Rise in number of people seeking counselling in Derbyshire during coronavirus crisis

Based from eight venues across Derbyshire, Derwent Rural Counselling Service (DRCS) normally works face-to-face with individuals suffering from common mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, stress and long-term conditions.

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But with the restrictions based around face-to-face contact and social distancing due to Covid-19, the charity has had to move quickly to adopt other ways to change how it’s talking to people.

Janette Smeeton, chief executive at DRCS, which has 80 psychological therapists, said: “The Covid-19 response has been amazing.

“We have moved an entire organisation out of its various premises, based it in homes and faced the challenge of remote working with clients, all within a two-week window.

“Following Government advice we suspended our face-to-face service. We are continuing to provide a service across the whole of Derby City and Derbyshire and are offering all future appointments by telephone for the time being.

“The ICO, the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK’s independent authority established to uphold information rights in the public interest, issued a statement saying that they will take a more lenient view in the current climate. We are looking to establish our own video platform for clients to use as an alternative to telephone.

“And we are seeing a rise in the numbers of people we are talking to. To increase capacity within this time-frame has been astonishing. And we are still having new members of staff joining us in the midst of all this to add to our team.

“We realise this can be an extremely stressful time for anyone at the moment, even if you do not have an underlying mental health condition. Being stuck 24 hours at home with partners, families, or on your own can be very trying for anyone.

“With regards to new referrals from GPs, we have increased the number of appointments that we have available.”

DRCS is not operating a reduced service at this time.

Janette added: “Apart from removing our face-to-face service, we are aiming to deliver all appointments at allocated times as usual. We have increased the number of appointments that DRCS has available with our highly trained and accredited therapists.

“And we are still able to offer a variety of appointment times. Monday to Friday appointments will be available from 8am until early evening. Saturday mornings will also be available.”

Janette said that telephone therapy should be treated just like attending an appointment at the DRCS office.

She added: “The best approach to prepare for telephone therapy is find a place where you can be comfortable and uninterrupted. You may wish to have a hot or cold drink alongside you.

“If this is your first appointment or assessment, the therapist will explain how your confidentiality will be maintained.

“Prior to the call, you will receive documents via email or post that you will work through with the therapist. It would be helpful if you could have these available during the call.

“In ongoing sessions, the therapist focuses on building an empathic alliance just as they would if you were working in a face to face session. It may feel a little strange at first, but many people find that this is easy to adapt to.”

Janette also advises that there are benefits of telephone sessions. Research has shown that those who opt for telephone-based therapy have been shown to make equivocal gains to those who have face-to-face sessions.

She said: “Patients who opt for telephone sessions report that the therapeutic alliance is just as strong as those who have face-to-face sessions, and in addition, evidence also exists which shows that counselling is also effective by telephone and sometimes actually preferred to face-to-face.

“The main benefit is that you can still receive access to the help you may require while face-to-face sessions are unavailable due to our centres being currently closed. Many clients appreciate the additional flexibility that telephone sessions can offer. Therapy can still go ahead even if you need to self-isolate or if you have to work from home.”

Janette added: “These are unprecedented times. I think this will change the way that many organisations operate in the future and we may see that therapy sessions in the future are made up of a mixture of face-to-face, telephone and video sessions.

“At the moment, we apologise for any inconvenience caused by the temporary closure of our centres, however we aim to continue to provide our usual high-quality and friendly service.”

DRCS trustee Colin Davies said: “I have been greatly impressed by the work of the charity and the attitude and willingness of staff and wider members of the team. At this challenging time, I would like to convey our thanks to all DRCS team members who have gone the extra mile over the last few weeks and continue to extend themselves on behalf of the people we serve.

“These are unprecedented times and the way everyone has handled the pace and nature of change has been noted by members of the board. A huge thanks to you all for continuing to put our clients at the forefront of our service despite the individual pressures we all face at this time.”

For further information about DRCS, email [email protected] or call 0800 047 6861 and leave a message.

DRCS is not a crisis service so if you need help immediately or you feel at risk of harming yourself, here are some 24/7 organisations you can contact for free:

• Call 999

• Call Samaritans on 116 123 or email [email protected]

• Text SHOUT to 85258 for 24/7 support via text

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