NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Talking Therapies - Cambridge

Bob Hawkins

This is an excellent professional friendly service, my Doctor recommended that I contact them, they were very quick to respond and helped me understand a difficult time that I was going through, really first class and understanding help form Kristina and Sarah thank you.

May

Had to miss one phone appointment due to a family emergency and couldn’t let anyone know as I was given no contact details.
I got a call anyways and I explained my situation. I was then kept on the phone for 20 minutes during an already stressful situation. The lady I was talking to kept asking me to rearrange and I kept telling her that it was a bad time and if she could give me an email or phone number to give them a better time or date when I had a bit more time on my hands. But she wouldn’t give me any contact details and still kept asking me to rearrange.
In the end, I gave her a random date and time just to shut her up and did not know whether I was free at that time. The phone call ended very quickly afterwards.
Overall, her tone was sharp and she made me feel as though I was being the problem in this situation and feel this was extremely unprofessional! Especially as an Autistic person I found the whole situation emotionally overwhelming, something your clients shouldn’t feel when undertaking therapy as far as I know!
Could not be more disappointed.

Zohreh Soltani

I can't express enough how grateful I am for the incredible support I received during my therapy sessions. My therapist (Sebastiano) introduced me to a range of effective techniques that have truly changed the way I manage my worries and anxiety. One of the most profound lessons was gaining a deep understanding of the inner workings of my mind. This self-awareness has been a game-changer, enabling me to understand what is happening in my mind and identify and acknowledge my thoughts and emotions with clarity. This newfound awareness has not only empowered me to navigate challenging situations more effectively but has also been instrumental in reducing my anxiety levels and migraine headaches.

Alison Poochie

As a person who struggles with complex mental health on a daily basis, I am grateful for the support I am currently receiving and have received in the past, from the Psychological Skills Service.
I got off to a rocky start and was ready to quit. My Psychologist was kind enough to check in with me and ask if this was what I really wanted to do? I have a long history of quitting, which I now know is one of my prominent Schemas. I now know the reason why and feel validated. He has been very patient and made me feel validated. I struggle with attending medical places, but he worked out a plan of how to help me enter the building, after I decided to attend in person, rather than do the session over Teams. He never pressurised me, he made sure I felt safe and comfortable. He kept the Teams appointment open, so if at the last minute I couldn't get myself in the building, I could still participate. He asked me what I wanted him to do, in the event of me becoming overwhelmed and wanting to walk out (Do a runner). He made sure I knew the exit route, so that in the event of me leaving, I would not become even more distressed.
During the session he checked in with me to see if I was ok and happy to continue. He made a conscious effort to help me relax and feel safe. He's took the time to listen to my struggles.
I just wish I started Schema Therapy years ago, instead of being sent to one therapist after another and getting stuck each time and not moving forward.
Debbie Kirton put in the foundations to get me in a position, where I was able to get back into society and work and then progress onto Schema Therapy. She's now passed the Batton onto Owen. I know the start was rough and I've gone from feeling angry about my therapist, to a place where I feel I can trust him and have faith and confidence he can help me achieve my full potential. This journey is not an easy one for me and I know there will be many more tears and bumps in the road, but I can start to see the road ahead much clearer. Thank you to everyone involved in my journey. Debbie, Owen, Melanie, and Aimee. Just got to work on me being able to share my thoughts and feelings with my Schema group family. One step at a time.

M W

Non-existent service. Was signposted by GP and referred by bereavement midwife about 6 weeks following traumatic loss of baby. Had a telephone consultation with a guy who had clearly not read my form (asked me to explain why I wanted to use the service, I said it was all on my form, he said, "er, yes, I mean, is there anything else?"). Then got left on a waiting list from October until March, by which point I was pregnant again and didn't want to relive memories. Only other support I was offered was GP offering to sign me off work. Useless. This is the only NHS support available to people in Cambridgeshire dealing with baby and pregnancy loss - other medical professionals need to be aware patients will not be helped before they refer.

Becky Iles

We are very lucky to have this excellent service available for free. Yes there might be a waiting list, but it's so worth it. The self referral process is simple and easy to follow. I was doubtful of the outcome at first as I'd never had EMDR treatment before, but can now say with confidence it's a safe process and the therapists are there to make sure you're OK. For me it has been a positive experience. Thanks so much to therapist Gary Lee for helping me get through some severe childhood/life traumas, which at the start of this treatment I thought I would never recover from, and by finally having intense therapy with the right therapist, it's been totally rejuvenating and liberating. I'm sincerely grateful for your help.

Marcus

It took a long time and a lot of persistence and insisting to get put on the list for the specific therapy I needed, which is unfortunate, but that effort really paid off.

I had 14 sessions of RDI (a standalone intervention of EMDR) and it has transformed my life. It was very different to any therapy I have ever had before, at times it felt quite strange, but it has made such a huge difference. The therapist was experienced and knowledgeable, non-judgemental, listened and responded and we worked really well together.

The difference between my life pre-therapy and post-therapy is huge. This time last year, before therapy, I was sitting in my flat all day every day, scared of the outside, paralysed with anxiety, unable to go anywhere. Now, post-therapy, I'm able to go out once or twice a week, make many of my own phone calls, and able to go to a local support-group in person, which would have been impossible before. It hasn't been a perfect cure, that will take more time and work, but it has raised my quality of life hugely and I am so grateful to the therapist for the transformation that she has helped me make.

Cecilia Macedo

Everything I experienced during the therapy sessions was helpful to me. Especially Sebastiano's attitude, knowledge and skills really helped me, I felt that he understood my issues straight way, and this made me feel supported. He helped me to discovery my worth and accept my weaknesses.