Your stories

Your Stories

Here is your feedback

Bedfordshire Talking Therapies has helped many people improve their quality of life by supporting them through their journey to feeling better.

Here is a small sample of feedback from clients who have completed therapy. (Client and therapist names removed for confidentiality reasons).

The comments below were received in February 2025

'My therapist was fantastic, thank you so much'

'On the whole it's been very helpful finding new places for me to join'

'I have spent the last 11 sessions working with my therapist to learn about and learn how to deal with my struggle with anxiety. She has been incredible and during every session, despite my rambling and brain storming has clearly listened, understood and supported me with my struggles. I started this journey feeling hopeless and mentally drained by my anxiety, I couldn't get through a conversation about my struggles without being emotional however, I have seen improvements in myself and can now confidently express how I feel and be okay with it! Learning about safety behaviours and the management/removal of them has allowed me to break the continuous cycle and not allow anxiety to control me. It has been nice to openly speak in confidence and have someone listen, and I will forever be thankful for her kind nature and professionalism. Thank you so much.'

'Excellent, authentic and real counselling felt like my therapist really cared and wasn't just going through the motions with me'

'I was very impressed with the service and how well the therapist listened and supported me, My therapist was able to see what my main issues were and give me tools and things to work on. I decided to decline career support for now as I will focus on my mental health first.'

'Really helpful towards my problem'

'The support has been invaluable, I have only had a few sessions and have seen a significant reduction in my anxiety. I am confident I can continue to utilise the tools that have been provided to me through this therapy and live life with minimal anxiety. Thank you very much for all your help and support . '

'It's helped me in the interim while I'm waiting for bereavement counselling so I'm very grateful '

'Excellent service . Has really helped reduce my depression and anxiety '

'I have found that the help I have received so far has given me some techniques I can use now and in the long term to get me through the coming days/months. It has helped me to understand why I am feeling this way. I am feeling the benefits of the therapy and I'm satisfied that I can continue to improve my moods and way of thinking. On my initial telephone assessment, we discussed that starting with the CBT sessions first would give me a firm base to begin with. Then I would benefit more from Bereavement Counselling. I hope that I will be given the opportunity to do this.'

'My therapy has been extremely beneficial. I have learnt so much regarding how my past/present events impact my emotions and behaviour. Through these learnings I am now able to manage difficult situations and emotions 10 x better. I never thought I would get out of self destructive behaviours and vicious circles of depression and feelings of worthlessness. My therapist couldn't of done a better job and she deserves all praise. We built a strong relationship through her patience and understanding of what i am going through. I hope others that feel how I felt can experience the transformation I have.'

'I cannot thank you enough for all your help! And giving me the tools to keep everything on track! Thank you'

'Very helpful and caring'

In my time using this programme I have connected with 3 therapists. All three have been amazing, patient, knowledgeable and kind.
2 therapists both worked with me on understanding my mental health, teaching me techniques and taking the time to answer any questions or queries I had. They felt approachable and relatable, which for me was a huge comfort and helped reduce my anxiety greatly regarding sharing my troubles.
The 3rd therapist has helped me through my employment worries, supporting me, issuing follow up sessions and again, a kind, down to earth person who takes the time to engage with you. She went through my CV, cover letter and numerous jobs in our first session alone and this felt like a great starting point. Currently at this moment in time, we have some more sessions moving forward and I have begun to feel more inspired than I have for a long time. I'm very grateful for the help I have received and the kindness and understanding I have been shown. A huge thank you to all three of these amazing individuals.

'My therapist was wonderful and helpful , understood had empathy but encouraged me to try things'

'I feel I have been listened to by my therapist, it's the first time for me I've been able to convey to an individual my true feelings which I believe led to my difficulties developing initially. My therapist was very understanding as to my issues and attempted to identify the triggers for my behaviours. Overall I have been satisfied with the treatment I was given and my therapist.'

'My therapist was absolutely brilliant in trying to help me deal with my anxiety. Couldn't have asked for a better therapist. As my situation is complex I felt listened to at all times and she always had an idea of what to try next. Unfortunately as my condition becomes more challenging we were unable to get to where I was hoping to be. But not through want of trying. She is a credit to your services. Thank you'

'Feel I can talk openly to my therapist'

'My therapist has been amazing and so understanding which made me feel very comfortable speaking to her. She gave me plenty of techniques to help me! '

'My therapist was outstanding and I would recommend her to anyone who is finding coping with life challenging. Without her help I would not be in as good a mental state of health right now. The service must save countless people from falling into the abyss and I hope that you continue to receive the funding that you so richly deserve. My thanks to my therapist and the service for everything that you have provided in support and understanding over the sessions. Best wishes, David. '

'I really enjoyed my sessions. I feel my therapist has helped me a lot. Thank you '

'I want to thank my therapist, she's been amazing and people around me have noticed a significant difference in me'

'Hi I'm very thankful For your support, it's Very helpful for me And I learn how to calm down myself and How to handle the situations? How to think about a positive way? I really appreciate that. My therapist very nice and kind Lady. She understand my situations and she Treat me very well.'

'My outlook on life and how to deal with different situations has completely changed. Within these sessions, I have felt all different range of emotions, lots has happened and not once did I ever feel judged. I always felt very safe and was able to talk openly which I now struggle with the idea of not being able to every week!! My therapist has become my safe space I've had for the last 12 weeks and I'm truly grateful for everything she has done for me. She has shown me how to protect myself from hurt and how to manage difficult feelings. I felt incredibly lost at that start of this process and my therapist has helped, supported and guided me through these feelings and start to understand myself and my emotions. I will actually really miss our sessions.She is an excellent, kind and caring therapist and I have recommended this service to friends and family. Thank you for helping me find myself. I cannot thank you enough. '

'Had a very good experience and feel like I know more strategies how to manage my anxieties. '

'Speaking with my therapist has made me feel more comfortable with sharing. It has enabled me to see things from a difference perspective. Thank you. '

'Service was excellent, my therapist was very friendly and supportive. She had a in depth knowledge of my needs. I felt very supported and she helped me identify and face my issues. Thank you '

'My therapist was an amazing therapist and really helped me to work through my struggles '

'I has been really helpful'

'My therapist was incredibly professional at all times and she was extremely good at thinking on her feet when I asked random questions.
She was also very patient when I couldn't provide answers and in these cases she supported me by asking prompting questions or helped by repeating the question in a slightly different way. Her work with me has made a very noticeable difference to my anxiety levels and I'll always be grateful for that. I feel prepared to 'go it alone' but I will miss the sessions as I looked forward to them and all the value that they gave me. Thank you very much for this service.'

'Everyone I spoke to was considerate and professional in their approach. They listened to me and helped me understand and work through the programme. '

'Very good'

'My therapist has been really helpful and really helped me to learn techniques to deal with my anxiety and see things in a different perspective, these techniques I will continue to use within my life going forward.'

'Although I wasn't sure about a talking therapy before I started, I have been really pleased with the service I have received. The suggestions of activities were positive and gave good insights to my mood and feelings. I have used and appreciated the vast majority of them and anticipate remembering and using the methods in the future. I have always felt listened to, and encouraged by the team supporting me. My therapist has been so helpful and insightful. '

'It has changed my life and wellbeing'

'My therapist is great. She really listened to my problems and really encouraged me to look out for myself and helped me realise that I needed to make time for myself '

'I can only express my sincere gratitude to my therapist and the team who have guided me through all my issues. My therapist has been a source of inspiration in dealing with my issues and has been instrumental in my recovery from the seemingly impossible situation that I found myself in. The whole team have been both caring and professional from day one and I will be forever grateful. '

The comments below were received in January 2025

'Having tried counselling in the past, I was hesitant about reaching out. I realise now that I just needed the right counsellor. My therapist gave me a safe space which in turn made me able to communicate even on my very low days. When all other support services turned me away (and there were many), she listened to me, and that's all i really needed, just someone to listen. I cannot express my gratitude enough. With the help of talking therapies I am ready to move onto the next chapter of my life. I will forever be grateful. Thank you'

'I feel my mind is much clearer. I am able to take charge of needs to be done and not feel so worried about the little things in life. Thank you so much for giving me the confidence to take control of my priorities and not stress or worry about things happening around me.'

'Overall was a good experience. I felt like he really cared and was diligent in his efforts to help me.'

'I really enjoy talking with my therapist and listen her advices. Thank you so much for sharing with me your talent and experience and offer me help. Really appreciate that :)'

'My therapist was amazing. I cannot thank her enough for all of her help. She tailored the support to my needs and took the time to listen to all my concerns. '

'My therapist is an asset to your service and he has helped me without judgement. I will miss the sessions especially my therapist'

'I would first like to thank my therapist for helping me overcome my fears and anxieties. I now have a better understanding of what worries me and how to deal with situations. I will continue to keep challenging myself, all I keep saying to myself is what's the worst that can happen? and if the worst happens, I'll deal with it then. Thanks again to my therapist for helping me change my mindset.'

'My therapist was very good! She was very easy to speak to and did a great job during every one of our sessions. I enjoyed the behavioural activation approach. It helps to organise your life and to slowly try to strike the right balance so you can improve your mental and physical health. I guess one bit of critical feedback would be that it is guided self help so the aim of this form of therapy isn't to address the underlying cause of someone's mental health problems. I have come out of it feeling like I can use the 'outside-in' approach to get necessary and routine things done which will absolutely improve my mental health. There are just some days where it is difficult for me, but I wouldn't expect my whole life experience/brain to change after just a few sessions. Thank you so much for your support!'

'I loved my therapist! She was so lovely and I would recommend her to anyone! She was thoughtful and pushed you to be better. I will miss having therapy with her! Thank you for the help! '

'My therapist was amazing. I'm sad our sessions have come to an end. My sessions with her definitely helped the most.'

'The sessions I had were really useful in helping me to process what has happened to me in the past and more recently. Special thanks to my therapist who was absolutely brilliant, he is a very intuitive person. He can never fully know the impact our sessions have had on my life. I will always be grateful for the therapy I've had and to my therapist. Thank you. '

'I was accepted onto the service very promptly, and was seen by a CBT therapist. We met each week and discussed anything I needed to say, as well as the home tasks. I was very happy with my therapist. She was eager, a great listener and very calm. I really felt that I made progress with her, and valued our time together greatly. I greatly appreciate the tools and worksheets provided, as I can continue to use them in the future on my own. They give me a good foundation to work with. '

'It has been helpful to speak to someone outside family who listened. Helped me to understand and deal with things in a different way.'

'Thank you for all the help. You have been amazing and I feel confident about the future. I don't know where I would be without you!'

'I am happy to have the opportunity to receive support from my therapist, she knows how to listen to you and win your confidence. Also, she chose the "professional" translator. And I want to thank my interpreter also for making me comfortable to be able to describe exactly the depth of my feelings. For those of us going through such unpleasant moments, it is very important to ask for and find a qualified person who knows how can to help you. One big thank you for your support. '

'My interpreter has been great. Made me feel comfortable with opening up and sharing everything. Thank you.'

'The group counselling session provided a valuable experience, beginning with a short video on empathy and listening which, upon reflection, aligned with one of the intentions of group therapy, relating to others with similar reasons for attending. After the check-in, people sharing a topic was a good starting point for identifying common themes to process; however, not everyone's topic was discussed due to time constraints. Efforts were made to address these in the following session. I began to challenge my anxiety by tackling worries about things beyond my control, practising patience, and accepting the uncertainty of the future. In hindsight, there were moments where I should have challenged behaviours within the group, such as the assumption that someone older automatically has more life experience. Our therapist facilitated a meaningful discussion about supporting someone who had shared personal experiences, emphasising the importance of truly listening and understanding within the group dynamic. A quieter participant's limited contributions made it harder to build a connection, but recognising their attendance as an achievement highlighted their progress. Reflecting after the session reinforced the importance of counselling and has led me to consider one-to-one therapy for more tailored support.'

'My experience with my therapist has been great i believe he has helped me a lot getting through these sessions made me feel comfortable and the tasks and the things we spoke about were very helpful, i appreciate the help given it was my first experience and it was amazing help thank you very much '

'Really good and helpful especially the online content and worksheets'

'My therapist was amazing. She is a good listener and effective commutator. She guided me well through the therapy. She explained all processes clearly and sought feedback to ensure understanding. She was kind, caring and empathetic. Thank you. '

'Firstly, I've recommended your service to a few due to it's sufficiency. Meaning when I initially self referred, it was only a short could of days to I received a call back to arrange a telephone consultation. The consultation wait time was only days and within two weeks was put upon your CBT programme. Despite my own personal issues, was also able to restart the course as had missed one session and was due to miss another. The team are extremely understanding in regards to my circumstance at the time. Both teams I attended on the programme, were kind, respectful, listened, and informative to the topic as well as further information. The time spent was week appreciated and those within the groups won were patients were also kind and patient and interacted very well within the sessions. I learnt a lot and it helped being with others whom were experiencing similar of not the same things as myself. '

'Some helpful ideas to use and practice going forwards. '

The comments below were received in December 2024

'My therapist was amazing and really helped me understand my worries and how to deal with them I made a decision on not taking my therapy calls anymore as I feel I have made the right decision in my situation to take off some of the stress I was under and to see how I go. Thank you . I really appreciate your guidance and support '

'I felt that my therapist really listened to me and helped me enormously. She helped me see that I needed to take time out from my difficult family situation and not to feel so guilty. The tools she gave me helped me to truly enjoy Xmas this year. I want to say a big thanks to her. She has encouraged and supported me to make changes which have reduced my anxiety. She is a star!'

'I'm really grateful for the safe space to speak honestly where my feelings are validated and then shown strategies for coping and changing my thought process. '

'I feel like my feelings are validated before being given practical advice which really helps. '

'Really appreciated and helpful. My therapist has been absolutely wonderful and I am so grateful that the service has been available. It has really helped me to sort my own feelings and grief around my circumstances.'

'I found my therapist to be a great listener and very understanding of my issues. He was always respectful and encouraging and understood when I was struggling to help myself. I received some useful tools to help me self manage my anxiety and was reassured that I can always come back to the service should I need to .'

'My therapist been kind and patient and helped me think differently and challenge . I hope when I am in that zone again feeling heath anxiety I will be able to rationalise and put the things in practice. I have done over the last few weeks but not currently been at a high scale . It has helped and my therapist has been a positive influence and realistic. Thank you .'

'I was quite apprehensive about going to begin with but my therapist really settled me in and really helped me to relax.'

'I felt this was a very valuable service, it has helped me to reflect and evaluate situations.'

'My therapist was fantastic! So kind, so lovely! Always listened and was always so empathic. She paid amazing attention to detail. Understood what was important to me and supported positive changes that hopefully will help forever. Thank you.'

'My therapist was amazing and made me feel human and not awkward because i'm different. She did help me allot with the handwashing and to use alternatives. I'm very grateful. Therapy has been amazing and great . It's helped me out tremendously.
I have finally opened the door and can step outside and breathe and feel very comfortable in my skin. My therapist has given me all the tools to accommodate my situation and the world and any situation I may face. I use the tools to calm myself when situations are hypothetical. I am not afraid to show my stimming behaviours in public now. Thank you so much I am very grateful for this therapy.'

'I was glad and grateful for the therapist in taking time to listen and chat about my daily and ongoing issues. '

'My therapist was wonderfully supportive and created a really safe environment for me to be vulnerable and open with her. At times she called me further forward which was welcomed and I felt encouraged me to make life long changes going forward. '

'This service has been so valuable for myself, it has let me explore what I've kept guarded for a long time. My therapists understood when I've needed more time to process especially if it was deep rooted. I've grown in myself since starting this process and will continue to do so. The therapists have been amazing. '

'I have thoroughly enjoyed talking therapy'

'My therapist has been a phenomenal support in an incredibly difficult time. Helping me navigate my thoughts and behaviours, processing challenging experiences and providing me with a safe space to reflect whilst being incredibly encouraging to break old patterns. Thank you for compassion! '

'My therapist was so understanding and supportive, I felt like she really understood what I had been through, and what I needed to help me. She signposted me to some useful resources and outside help. '

'I was not expecting this, however this came to be a very positive experience. I learned some worthwhile lessons which I believe can be taken into everyday life. I would highly recommend. Thank you.'

'I struggled with paperwork at start, but the methods my therapist helped me put in place have given me a marked improvement. She was brilliant!'

'More helpful than I anticipated'

'The service was invaluable and has given me strategies and techniques which are and will help me to manage my anxiety. I wish I had completed CBT years ago. The therapist was excellent and very supportive and encouraging. She explained everything clearly going at an appropriate pace through activities and checked for my understanding at all times. Thank you so much. '

'I've learned a lot from our PTSD group sessions held by our therapist. She's really patient and nice listening to everyone's opinions and guide us to do lots of reflective thinking about PTSD. I'm really happy with the sessions and it helps me to look into my PTSD and anxiety from a new different perspective. Thank you for offering the help!