Self referral
Self-referral is one of the quickest and easiest ways to access treatment from Sunderland Talking Therapies. Please have a look at the what happens next section for information on what happens during and after self-referral. To access the service you can:
Self refer online
Our online referral form is accessible 24/7, allowing you to submit your referral at a time that suits you.
Self refer by phone
You can also refer by phone using our self referral telephone service. Lines are open Monday to Friday between 9:00am – 4:45pm
We also accept referrals made to the service from GP’s and other professionals. Please see our Information for professionals page for more info.
What happens next?
Following referral a member of our admin team will contact you between 9:00am and 4:45pm, Monday to Friday, to arrange a telephone triage for you with one of our therapists at a time convenient for you
If you choose to call the referral telephone line, then a member of admin will gather some basic demographic information and will arrange a telephone triage for you with one of our therapists at a time that is convenient for you.
Sunderland Talking Therapies will follow the ‘matched care model’ which offers the most appropriate but least intrusive intervention or treatment first. This means that you may feel much better quite quickly with a simple and short treatment.
Initial phone call
If you have made an online referral, you will be contacted by a member of the admin team who will arrange a telephone triage for you with one of our therapists at a time that is convenient to you.
If you choose to call the referral telephone line, then a member of admin will gather some basic demographic information and will arrange a telephone triage for you with one of our therapists at a time that is convenient for you.
When an admin calls you, this will be from a private / withheld number. During the call, you will be asked if you would like to be sent a link to complete a short questionnaire about your symptoms prior to your call with the therapist. These questionnaires are sometimes referred to as ‘webforms’.
The webforms will be sent via a link to your emails approximately 48 hours ahead of your triage appointment. On occasions, these emails are misinterpreted as junk emails and may go direct to your junk / spam folder.
What will happen during the call with the therapist?
The telephone triage could take up to 45 minutes. This call will come from a private / withheld number. It is important that you are in a quiet and confidential space where you can talk freely.
The therapist will ask you questions about how you are currently feeling and use information captured within your webform. This will help work out if Sunderland Talking Therapies is the right service for you and if so, which treatment may be most helpful.
If you had declined to receive the webform or have been unable to complete it before your appointment, the clinician will complete the questionnaire with you during the call.
