Make a self referral
South Tyneside Lifecycle Service offer therapies to people who are experiencing mild to moderate anxiety and/or depression, and are registered with a South Tyneside GP. To find out if your GP is registered in South Tyneside, please use the link below.
(If you live outside of South Tyneside and would like to receive Talking Therapy support, please visit your own GP or seek further information via the NHS Choices website.)
To ensure that you receive the right kind of support, please check our criteria on the We Can Help With page before you make a self referral.
Unfortunately, South Tyneside Talking Therapies is NOT able to offer help in a crisis situation – please visit our Need Urgent Help page, if you are in crisis.
Ways to access the South Tyneside Lifecycle Service
There are a number of ways to get in touch with the service.
If you are aged 18 or over (if you are 16-17 years old please see options below), you could download our Self Assessment form and return this to the South Tyneside Lifecycle Service by email* or post.
SELF-ASSESSMENT IS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE AGED 16 AND OVER
(if you are younger than 16 then please ring us on 0191 283 2937 to self-refer)
* Please note that using public email services is not secure and South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust cannot accept responsibility for any email correspondence until it reaches us. We will send you an automated acknowledgement to confirm receipt of your email. If you are in any doubt about sending your assessment by email, then you should post this to us at the address below. Please take care to check you are using the correct email address when sending your application and only respond to email correspondence you trust.
Postal address: South Tyneside Lifecycle Primary Care Mental Health Service, Cleadon Primary Care Centre, Prince Edward Road, South Shields, Tyne & Wear NE34 8PS
You can also refer yourself to the South Tyneside Lifecycle Service by telephoning 0191 283 2937.
Alternatively, you can speak to your GP or health professional who can make a referral on your behalf.
What will happen after I have self referred?
Option 1 – Self Assessment
We generally recommend that people opt to complete a Self Assessment Form which you can download above, or ring us on 0191 283 2937 and we can post this out to you following your referral. You then return this within 2 weeks by email or post.
The form will be reviewed by one of our Triage Workers and we will assess whether we are the most helpful service to you at this time and if so add you to a waiting list for treatment or refer you to a more appropriate service.
The benefit of a Self Assessment is that you have more time to think about your answers and what you want to tell us so we can best help you and you can do it in your own time.
It is best if you can give us as much detail as you can about your problems.
Option 2 – Telephone Assessment
You can opt for a telephone assessment with one of our therapists, which will take up to approximately 30 minutes. It is important that you are in a quiet and confidential place where you can talk freely.
The therapist will ask you some questions about how you are currently feeling and this will help to work out if South Tyneside Lifecycle Service is the right service for you and if so which treatment may be most helpful.
The therapist will ask you to complete four short questionnaires (see Assess Yourself) about your symptoms to help us to decide the best way forward for you. We would suggest you complete the questionnaire PRIOR to your appointment. This will help to complete your appointment in a timely way.
Option 3 – Face to Face Assessment
We offer a limited number of face to face assessments, usually for people who would find the above methods difficult as they may have a disability or require an interpreter. It can take longer to wait for a face to face assessment.
The face to face appointments will last up to 45 minutes and follow the same structure as the telephone assessments described above.