Terapias de conversación del NHS - auto-referencia
Revisado por pares por Dr Toni Hazell, FRCGPÚltima actualización por Dr Philippa Vincent, MRCGPÚltima actualización 16 Dic 2024
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En esta serie:Autoreferencia Refiérete para atención prenatal del NHSRefiérete a los servicios de NHS para dejar de fumar Remítase a los servicios de salud sexual del NHSRemítase a los servicios de apoyo para drogas y alcohol del NHS
La auto-referencia puede usarse para acceder a terapias de conversación gratuitas del NHS sin necesidad de una cita con el médico de cabecera. Este folleto explica qué servicios se pueden acceder. Las diferentes áreas tendrán acceso a distintos servicios.
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Talking therapies help with stress, low mood, depression, and anxiety.
They offer support and treatment for common mental health difficulties.
Access to certain therapies may depend on your problem and location.
You can often self-refer to talking therapy services in England.
If you need urgent help, contact your GP, A&E, or the emergency services.
What are talking therapies?
Talking therapies can be very helpful for people experiencing:
Estrés.
Estado de ánimo bajo.
Depresión.
Ansiedad.
Around one in five people suffer from anxiety or depression every year, and talking therapies provide people with support and treatment to overcome these difficulties.
What are the 4 types of talking therapies?
Depending on your problem and where you live in the UK, you may be able to access:
Consultation and advice.
Courses, workshops and groups.
Guided self-help.
Individual counselling and psychological therapy.
What to expect with talking therapies
You can find out what to expect from talking therapy, how it works and how it might help you, from our leaflet called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
If you refer yourself for counselling, the next step will depend on where you live.
You will often have an assessment with a counsellor first.
This may be in person or over the phone.
The counsellor will find out more about you and can advise you on which form of help would suit you best.
If you think you are depressed, it may be helpful if you fill in a questionnaire before speaking to the counsellor. This questionnaire, called the PHQ9, will give your therapist a better idea of what your problems are and what help you need. If asked to do this, you would complete the questionnaire which you can find here and keep a copy for your appointment.
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You can find lots of information about:
from our leaflets.
You can also find advice on some ways of managing stress, la soledad and low mood, such as mindfulness.
The self-referral services on this page are not crisis services. If you need urgent help, you should contact your GP, attend the local A&E department or contact the Emergency Services by dialling 999. 111 also has a mental health service which may be able to help. Every area of the UK has a mental health crisis team which you can access by phone without needing a referral.
If you are having thoughts of self-harm, you can find out more about help which is available and how you can help deal with these thoughts from our information leaflet called Dealing with suicidal thoughts.
How do I self-refer?
You can refer yourself to your local talking therapy service using the links below if you know which city or Integrated Care Board (ICB) your GP practice is in.
If you are not sure which ICB your GP practice is in, you can find out by entering your practice's postcode in this tool.
Please be aware that self-referral is not available in every part of the UK. Please search the NHS website or contact your GP if you cannot find your area below, or if any of the links are not working.
Local NHS talking therapy services in England
Ashford Kent
Basildon and Brentwood Essex
Barking y Dagenham Essex
Barnet Londres
Barnsley Yorkshire
Bath Avon
Bexley Londres
Brent Londres
Bristol Avon
Bromley Londres
Calderdale West Yorkshire
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Camden and Islington Londres
Chorley and South Ribble Lancashire
Crawley, Sussex
Croydon Surrey/London
Dartford, Gravesham, Swanley, Kent
Ealing Londres
East Surrey o details of all local counselling service providers
Enfield Londres
Fylde and Wyre Lancashire
Guildford and Waverley ICB Surrey
Gloucestershire (or for services in South Gloucestershire see Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire)
Greater Preston Lancashire
Greenwich Londres
Hackney Londres
Hammersmith & Fulham Londres
Haringey Londres
Harrogate and Rural District Yorkshire
Harrow Londres
Havering Londres
Hillingdon Londres
Horsham, Sussex
Hounslow Londres
Kingston Londres
Kirklees (including Huddersfield) West Yorkshire
Lambeth Londres
Leeds Yorkshire
Leicester City Leicestershire
Lewisham Londres
Liverpool Merseyside
Medway Kent
Merton Londres
Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire
Morecambe Bay Lancashire
Newham Londres
Newcastle Tyne and Wear
Nottingham City Nottinghamshire
North East Hants and Farnham o details of all local counselling service providers
North West Surrey ICBs o details of all local counselling service providers
Redbridge Londres
Redditch and Bromsgrove Worcestershire
Richmond Surrey
Richmondshire Yorkshire
Scarborough and Ryedale Yorkshire
Sheffield Yorkshire
Somerset (or for services in North Somerset see Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire)
Southampton Hampshire
Southwark Londres
St Helens Merseyside
Surrey Downs o details of all local counselling service providers
Surrey Heath o details of all local counselling service providers
Sutton Surrey
Swale Kent
Telford y Wrekin Shropshire
Thurrock Essex
Tower Hamlets Londres
Vale of York Yorkshire
Waltham Forest Londres
Wandsworth Londres
Westminster Londres
Wirral Merseyside
Wolverhampton West Midlands
Wyre Forest Worcestershire
Mental health help in Scotland
Self-referral for talking therapy is not routinely available on the NHS in Scotland. However, there are options available for online self-help courses, support groups, befriending schemes and self help books.
El Scottish Association for Mental Health website has an email where you can enquire about local services, and details of several local services you can refer yourself to.
Espacio para Respirar is a free telephone helpline offering help and support to anyone suffering from mental health problems. It is open from 6 pm-2 am Monday-Thursday and 6 pm Friday-6 am on Monday.
Mental health help in Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, there is no IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) service. This means that there is no NHS self-referral option for talking therapies in Northern Ireland. All referral is through your GP.
OCD UK gives a useful summary of the pathway to follow for seeking help. Although this relates to help for OCD, the process is similar for patients with depression and anxiety, who would access counselling through self-referral in England.
Contact is a charity with an independent counselling service, based in Belfast. It aims to provide crisis counselling to anyone living in Northern Ireland.
The Counselling Directory also provides a list of private accredited counsellors and therapists.
Mental health help in Isle of Man
The Community Wellbeing Service in the Isle of Man offers a variety of treatment options for people with mental health problems.
Mental health help in Jersey
Jersey talking therapies offers free services to over 18s living in Jersey. However, it is not a self-referral service. You need to ask your GP or another mental healthcare professional to refer you.
While every effort is made to keep these details up to date, the company cannot be held responsible for links to NHS services. If you have any queries, please contact your GP surgery.
Selecciones del paciente para Autoreferencia

Tratamiento y medicación
Remítase a los servicios de apoyo para drogas y alcohol del NHS
La auto-referencia se puede utilizar para acceder a servicios gratuitos de apoyo para drogas y alcohol del NHS sin necesidad de una cita con su médico de cabecera. Este folleto explica a qué servicios puede acceder.
por la Dra. Toni Hazell, FRCGP

Tratamiento y medicación
Refiérete a los servicios de NHS para dejar de fumar
Self-referral can be used to access free NHS stop smoking services without needing an appointment with your GP. This leaflet explains which services you can access.
por la Dra. Toni Hazell, FRCGP
Preguntas frecuentes
Can I access talking therapies through self-referral if I live in Scotland?
Self-referral for talking therapy is not routinely available on the NHS in Scotland. However, you can find options for online self-help courses, support groups, befriending schemes, and self-help books. You can also contact the Scottish Association for Mental Health website for local service enquiries.
Can I self-refer for talking therapies in Northern Ireland?
No, there is no NHS self-referral option for talking therapies in Northern Ireland. All referrals are made through your GP. Although, Contact is a charity in Belfast offering an independent counselling service for crisis counselling.
Are there self-referral options for talking therapies in Jersey?
Jersey talking therapies offer free services for adults over 18, but it is not a self-referral service. You need to be referred by your GP or another mental healthcare professional.
What should I do if I can't find my area in the list of local NHS talking therapy services for England?
If your area is not listed, or if any links are not working, you should search the NHS website or contact your GP for information on how to access local services.
What types of support are available in Scotland if self-referral isn't common?
In Scotland, even if self-referral for talking therapy is not routinely available on the NHS, you can still access online self-help courses, support groups, befriending schemes, and self-help books. Additionally, there's a free telephone helpline called Breathing Space for mental health problems.
Lecturas adicionales y referencias
- What is CBT?; British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies
- Togetherall
Sobre el autorVer biografía completa

Dra. Philippa Vincent, MRCGP
Médico General, Autor Médico
MB BS, Bsc, MRCGP (2000), DCH, DFSRH, DRCOG
Dra Philippa Vincent es un médico de cabecera del NHS que trabaja en el norte de Londres.
Acerca del revisorVer biografía completa

Dr Toni Hazell, FRCGP
MBBS, BSc, FRCGP, DFSRH, Dip GU med, DRCOG, DCH (London, UK, 2000)
La Dra. Toni Hazell se graduó de la Escuela de Medicina del Hospital St. Mary y realizó su VTS en el Hospital Northwick Park.
Historial del artículo
La información en esta página está escrita y revisada por pares por clínicos calificados.
Artículo también disponible en Inglés, Alemán, Español, Francés, Italiano, Portugués, Hindi, Hebreo, Árabe, y Sueco.
Próxima revisión: 15 de diciembre de 2027
16 Dic 2024 | Última versión

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