We provide psychological interventions for people who are having mental health difficulties.
These difficulties may be complex and longstanding. They may link to early developmental trauma.
We are an NHS specialist service for people registered with a North Tyneside GP.
We are not an urgent crisis service. Information for patients in crisis is available here.
We work with patients:
- Aged 18 or over
- Registered with a North Tyneside GP
Patients may be having difficulties with the following:
- Complex PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)
- Difficulties managing emotions and symptoms. These may lead to unhelpful coping strategies or behaviours
- Depression and multiple psychological difficulties
Our team includes:
- Clinical psychologists
- Counselling psychologists
- Psychotherapists
- Specialist psychological therapists
- Mental health practitioners
All our staff are highly trained. They are experienced in working with complex psychological difficulties. All staff are registered / accredited with the relevant professional body.
We offer courses and psychological interventions for people with complex mental health problems.
We offer support which can help you:
- Make sense of your current difficulties
- Understand how your past experiences may impact your present difficulties
- Develop coping strategies for managing difficult feelings and unhelpful behaviours
- Improve how you see yourself and how you manage relationships
- Improve how you cope and function in your life
The support we offer is time limited. We don’t offer long-term support.
We accept referrals from healthcare professionals. This includes:
- GPs
- Psychiatrists
- Health psychology service
- Community mental health teams
We only accept referrals for patients registered with a North Tyneside GP.
We do not accept self-referrals. You will need to contact your GP or another healthcare professional. You can ask them to work with you to submit a joint healthcare referral.
Please complete referral forms in full and return to:
Email: nt-communitypsychologyservice
Post: North Tyneside Specialist Community Psychology Service
Hadrian Health Centre
Elton Street East
Wallsend
NE28 8QU
Phone: 0191 295 2775
We will check if we are the right service to meet your needs.
We will then arrange a psychological assessment to find out about your difficulties. This will help us decide which interventions can meet your needs.
The first assessment will usually take place over the phone. It will take around an hour. The appointment can take place face to face if needed.
We will talk about your options and agree on the next steps for your care.
We will discuss waiting times with you. We will share this with the person who referred you.
Whatever we offer, it is important that you come to appointments regularly and consistently.
Working psychologically is a joint process. It is important that you commit to the full course of support for it to be most effective.
We have high demand for our service. This means we have procedures for patients not attending and for cancelling appointments. This means we can use our appointment slots to their full capacity. We will contract attendance and engagement with you in your first sessions.
We offer psychological interventions both face to face and remotely. This could be via our video platform or on the phone.
Face-to-face appointments take place at a range of venues across North Tyneside.
You can contact us via 0191 295 2775 on weekdays between 9am and 5pm.
Clinics take place between 9am and 5pm on weekdays. We have clinics until 7pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
North Tyneside Talking Therapies
Northumbria Healthcare's health psychology service
Self-help guides
We have self-help guides on different topics. This includes depression, anxiety and stress. You can find out more about the causes of mental health issues. They also include tools to work through feelings and emotions.
You can read the leaflets online or download them. There are easy read and audio versions. There are also British Sign Language videos of the content.
Video workshops
We have 2 video workshops developed and presented by therapists in our team. They cover skills to help manage emotions and manage distress. You can watch these yourselves. You can share them with anyone you’re close to so they can support you.
Password: hadrian
We are a primary care service.
We offer a range of psychological interventions for patients presenting with complex mental health difficulties that sit outside of the remit of Talking Therapies.
Our service provides support for:
- Complex PTSD, often linked to early experiences of developmental and relational trauma, such as abuse and neglect
- Emotional regulation difficulties, as well as struggles in understanding and managing emotions, challenges with interpersonal relationships and the view of self
- Longstanding, complex psychological difficulties that affect many areas of life, including relationships, family dynamics, work and self-image.
Key features of our service
Services are provided by one professional, a psychologist or specialist psychological therapist, rather than a multi-disciplinary approach.
We do not offer diagnosis, and we do not prescribe medication. Our approach to care is based on a psychological understanding of the patient’s difficulties, the focus is on providing individualised psychological care, tailored to meet the needs of the patient. Our psychological interventions are not long-term and patients need to be able to safely engage with sessions and tolerate psychological support. If they are experiencing significant psychological distress with suicidal risk, a referral to the CTT / crisis team may be more appropriate.
We have a dedicated duty team available daily to discuss any queries or potential referrals. Please contact us on 0191 295 2775 and ask to speak to the psychology duty worker.
When might a referral to specialist community psychology be appropriate?
Here are some signs that may indicate that specialist psychological support could be beneficial:
- History of early trauma or abuse:
Has the person experienced childhood trauma, neglect or abuse? Do these experiences affect their mental health, relationships and overall functioning?
- Challenges with emotional regulation:
Do they struggle to manage emotion in a way that feels safe, controlled and manageable? Do intense emotions often feel overwhelming or uncontained?
- Struggles with relationships:
Is difficulty connecting with others or forming safe relationships a central part of their experience? Do they experience difficulties trusting others?
- Risk of self- harm:
Has the person engaged in self-harming or experienced thoughts of suicide, often to cope with difficult feelings? If there is an immediate risk to their safety, please consider referral to the CTT or Crisis Team.
- Fears of abandonment or rejection:
Do they often experience feelings of being abandoned, rejected or ‘not good enough’? Do these feelings lead to unhelpful coping behaviour or a sense of emptiness?
- Experience of dissociation:
Do they describe periods where they feel disconnected from their body, feelings or surroundings?
- Confusion about emotional experience:
Do they find it difficult to understand their emotions, feel uncertain or confused about their feelings?
For more information, this flowchart details the differences between our service and Talking Therapies.