Welcome to Mindsmatter
We are a well-being service offering a range of free psychological therapies to people aged 16 and over in Lancashire. We are part of the nationwide Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service delivered by Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust.
1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. Many of us go through difficult times in our lives, which can leave us feeling worried, anxious or depressed and feeling unable to cope. Mindsmatter offer a range of brief therapeutic interventions across our localities to support people’s differing emotional needs, this includes online, telephone and face-to-face treatment and therapy options. All treatment is free and provided by the NHS and their partners.
Giving people the right information and help to develop skills and gain tools to overcome stress, anxiety and depression is at the heart of what we do.
The Mindsmatter team is made up of Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWP), Cognitive Behavioural Therapists (CBT), Counsellors, and our supportive admin staff.
We aim to provide people who experience difficulties such as stress, anxiety and depression with access to our service. We aim to empower people to make informed choices and changes to improve well-being and live fulfilled lives by offering a range of talking therapies and self-help to meet your needs.
Please take some time to look through the different sections on our website, which we hope will help find out more about how we may help you. You will find information on the range of support available from Mindsmatter in your local area, as well as some information about other local services and advice lines you may find helpful and some recommended reading.
You can self-refer to our services either via this website by completing a registration form or telephoning your local Mindsmatter team. The details can be found under our Contact us and self-referral section.
Sometimes people come to Mindsmatter after seeing a GP and have a clear idea of their problem. Often though, people know they are experiencing problems (e.g. feeling low, having panic attacks) but are unsure of exactly what the problem might be. This is normal and during your appointments you and your practitioner can discuss this.
Mindsmatter can help with a variety of problems and if you already know what the problem is, some of the most common mental health problems we work with: Panic Disorder, Depression, Postnatal Depression, Generalised Anxiety Disorder/Chronic Worry, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Phobias, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Health Anxiety and Social Anxiety.
For some problems there is more than one choice available, for some there is only one talking therapy option that is recommended to be effective. A practitioner will discuss the best options available for you during your initial telephone assessment.
Why might my GP have suggested that Mindsmatter could be helpful?
Many people are referred (or encouraged to contact Mindsmatter themselves) by their GP. Your GP will have thought that some form of therapy involving talking about your problems and making changes to your actions or thinking would be useful.
Please ask yourself the following questions. If you feel that you are depressed or anxious, and answer NO to all of these questions you can self-refer. If you answer YES to any of these questions, Mindsmatter may not be the right service for you.
To prevent any delays to accessing services, please speak with your GP to discuss before contacting us.
- Are you currently seeing anyone from another mental health team? (For example the Community Mental Health Team, the Crisis Team or Psychotherapy)
- Are you getting another form of therapy elsewhere?
- Are you looking for help for bipolar disorder, psychosis, schizophrenia or a personality disorder?
- Are you hearing voices or seeing things that aren’t there?
- Do you feel that you could be a risk of taking your own life?
- Are you concerned about your memory in older age?
- Are you under 16?
- Are you dependent on drugs or alcohol?
