Watch: Therapy patients urge others to ask for help
Five inspiring NHS Talking Therapies patients have shared their recovery journeys in a series of short films to encourage others to get early help for their mental health.
The films include interviews with psychological therapists on how therapy improves people’s lives and what can stop some from culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds or older generations from asking for help.
“You may be wondering if therapy is really for you.” says Rani Griffiths, a High Intensity Therapist and Cultural and Ethnic Diversity Lead with NHS Talking Therapies Berkshire.
“We’ve got a range of staff from different backgrounds and we come from a non judgemental place. Everyone can experience mental health difficulties. It can affect anyone no matter who you are or what your background is.”
She adds: “I get to see this incredible journey through therapy, and it can be difficult and painful at times. People develop in a way that helps them connect. I see people build in confidence and take on new challenges that they didn’t think possible. I see people’s world expanding.”
Diana, who has received Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), says: “Therapy has made me see life in a different way. I never really knew if I could talk to someone it would change the way I thought life was - because I felt like I was alone in this world. But when I shared with my therapist it really made the burden to be less and less heavy on me.”
“Seek help sooner rather than later.” Says Peter: “I waited 40 years to get treatment for my phobias. Would you do that normally? I had a bad knee for two years. I’ve had it sorted.”
Diana – “In my culture mental health is perceived as possessed or bewitched”
Peter – “I waited 40 years before asking for support”
Marrium – “I had this big fear of being judged”
Navdeep – “Mental health can be quite taboo in some cultures”
Amedeo – “Get help. It’s not embarrassing”
IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapy) services across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire have teamed up to produce the videos for three county-wide NHS therapy services: Healthy Minds Buckinghamshire, Talking Space Plus (Oxfordshire) and NHS Talking Therapies Berkshire.
The films have been released in Mental Health Awareness Week (9-15 May 2022) in partnership with Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.
Find out more
NHS Talking therapies Berkshire is open to anyone over the age of 17 who is registered with a GP in Berkshire.
Visit our Getting Started page to sign-up online for Talking Therapies (opens in new browser tab) or call us on 0300 365 2000 to book a wellbeing assessment
Mental Health Awareness Week takes place every May to raise awareness of mental health issues and the stigma often associated with these conditions. The theme for this year is Loneliness #IveBeenThere.
Visit the Mental Health Foundation website to find out more about the Week (opens in new browser tab)