NHS Stockport Talking Therapies courses

The ‘improving your mood’ workshop is a six-week course that can help with mild to moderate depression. It is delivered by our psychological wellbeing practitioners.

The course is based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) which is found to be effective for depression. You will be taught techniques and ways of managing the common symptoms of depression.

During the six weeks we will cover:

• Session 1: Depression and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
• Session 2: The relationship between activity levels and low mood.
• Session 3: Scheduling a balance of activities
• Session 4: Overcoming barriers and problem solving
• Session 5: Healthy lifestyle and sleep hygiene
• Session 6: Feeling well and staying well

The ‘managing anxiety’ workshop is a six-week course that can help with mild to moderate anxiety. It is delivered by our psychological wellbeing practitioners.

The course is based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) which is found to be effective for anxiety. You will be taught techniques and ways of managing the common symptoms of anxiety.

During the six weeks we will cover:

• Session 1: Anxiety and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
• Session 2: Managing the physical impact of anxiety and sleep difficulties
• Session 3: Worry management
• Session 4: Problem solving
• Session 5: Progress review and lifestyle changes
• Session 6: Maintaining progress

This eight-week group uses cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness techniques, to help you improve your wellbeing if you are living with chronic pain and/or a long-term health condition.

The aim is to provide you with skills to help manage the impact your physical health is having on your mental health.

What is a long-term health condition?

A long-term condition is defined as a condition that cannot - at present - be cured, but can be managed by medication or other therapies.

This includes diabetes, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, asthma, HIV, chronic fatigue syndrome, heart disease, chronic pain including fibromyalgia, lupus, HIV, IBS, Crohn’s or colitis, cancer, tinnitus, Parkinson’s, arthritis, and more.

This group is skills based but is collaborative between the facilitator and group members. The weekly sessions will introduce the core skills below:

• Understanding the impact living with a long-term health condition has on our emotions.
• Physical symptoms of stress and the impact on our bodies
• Pacing and activity
• Values and goals
• Acceptance and self-compassion
• Managing unhelpful thoughts
• Relapse prevention

Throughout the course you will also be introduced to mindfulness skills and techniques which are proven to improve mental wellbeing.

We offer an eight-week course of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.

Mindfulness is about learning to pay calm and steady attention to our present moment experience, whatever that experience is.  In doing this we aim to be more alive to what we are experiencing and so able to savour the pleasant aspects of our experiences and be less ‘pushed around’ by the unpleasant ones.

Research has shown that mindfulness can reduce stress, anxiety, and distress if you experience chronic pain. It can also reduce relapse rates if you experience recurrent depression. Research also shows that it can increase wellbeing, happiness, immune function and can lead to physical changes in the brain that are associated with calmer, more attentive states.  Its roots are in very old meditation practices, though modern science has taken a great interest in mindfulness too.

What to expect
We will try out short meditation practices in the group and then discuss what these were like and how to use these ideas and methods in our everyday lives. 

Practices will involve sitting on a chair or standing and closely ‘observing’ things you are experiencing, such as breathing or body sensations. The exercises are gentle and not strenuous, you will not be asked to do anything you would find uncomfortable or that you are unwilling to do.