The Porch provides a counselling service which can be accessed via referral from you GP.  Individuals, couples or family groups are seen as appropriate.

Many people seek help because they feel distressed and bewildered by life’s events.  Reasons such as bereavement, relationship difficulties, changes at work, coping with sickness or retirement are common.  However, there are many more. 

If you feel that you do not wish to attend an appointment, you may be interested in the following:

Beating the Blues in Kennet and North Wilts
Computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

15 minute introduction followed by 8 consecutive 50 minute long sessions (taken at a time convenient to you)

If you are stressed, feeling down or unable to cope, Beating the Blues may help you to feel better. Depression and anxiety are extremely common and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has been used successfully to treat them for many years.

Beating the Blues is an easy to use self help computer programme using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. You don’t need to have used a computer before in order to use it and if you work through the programme and carry out weekly projects between sessions then the results are extremely effective.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on the here and now, on what is happening in your life, rather than what has happened in the past. It creates a link between how you think, how you behave and how you feel and targets unrealistic or unhelpful thinking patterns to help you think in a more helpful way.

In the first session we will show a 15 minute introductory video that will explain the Beating the Blues programme, what it does and how it is helpful. If after watching the video, you feel that you would like to book in for another session then you can do so at the time.

The information you enter into the computer, and that is printed is confidential. This will not be accessed by anyone else; it will not be passed to your GP or followed up in any way.

Beating the Blues is available to everyone registered at a GP surgery in Kennet and North Wiltshire.  The programme is available in a range of centres throughout the region.  Please see below or our website for the locations and availability of Beating the Blues, www.awp.nhs.uk/swindonpsychology. 

Beating the Blues will run at the following venues from the 11th August (unless otherwise stated) during the times indicated:

To arrange a time to use Beating the Blues please telephone or visit the appropriate venue.

If you are unable to make the time you have arranged please let the venue know, places may be in demand and this frees us to offer your slot to someone else who may find it helpful.