Starting new conversations: Talking Therapies

Starting new conversations: Talking Therapies

As more conversations take place surrounding mental health, it’s vital that as qualified professionals, we start to encourage the people that we care for to talk honestly about their feelings. Social worker Mariam Raja shares her thoughts on why talking therapies are so important and provides her suggestions for how we can engage with people and encourage them to understand the benefits of talking.

Over the last decade, we have seen a positive shift when it comes to the subject of mental health.

Many influential public figures have come forward to openly discuss their own experiences or raise awareness on the matter. Most notably, this includes the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who collectively launched their ‘Heads Together’ campaign in 2016.

It has been pleasing to see the continuous development of support services as well as the routes to access these provisions. The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, which was created in 2008, now reaches over 900,000 people yearly. In 2007, we saw the launch of the ‘Time to Change’ initiative, a mental health campaign in England, with the objective of reducing mental health-related stigma and discrimination. Despite this substantial progress in accessing services and changing public attitudes, many barriers remain.

Statistics suggest that one in four people will experience poor mental health at some point in life.

This figure highlights the importance of social work practitioners being mindful of mental wellbeing in their everyday practice. It is also useful to remember that deteriorating physical health, disabilities, substance misuse, loss of independence and unexpected challenges in our service users’ everyday lives, could make them more susceptible to poor mental wellbeing. Therefore, it is vital for social workers to establish good relationships with service users’, in which they feel comfortable to discuss their mental welfare. The greater the social worker’s understanding is of their service user’s mental strength and anxieties, the more likely they can signpost to the most appropriate services.

Making the most of it.

Talking therapy provides space for service users to talk through their anxieties, establish what are their negative thoughts and behaviour patterns, and explore different methods to manage or overcome these. However, many still feel intimated with accessing talking therapy, so much so that they choose not to engage.

In my experience, the following tips can be useful for social workers to overcome these barriers and encourage service users to engage with and embrace talking therapies.

“I have never heard of it”

In this instance, try to explain to service users exactly what talking therapy is. Where possible try to avoid using social work jargon and explain it using simple, clear language. For the therapy to work we need to ensure that the service user understands the aims and objectives of talking therapy.

“Don’t tell me what to do”

This is a common misconception of talking therapy; the idea that someone is trying to 'fix' you. It is important to debunk this notion. As social workers, we need to remind service users that they are in control. The therapy will go at their pace and focus on what they want to talk about. I’ve found that it’s important to assure the service user that no one will make them talk or do anything they are not comfortable doing.

“But I can talk to my friends”

In my experience, this is often a rationale for why people reject the notion of talking therapies. That’s why we need to explain that talking therapy provides a non-biased and non-judgemental, physical and mental space for them to talk in. I believe the easiest way to get people to engage with the therapy is to highlight the fact the therapists are trained in constructive ways of dealing with thoughts and anxieties. It’s worth reiterating that everything they say will remain highly confidential.

“I’m talking to you, aren’t I?”

Service users may not understand why a referral to another professional is required when they are already talking to a social worker. It’s easy to understand why they make think this – after all, they are probably unaware of the difference between a social worker and a psychotherapist. Therefore, it’s important to help them understand the distinction between a social worker, who empowers individuals to find practical solutions to problematic situations, and a psychotherapist, who has the skills to address and overcome emotional and psychological issues.

I firmly believe that if we take the time to explain this difference to our service users, they’ll fully embrace the benefits of talking therapies.

‘How do I access it?’

Once your service user is ready to participate in talking therapies, it’s important to move as quickly as possible. We need to have a good understanding of how to access these services and explain the potential timescales to the person involved.

I think it’s also important to inform the service user of the referral process and explain that it will involve specific services undertaking their own assessments and identifying the best therapy for them. One of the biggest changes in recent times is that people can self-refer without needing to go through their GP or any other healthcare professional. Service users can engage in therapy through face-to-face individual sessions, over the telephone, online or even via group therapy sessions. This flexibility means that they can find the right style of therapy to suit their needs.

Why it’s so important to tackle talking therapies.

Social workers have a rare opportunity in people's lives. Therefore, when support needs for mental wellbeing are identified; social workers should feel confident to advise and encourage support services. It is only the power of effective communication between the social worker and service user, which can break the lack of understanding and taboos around talking therapy.

This is why I believe that it is time that we started to have new conversations about the real power of these talking therapies.