Hampshire patients with long-term health conditions can have new treatments for mental health impact

italk, a talking therapy service in Hampshire, is now offering a range of treatments for those with conditions, including diabetes, COPD, heart disease or chronic pain, to help with the impact it can have on mental health.

One of treatments is a free online course entitled Building Resilience, that teaches skills to reduce stress and feel more in control.

Shalini Raman, italk clinical psychologist said: ‘We know from research that our physical health and mental wellbeing are linked, so it is important to take into account the way that a physical health condition can affect someone’s mood, relationships and quality of life.

‘Our italk Health pathway allows us to work more closely with physical health teams to provide that support, and ensure people’s emotional wellbeing is prioritised alongside their physical wellbeing’

People will also be able to access italk’s Employment Advice service and advisors can talk through rights and responsibilities at work, support to negotiate changes to help you stay in your role, or sign post you to other careers advice and job-hunting resources.

Bella Pickering, Senior Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner at italk added: ‘I really enjoy facilitating Building Resilience, and our patients have found the online webinar format convenient.

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‘The way we have set up the sessions, no one can see or hear you as a participant, so you can eat, drink or even take a break and get up to stretch your legs if you need to without feeling self-conscious. If you have any questions or reflections you can also type in messages using the Q&A feature and one of the facilitators will be happy to help in any way they can.’

The sessions are run by trained facilitators from Solent Mind, working in partnership with Southern Health NHS Trust. Participants need to be over 16 and registered with a GP in Hampshire (excluding the cities of Portsmouth or Southampton) to attend.The next upcoming course starts on March 3 and the sessions run from 3pm until 4.30pm every Wednesday for six weeks.

To book a place visit italk.org.uk

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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