How we help

All the talking therapies we offer at the Sutton Talking Therapies service follow the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) treatment guidelines. This means that we provide therapies where there is evidence from research trials and clinical settings proving its effectiveness.

We also follow a “stepped care” model which means we offer the most effective, yet least intensive, support that is appropriate for a person first, to try to maximise their chances of a quick recovery from their symptoms.

When we have had an assessment with you, the clinician who spoke with you and their supervisor will think carefully about your treatment and will offer therapies that are recommended for your particular type of problem.

To learn more about the different types of evidence based psychological therapies we offer, please click here.

Our employment circumstances can have a significant impact on our wellbeing. Perhaps stress in the workplace is causing you to struggle in carrying out your role, or being out of work is leading to feelings of low mood. Does the thought of looking for paid work bring feelings of anxiety and uncertainty?

If you are thinking of changing career, looking for a new job or struggling at work in your current workplace and need reasonable adjustments to help you to carry out your work duties more effectively, then you can talk to one of our in-house Employment Specialist’s for advice and support.

Who can receive support from the Employment Service
Employment support is available for people receiving treatment from Sutton Talking Therapies Talking Therapies and who are:

• Out of work and want to get into paid employment
• In work and need help and support to stay in employment
• In work and want support to find another job including a career change

What the Employment Service can offer
We offer personalised support tailored to your needs:

• Advice and career guidance;
• Motivation, confidence building and assertiveness skills
• CV writing, job search and interviewing skills
• Disclosure of mental health difficulties within the workplace
• Signposting to benefits and debt counselling

Our personalised support to retain employment includes:

• Adjustments in the workplace
• Management of employment and employer-related issues
• Developing self-management strategies at work
• Support and strategies to return to work after sick leave
• Attendance at workplace Sickness Review and Mediation meetings
• Liaison with HR and Occupational health departments
• Help to look for more suitable jobs whilst still employed
• Supporting in signposting for legal matters within the workplace and supporting during the process.

How to access Employment support

You will be asked in your initial assessment if you would like support from the Employment team and if so, your details will be passed on to the Employment Advisers who will contact you. Alternatively, if your situation changes whilst you are on a waiting list for treatment, or whilst you are in treatment with us, then please do let the service or your clinician know. They can ask the Employment team to get in touch with you at that point.

Wellbeing support helps people to connect and access activities and resources to meet their physical, social and emotional needs. Our team are experienced in supporting people with their wellbeing, either professionally or through lived experience. We co-deliver our support in partnership with Age UK Sutton, Off the Record, and Sutton Carers Centre.

We aim to support you to cope in the present and be able to help yourself in the future. This may be through building on your existing strengths, developing new skills or social relationships.

What we offer

• Group Wellbeing Workshops

Our Wellbeing Team offers a series of wellbeing workshops (each lasting approximately 90 minutes) designed to support your specific needs. These are all free to attend and run regularly throughout the year. Our workshops are available to anyone over 18 and living within Sutton or registered with a Sutton GP.

Sign up to our workshops.

Workshops available include:

• Coping with Stress
• Self-Care and Relaxation
• Self-Confidence and Assertiveness
• Tips for Better Sleep/Sleep Hygiene
• Managing Frustration and Irritability

If you are unable to make any of our available workshop dates, we have pre-recorded them all here so you can access them at your own convenience.

• Individual Wellbeing Workshops

Our Wellbeing Team also offers a series of 1-1 workshops. These are run at a time convenient to you and last for around 90 minutes. To access one of these sessions, just sign up on Eventbrite and a Wellbeing Navigator will reach out to arrange a time to run through the workshop with you. As with the group workshops, 1-1 workshops are free to attend and available to anyone over 18 and living within Sutton or registered with a Sutton GP.

You can sign up here (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/sutton-uplift-26275716455).

These workshops include:

• Maintaining Motivation
• Maintaining Wellbeing as a Parent or Carer
• Living Well with Long COVID
• Living Well with Diabetes
• Living Well with Arthritis
• Living Well with Heart Disease
• Living Well with any Long Term Conditions (LTCs)

A wide range of people have found our group and individual workshops to be a valuable source of information and peer support. A previous participant has fed back:

I attended a Sutton Uplift Workshop, which I found I engaging. All presenters were very patient, friendly and knowledgeable. I found the slides colourful, helpful and very informative. Great to know workshops are held online, as group sessions or on a 1 to 1 basis.

• Practical Support with a Wellbeing Navigator

Our Wellbeing Team provides individual practical support sessions lasting half an hour over a period of 4-6 weeks. These sessions can help with things such as:

• Accessing activities that help to keep you physically and emotionally well
• Participating in community activities
• Learning to relax and cope with the stresses in your life
• Achieving healthier lifestyles: such as eating or sleeping well
• Accessing health or other support services
• Developing your confidence
• Enhancing social, spiritual or financial health (managing your budget)

You can access the 1-1 practical support by completing the self-referral form and ticking ‘Wellbeing’ under ‘Which of the services do you feel you need?’. Our waiting list is around 8-12 weeks long and a member of the Wellbeing Team will reach out to you to set up regular appointments once you have reached the top of the waiting list.

Follow us!

We are very active on social media, so please follow us for updates and information about the service, and for helpful wellbeing strategies and information

Instagram     YouTube 

Our Community Partners

Sutton Talking Therapies works in partnership with a number of local organisations with expertise in a particular field to co-deliver our services.

We are proud to be partnered with:

• Sutton Age UK
• Off The Record
• Sutton Carers Centre
• No Panic

Working with Local Community Organisations 

We know many communities and groups already support local people with their wellbeing. We are always keen to work with others – be it co-producing a new wellbeing workshop based on your individual needs or visiting your group to answer any questions about our services and to explore how we could work together.

Perhaps you run a lunch club for older people in your neighbourhood, or a play group for local children? Is your faith group interested in exploring the wellbeing of your community? Are you a member of a local peer support group for carers?

In the past year, Sutton Talking Therapies has worked with Sutton’s Women Centre, Sutton Housing, Muslim Culture & Welfare Association of Sutton, St Mungo’s, Sutton Mental Health Foundation, St Raphael’s, Age UK Sutton, Sutton Community Works, Sutton FX, Sing Out Sutton and Homes for Ukraine to name but a few! 

Please contact us to discuss working together to help improve the mental health and wellbeing of your communities.

Our Champions

To ensure we are supporting everyone from our local communities to access our service, we have developed Champion roles in our teams. These clinicians and wellbeing practitioners are keen to develop their interest and expertise in working with people who may have found it difficult to engage with services in the past or have particular needs they require support with.

Our Champions link with other organisations to ensure people in the local community are aware that we are here and the type of support we can provide, and they also ensure the service understands what changes we need to make to ensure people want to come to see us. We currently have Champions working with people and organisations related to pregnancy and becoming a new parent, people with long term physical health conditions, older people, people from a black and minority ethnic backgrounds, carers, people with a learning disability, those experiencing domestic violence and isolated men.

Here is what one of our Champions has to say about their role and the impact it has had:

“I am a BAME Champion. I thoroughly enjoy my role and coming up with creative ideas to improve the quality of care. In my role as BAME Champion I have conducted an audit to guide which areas our service needs to focus on, as well as attending the weekly BAME forum and creating a flyer specifically targeted at the BAME community. Clients have reported finding the flyer helpful and having their questions answered which makes them feel more confident reaching out to us. By connecting with other cultural organisations, I have increased awareness of our services, making it more likely for individuals to seek support from us as well.”

If you would like to link with one of our Champions then we would love to hear from you. Please do get in touch.

Service User Forums

Sutton Talking Therapies is keen to improve and learn from people who have accessed our services. We ask every person who is seen for support to complete a Patient Experience Questionnaire which are collected and reviewed every 3 months. The findings from these are shared with the team and we think about how we can act on the feedback we have received.  

We also hold regular service user forums to share experiences and help influence new service developments. Please contact us if you would like to join our friendly groups to support us in this valuable way.