Initial treatment sessions

If your plan includes further treatment within our adult community services, or community mental health teams (CMHT), you will be referred by your assessor to your local team for initial treatment sessions.  Our community mental health teams focus on your early contact with our mental health services to give you the best chance of getting better and supporting your recovery.  

What happens next?

Someone from your local CMHT will arrange to meet with you.  You’ll work together with this person on a care plan that will help you manage the difficulties you might currently be experiencing. 

What will these initial sessions involve?

We initially offer up to four treatment sessions, which will:

• Help you understand the mental health difficulties you might be experiencing and explain what treatments are available
• Work together with you (and your carer, if you have one) to plan your care around these treatments. We’ll give you a copy of this care plan
• Think about whether you need any medication
• Work with you to understand whether there are particular risks for you and how you can manage these in your day-to-day life
• Help you to recognise any early signs of a relapse and plan ahead in case this happens
• Consider whether there’s anything a Social Worker can help you with (e.g. accommodation support, benefits, childcare support)
• Find out whether you have a carer and whether they require any support
• There may be some things that are affecting your wellbeing, such as debt or housing problems, which the CMHT aren’t able to resolve. In these cases, we’ll put you in contact with other organisations who can work with you to overcome these difficulties.