TALKWORKS - Exeter - Exeter

Joli Bee

Absolutely a disgrace to healthcare! All I did was fill out useless forms that I could easily find online with a simple Google search! They never ONCE talked about my issues or gave me any advice. Was just forms and that was it! How is that supposed to help me

Jo

After having to share loads of personal details in a phonecall pre-assessment, this service told me my mental health was too severe to participate in their service. Despite me saying the help I wanted was more everyday related rather than help with specific mental illness symptoms. This service wants "quick wins" from people to tick boxes and get funding and look good, and won't help anyone with a history of serious mental illness, even if it's historic. Now they have loads of personal data about me for nothing!

-

This was years ago but my experience and others I have spoken to all say the same thing:
Talkworks Exeter makes you fill in a form quickly by inexperienced staff, then they usher you out. They give you a diary to fill out and some written CBT advice. Next session they make you fill in another form but they don't even let you speak about your issues. On their Youtube page they say: "When you come and see our therapists the first thing they're going to do is they're going to listen to you they're going to listen to your concerns they're going to listen to your difficulties and what they will do is they will use their skills and their knowledge and experience to help you make sense of what's going on". That is categorically UNTRUE! I suspect Talkworks has become a funding sponge that ticks boxes to receive more funding. The environment at Talkworks Exeter was also extremely depressing. Their excuse was funding.

E M

(This was 2 years ago) After getting no help directly from the NHS I was advised by GP to try TalkWorks.
Had three telephone calls… each one a month apart, with someone who asked me the same set of questions each time as way of assessment to see if I was ‘suitable to use their service’
It took a lot for me to talk about my mental health mostly related to childhood trauma.
Finally after 6 or so months a nurse called me, again went thru the same triggering questions.
After which in same conversion I’m told I have the wrong type of trauma for them to help me!
However as part of my trauma is anxiety and difficultly leaving the house, the nurse unhelpfully suggested various groups who meet at coffee shops and cafes to discuss their problems.
Why would I want to sit in a public coffee shop discussing my trauma?!?
Does the mental health nurse not understand what bad anxiety is?
My experience was two years ago, but reading other reviews seems their service hasn't improved much at all.

EDIT - Dear Talkworks thanks for your response - It was a mental health nurse from north devon who called me and said I didn't have the right type of trauma for them to help me with.
They told me they were from Talkworks.

M O C H I I I

Told them that I was suicidal and that as an autistic person I couldn't deal with crowds I dealt with the loss of my friends and family and other things

Their answer was to "drink tea" and "go into crowds" which I stated I can't do crowds after which point I was told to go get private therapy and my case was closed

This is not a good service if you're in need of serious urgent mental help maybe if you've had a bad day.

Dan Slinky

Allocated a junior trainee, with no supervision. Two short sessions, same questions on both occasions and Ignored everything sent to them prior to the meetings, which answered their questions. More focussed on filling in their paperwork than offering support. Discharged without help.

Tom P

Did a referral and was told can't deal with me as I have BPD which isn't stated in the section were it says "TALKWORKS cannot help" so a bit of a joke and poor service and I feel that if that is the case you're refusing mostly everyone that suffers from these illnesses so what's the point in even having the service? It's NOT helpful and I would ask your GP to recommend another organisation.

Steve Kidd

I spoke to Talkworks to help me deal with some issues that I was facing in my life. The counsellor was very friendly, organised, understanding & professional. We worked through a program and I learned some valuable life skills which will really help me going forward. I have never had any sort of counselling prior to this & would highly recommend them