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From October 2024 to the end of March 2026 we delivered flexible, community-based therapeutic support to Sandwell adults experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma and bereavement - helping people get the right support at the right time, in a way that worked for them. Sessions were delivered face-to-face in community settings, by phone, and online/video (with home visits where required), reducing barriers linked to anxiety, disability, transport, caring responsibilities and language.
Key achievements
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- High demand and strong take-up: TT+ received 1,058 referrals and supported 824 people to enter treatment.
- Joined-up access through the SPA: a consistent triage process helped people reach the right support first time, and supported onward referrals/signposting where appropriate.
- Timely therapeutic support: the average wait from referral to first session was 38 calendar days.
- Therapy delivered in ways people could actually use: phone, online/video and community-based face-to-face sessions (including home visits where needed) enabled engagement for people who would otherwise struggle to attend appointments.
- Reaching people excluded from statutory routes: TT+ proactively engaged excluded communities including people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, migrants and Eastern European communities, and people requiring interpreter/language support - groups known to be under-represented in NHS Talking Therapies.
- Improved mental health for people completing support: where paired outcome scores were recorded, participants showed significant meaningful improvement in anxiety (GAD-7) and depression (PHQ-9), with many moving out of severe clinical ranges by discharge.
- People told us it made a difference: 98.5% felt listened to and understood; 98.5% were satisfied with the service; and 97.4% said it made a positive difference to them.
TT+ shows what is possible when therapeutic support is designed around accessibility and real-life barriers. For many residents, it provided a route into support that reduced isolation, improved wellbeing, and helped people regain stability and coping strategies. We’re grateful to all delivery partners and referrers, and to our funder Black Country Healthcare NHS Trust for making this possible.
Talking Therapies Plus was delivered by our partners, Kaleidoscope Plus Group, Life in Community, European's Welfare Association, Sandwell African and Caribbean Mental Health Foundation, Cruse and Breakthru CIC
This project was funded by:
Related Case Studies
Finally Being Heard
I had spent years trying to get the right help and was often told I needed to go elsewhere first. By the time I reached this service, I was feeling suicidal, overwhelmed and close to breaking down, but I knew I needed face-to-face support and the chance to really talk.
Finding Relief from Stress and Anxiety
I had been struggling with stress and anxiety for years, but in recent months it had started to have a massive impact on me.
Becoming a better me
I had built up a lot in my mind that I needed to talk about. I wanted to understand who I was, who I wanted to be, and how I could become a better version of myself.
Supporting me to support my family
A close family member was receiving support for their mental health, and we were struggling at home. I was feeling depressed, lonely, overwhelmed and lost, and I knew I needed support too.
Finding Peace with the Past
I had lost my mom and was carrying a lot of grief, anger and past trauma at the same time. There had been difficult things in my family that were never really talked about, and my mom’s death brought so much of that back to the surface.
Letting go of guilt
I needed to understand more about what had been going on with me and get better tools for dealing with my anxiety. I was carrying both past trauma and current pressures, and I needed a space where I could speak honestly about both.
When Old Grief Resurfaced
I was re-experiencing grief from a loss many years ago and it was affecting me deeply. I was anxious, very low, and wanted to move forward and talk more openly about how I felt.
Finding Myself Again
I had split up with my husband, fallen out with family members, and felt like I was losing myself. I was overthinking constantly, very emotional, and struggling to cope.
From panic to peace
I was experiencing extreme panic attacks, especially at night, and my anxiety was getting too much for me. I felt anxious all the time and had no real sense of peace, even in my sleep.
A work in progress
I was suffering so badly with anxiety that I could barely leave the house. My head felt chaotic, noisy and exhausting, and I could feel myself slipping back towards a very dark place.
Learning to Live with Loss
I was grieving the loss of five people all at once. It felt like a dagger and I knew it wasn’t right. I was crying a lot and felt really depressed. I was experiencing a lot of sadness and would weep a lot.
Parenting through grief
I was struggling because someone very important in my child’s life had died, and I had so much grief and unfinished emotion tied up in that loss.
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