Devon Patients – TALKWORKS

TALKWORKS is Devon’s NHS talking therapies service, offering effective treatments and therapies, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), to help you get back on track. The service is available for people experiencing a mild to moderate common mental health difficulty – including low mood, anxiety, stress or problems with sleep. TALKWORKS also has a dedicated Talking Health team who help people living with a long-term health condition to improve their physical and emotional wellbeing. 

Operating across the whole of Devon (excluding Plymouth which is covered by Plymouth Options), TALKWORKS can see adults, age 18+, face-to-face in one of their bases across the county and in a variety of community settings, as well as hospitals and GP surgeries. Therapy can also be delivered via video call or over the phone, for those who would prefer to do it from the comfort of their own home.

Everything offered by TALKWORKS is free and delivered by NHS therapists and employment specialists. This includes:

  • A wide range of one-to-one treatment options, including cognitive behavioural therapy, counselling for depression, eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR), mindfulness courses and prolonged grief disorder therapy
  • Employment support to help people to find, stay in and get back to work (available for people who are receiving therapy from TALKWORKS)
  • Access to online self-help (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
  • Wellbeing workshops and interactive group courses

People who would like to use TALKWORKS services can self-refer without needing to see their GP first, by completing the online self-referral form or by calling 0300 555 3344 (phone lines are open Monday to Friday from 9am – 4:45pm). Alternatively, if you’d prefer to speak to your GP, they can make a referral on your behalf.

TALKWORKS cannot help people with more severe difficulties or who need urgent mental health support. Please read the needs that TALKWORKS can and cannot meet page on their website to find out more about this.

What happens after I’ve self-referred?

Once TALKWORKS has received your referral, they will contact you within five working days to arrange an appointment. In your first session, your therapist will ask you some questions and then give you space to talk. The questions that they will ask are to understand more about:

  • How you are feeling
  • What difficulties you are experiencing
  • The impact that this is having on your life

The appointment can be carried out face-to-face, over the phone or by video call – whichever option works best for you.