trading name of ANJ Consultancy Ltd)