Therapy For You, the NHS Talking Therapies service catering to patients across North East and South East Essex, has recently unveiled an innovative mental health referral chatbot called Limbic on their website. Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), this cutting-edge tool aims to improve access to a wide range of talking therapies, providing easy and seamless online entry into therapy for those in need of support.
This move comes as part of the government’s commitment to enhancing access to psychological therapies, making mental health support more accessible to a broader population. Despite one in four people in the UK experiencing mental health concerns each year, only 1.81 million individuals were referred to NHS Talking Therapies in 2022. One significant barrier to seeking help has been the fear of judgment, something that Therapy For You sought to address.
Richard Black, NHS Talking Therapies Digital Services Manager at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT), explains, “To get started with this type of treatment in the past, patients had to ring into the service themselves. For those already finding it difficult to cope, this phone call could become a huge source of anxiety and an enormous barrier to treatment.”
To bridge this gap and improve accessibility, Therapy For You partnered with Limbic, integrating a clinically proven e-triage assistant that utilises AI to help users access a comprehensive range of mental health support online, even outside office hours.
Limbic engages visitors on the Therapy For You website immediately, guiding them to the required services, including ieso typed therapy and Omni Online CBT, or facilitating referrals for various talking therapies like 1-1 therapy, group therapy, phone therapy, and video calls. The AI assistant gathers crucial information on users’ demographic details, emotional wellbeing, mood, anxiety, and daily tasks, ensuring a tailored and personalised referral process.
The success of Limbic has been remarkable, with over 4,500 people making referrals using the chatbot during the initial nine months. An overwhelming 89% of users found the system helpful, and phone referrals into the service have decreased significantly by a third. The seamless integration with the booking system has also contributed to an 8% reduction in missed appointments, optimising the efficiency of the service.
Therapy For You continues to explore the full potential of Limbic in supporting patients throughout their therapeutic journey. Although Limbic is a powerful tool, the team acknowledges that it is not the right pathway for everyone, and phone referrals remain available for those who prefer a more personal approach.
This digital innovation exemplifies the importance of accessible and valuable resources in the therapeutic landscape, further advancing the mission of Therapy For You to break down barriers to mental health access and provide meaningful help to those in need.
About Therapy For You:
Therapy For You serves as the local NHS Talking Therapy service for Colchester, Tendring, Southend, Castle Point, and Rochford. The service is committed to making individuals feel better by offering various treatment pathways for anxiety, depression, stress, and more. This includes online CBT courses, 1-1 therapy, group therapy, phone therapy, video calls, and ieso online therapy. Working in partnership with Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT), Therapy For You has successfully provided proven treatments and innovative online therapy, helping 98.6% of its users seek meaningful help and 99.4% to better understand their difficulties.
The service extends its treatment to individuals aged 18 and above in South East Essex and individuals aged 16 and above in North East Essex who are not currently receiving secondary mental health care or crisis services. To learn more about their services, visit their website at www.therapyforyou.co.uk or call 01268 739 128 for South East Essex residents or 01206 334 001 for North East Essex residents.
