Phone: 0300 303 2708
Email: [email protected]
Address: Unit 5, Stella Nova, Washington Parade, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 4TQ
Opening hours:

  • Monday - Thursday, 8am - 8pm (excluding bank holidays)
  • Friday, 8am-5pm

Self refer online

Please note, you must be registered with a Sefton GP to make a referral.


Welcome to NHS Sefton Talking Therapies, which is part of the national NHS Talking Therapies, for anxiety and depression programme.

What we do:

One in four people will experience a mental health difficulty at some point in their life. NHS Talking Therapies, for anxiety and depression was introduced as a way in which people could access Talking Therapies as close to their home or place of work as possible.

NHS Sefton Talking Therapies is a free, confidential service designed to help anyone aged over 16 in the South Sefton, Southport, and Formby areas to deal with common mental health difficulties. These may include depression, anxiety, panic, phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or post-traumatic stress disorder.

We are able to deliver support in a number of flexible ways, including by telephone, digitally, video, and face to face.

The service is staffed by a team of highly skilled mental health professionals, offering services including:

Read about the different interventions we offer
Read more

NHS Talking Therapies services seek to use the least intrusive method of care possible to treat people. This is called 'stepped care'. The clinician delivering your treatment will explain to you what choices are available and why they are considered suitable for you. Our service is non-judgemental, and we'll offer you as many treatment options as possible to help you decide what works best for you.

New online group workshops: If you are experiencing symptoms of low mood that are affecting your daily living, then our workshop may be of benefit to you. The workshop will run for 4 weeks and is completely free to attend. If this is something you may be interested in, please follow the referral process. Following referral, you will be offered a telephone assessment to ensure that the group workshop is the right support option for you.

Psychological Treatment Workshops: these sessions are interactive between you and one of our therapists. They are designed to present information about mental health difficulties and some of the things you can do to manage your problems effectively.

Guided Self Help: these sessions are designed to help you access good quality information about the problems you are experiencing. You will have regular appointments with one of our therapists who will help you to design your own treatment package.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT): this is a time-limited talking therapy focused on how you feel right now. It can help you to understand how your thoughts feelings and actions may be linked to your problems and can help to identify the changes which could be made to improve your mood.

Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Silvercloud): Silvercloud is an online course to help you manage anxiety and depression. You work through a series of topics and techniques selected by a therapist to address your specific needs. You will have weekly online reviews with your allocated practitioner. However, the course is designed to be completed in your own time and at your own pace. You will also have access to this programme for up to 12 months once you have completed the course.

EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing is another talking therapy that's been developed to help people who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). People who have PTSD may experience intrusive thoughts, memories, nightmares or flashbacks of traumatic events in their past. EMDR helps the brain reprocess memories of the traumatic event so you can let go of them.

Counselling for Depression: this therapy has been specially developed to help people understand the underlying causes of their depression. Counselling for depression is usually offered to people who have mild to moderate depression and have already tried other therapies, such as guided self-help.

Couples Therapy for Depression: this is a couple's therapy that is designed to treat depression in couples where there is also relationship distress.

Signposting. We have developed strong links with a range of organisations that provide services we do not offer, such as help with anger and bereavement counselling.

NHS Sefton Talking Therapies is also a Single Point of Access for other mental health services and agencies in Sefton.

Who is this service for?

If you are aged 16 & over, are registered with a GP in South Sefton, Southport, or Formby and are experiencing a mental health difficulty that is affecting your daily living, employment, or health NHS Sefton Talking Therapies may be of benefit to you.

How do I access the service?

You can self-refer to the service online, by calling 0300 303 2708, or via the email address above. Please note, you must be registered with a Sefton GP to make a referral. Once we have received your referral, we will contact you to arrange your first assessment.

You will be asked some standard questions which will enable us to monitor your progress and continuously improve the services we offer. Once you have made a referral, you'll be offered the next available telephone assessment appointment. You will be assessed over the phone by one of our CBT Therapists or Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners and the appointment is likely to last up to 45 minutes. This will help us understand the problems you have been experiencing and your goals for recovery.

MHM are committed to ensuring that any personal data we receive or collect is used fairly and lawfully, safeguarded, and processed in accordance with applicable data protection law. You can click here to read about our Data Protection Policy and access a full copy of our Client Privacy Notice.