NHS Adult Talking Therapies

Oakdale has been a trusted provider of NHS commissioned services for over twenty years.

Oakdale is an experienced provider of IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) services, and other adult psychological therapy services, commissioned by the NHS. These services are delivered through ‘Oakdale Therapies’; an Oakdale subsidiary and specialist IAPT provider led by directors with more than twenty years combined experience delivering IAPT in various regions around the U.K. 

About IAPT

The national NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme aims to increase the provision of evidence based treatments for common mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. The IAPT programme began in 2007, and Oakdale’s leadership team have been involved with IAPT since its inception, with experience of delivering IAPT services in dozens of regions around the country. 

IAPT services provide NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) recommended therapies on behalf of the NHS and according to a ‘stepped care’ model: – where short term low or high intensity therapy is provided to relatively large numbers of people with mild to moderate mental health issues according to need. 

Assessments

Before we talk, we listen.

In the first instance, we usually offer a telephone assessment to help us understand your needs. We’re committed to taking whatever time may be needed to really appreciate your circumstances. We believe that by listening carefully and gaining an in-depth understanding of the difficulties you’re facing, we can provide you with an excellent service and identify which therapy is likely to be most appropriate for you as an individual.

Afterwards, one of the therapy types described below may be offered. Courses of therapy typically last between five and twelve weeks depending on your needs and objectives for therapy, and these will be discussed during your assessment, as part of an agreed treatment plan.

• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): A talking therapy which explores how your thoughts and beliefs influence your feelings and behaviour, and introduces coping skills for dealing with issues. A course of CBT aims to help identify unhelpful patterns in thoughts and behaviour, and to find ways of changing them. 
• Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR is an information processing therapy which is often helpful if you are struggling with unresolved trauma.
• Counselling (including Couples Counselling and Counselling for Depression): Oakdale’s counsellors offer a safe and non-judgemental opportunity to discuss your issues, support you in making sense of things, resolve difficult feelings, get a better understanding of what might be happening to you and develop strategies for making improvements.
• Guided Self Help: Guided Self Help takes the form of a short series of focussed sessions using the principles of CBT to help you to better understand your difficulties, and make  changes to address any unhelpful thoughts or behaviours behind them.   
• Interpersonal Therapy: This is a talking therapy that focuses particularly on relationship issues, and is often helpful if you are struggling with issues associated with how you relate to others in your life.
• Group Work: Groups are facilitated by Oakdale therapists and allow participants to benefit from the opportunity to hear from, and engage with, others who are experiencing similar issues to themselves. 
• Telephone and Online Sessions: Most of the therapies we offer can be provided over the telephone or via an online video link, as well as face to face. Many service users find it more convenient to access therapy sessions over the telephone or online, and particularly so since the social distancing restrictions associated with Covid have become a consideration.

Oakdale is able to offer a flexible range of appointments and appointment times, including sessions in the evenings or at the weekend. 

Our team will discuss your preferences with you, including the options for telephone and online sessions, once we have received your referral. 

NHS Partnerships

Oakdale Therapies is currently collaborating with NHS partners to deliver IAPT services in St Helens   

For Prospective Commissioners

Oakdale has been a trusted provider of NHS services for over twenty years. Our longevity has been predicated on a simple philosophy:   we believe that a determination to do the best job we can for the people we serve will lead to success for our commissioners, our team, and of course, our clients.

For this reason we have maintained a relentless focus on consistently achieving high quality clinical service provision in the communities where we operate, for the people who live there, and for the commissioners who have entrusted Oakdale to provide therapy on their behalf.  

Some of the benefits to CCGs and NHS Trusts of choosing to partner with Oakdale to deliver IAPT services include;

• Gaining a collaborator in the service design and leadership team; helping ensure that the provider partnership has within it a strong, working understanding of the factors that drive ‘on target’ performance, and the necessary management ability to manage these factors to deliver that performance. 
• As a specialist waiting list service provider – It is often particularly useful to Trusts seeking to address waiting list issues to have an experienced and safe pair of hands to help your delivery team turnaround services in circumstances where they may be experiencing difficulties.
• Having a non NHS partner can allow Trusts fresh space to innovate, implementing new delivery models, or digital service enhancements.
• Oakdale’s leadership team brings an extensive network of contacts in the IAPT world; being uniquely well placed to help partner Trusts win and retain commissions, and to attract the vital and much sought after trained therapists who are needed if a locality is to thrive.   
• Oakdale has a particular specialism in providing the ‘Integrated IAPT’ programme, or IAPT for people with co-morbid long term health conditions, and adding capacity to help services amplify their own resourcing to reach the rising access targets associated with this programme.