IAPT stands for improving access to psychological therapies. We offer talking therapies for people over 18 who have a GP in the London Borough of Hounslow.
We help you with common problems like stress, anxiety and depression. It could be that you’re feeling low, having trouble sleeping, or feeling frightened. These are all things that we can help with.
Hounslow IAPT offers Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) but also works in partnership with a counselling service.
Cognitive behavioural therapy is an evidence-based therapy. This means there's proof it is likely to make you feel better. The sessions are structured and the course is brief, usually about 8 weeks to 12 weeks.
Treatment options
You can access therapy in different ways. It can be face-to-face, in groups, over the phone, using video chat on your mobile, tablet or
computer. We also offer online therapy.
How to access the service
You can ask for a referral from your GP or any other health or social care professional. They will fill in a form explaining how you are feeling.
You can also refer yourself to us online
How to refer yourself
You can refer yourself to our service by filling in a simple online form.
If your health or social care professional suggested you self-refer, please go-ahead and fill in the form.
You should be:
- Over 18
- Registered with a GP in the borough of Hounslow, or
- Referring specifically for the perinatal workshop.
Not in Hounslow?
Find your nearest IAPT service if you are not in Hounslow
Refer yourself online
Problems we treat
If you’re not sure whether we are the right service for you, we typically help with emotional difficulties like:
- Low mood/depression
- Anxiety
- Worry
- Stress
- Panic attacks
- Low self-esteem
- Specific fears (phobias).
What happens after referral
Your referral will be screened by a therapist within 7 to 14 days of receipt. Please note, in some instances this may take longer.
We will contact you by phone or letter to either advise of the outcome of your referral to discuss next steps, and if our service is the right one for you, to book your first appointment.
We will find out more about the difficulties you’ve been having and check we are the right service for you.
The phone call will take about 60 to 90 minutes.
Wait times for treatment can vary, and it can sometimes take wait 3 to 4 months to start treatment.
Treatment plan
If we are the best service, we will talk you through the different options and agree a plan. We will explain how long it will last and what you will need to do.
We will put this in writing so you can see what we have agreed.
You can expect to wait between 2 to 5 months to start treatment, depending on the type of treatment you need and your availability.
Signposting
After talking to you, the therapist might decide that none of our treatments are right for you. They will let you know what to do next.
When not to self-refer
Don’t self-refer if:
- You are already being treated for a mental health problem somewhere else by a different service, doctor or nurse team
- You have a diagnosis of psychosis, schizophrenia, or a personality disorder
- You misuse drugs or alcohol
- You are currently in crisis and require urgent support.
Speak to someone in your healthcare team – your GP or health care professional – about how you are feeling.
If you are in crisis get urgent help
Making a referral
You will need to complete this referral form.
Ask for advice
We are happy to offer guidance on who would benefit from an IAPT service. If you are unsure, please get in touch via email to: nhsnwlccg.hounslowiapt@nhs.net before making a referral.
About IAPT
IAPT is an improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT) service.
Each borough has an IAPT service.
The service is for adults (and older adults) over 18 years of age, registered with a GP in the borough (or an equivalent GP service in the case of Hammersmith and Fulham) who have anxiety or depression, and who are likely to benefit from brief psychological therapy.
This is not a crisis service, if your patient has an acute need or is in crisis, they should be referred through our SPA service .
What IAPT offers
Individual and group psychological therapies in accordance with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for common mental health problems.
All referrals to service are screened to confirm this is the most appropriate service at this time. If screened as appropriate, the client is offered an assessment with one of our staff, either on the phone or face-to-face.
We offer signposting to other services where these are appropriate to the needs of the client.
Who IAPT can see
We can help service users with mild to moderate mental health issues. These include:
- Depression
- Panic disorder
- Generalised anxiety disorder
- Health anxiety and medically unexplained symptoms
- Social phobia/anxiety
- Specific phobia
- Single incident post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Insomnia
- Low self-esteem.
Service users need to be:
- Motivated to attend and engage in regular psychological therapy
- A low level of risk to themselves and others.
Who IAPT can’t see
Service users with the following mental health conditions are unlikely to benefit from the brief, structured help we provide.
We cannot see people where there is:
- Active risk of harm to self, current suicidal intent or recent suicide attempt or if still in crisis
- Active risk of harm to others or recent history of violence
- Ongoing, active, or relapsing symptoms of social emotional health needs, psychosis, manic or hypomanic episodes
- A diagnosed personality disorder or personality traits that would make engagement in a brief psychological intervention likely to be ineffective, unhelpful and contravene NICE guidance
- Complex needs requiring multi-disciplinary input or longer-term psychological input. Examples include severe OCD, chronic agoraphobia, complex PTSD, such as following repeated/ongoing trauma or victims of significant torture.
- Drug and alcohol misuse as a primary problem
,or level of misuse likely to prevent engagement in regular psychological therapy - Significant psychosocial or physical health factors which prevent engagement in regular psychological therapy or require input from a multi-disciplinary team. For example, where there are ongoing physical health investigations or legal cases
- Where ongoing home visits are required.
Your feedback is very important to us.
We want to know what you think about our service. We hope it was good and helped you feel better. But maybe you think we need to improve something. Please let us know: it will help us improve the service we provide.
Support in different languages
We can offer guided self-help and one-to-one therapy in a range of languages.
We currently have therapists who are able to offer assessments and therapy in:
- English
- Punjabi.
We do not currently deliver any workshops or groups in languages other than English.
Interpreters
If we cannot provide a therapist who speaks your language, we will organise for an interpreter to be present for therapy sessions.
Self-help resources
Self-help leaflets and websites can help you learn more about your difficulties. In turn, this can help you look after yourself and feel more in control of your feelings.
We can recommend these resources. They are up to date, accurate and offer helpful, safe information.
For a range of self-help leaflets you can download in accessible formats, listen to, or watch with British Sign Language (BSL)
You can download a range of worksheets on common conditions from the Centre for Clinical Investigations
Local support
Phoenix Counselling and Psychotherapy Service
This service in Feltham provides low cost individual and group psychotherapy and counselling.
Asian Family Counselling Service
Culturally sensitive counselling for individuals, couples and families from an Asian background. Based in Southall, they provide counselling in Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi and English.
Hounslow Youth Counselling Service
A free confidential service, based in Isleworth, for all young people aged 11 to 25 living, working or studying in the London Borough of Hounslow.
Women and Girls Network
Free counselling and telephone helpline support for women over the age of 16 who have experienced gendered violence.
Mental health and wellbeing websites
Mindout (for LGBTQ+ communities)
Lifesigns (support for self-harm)
Turn2us (benefits advice)