NHS Wales launches Welsh language online therapy programme for anxiety

Dealing with anxiety? Get support online from NHS Wales in Welsh and English

Welsh speakers dealing with anxiety can now access free online help in their preferred language through the NHS.

NHS Wales offers a range of guided cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programmes for managing mental health and wellbeing.

Space from Anxiety is the third CBT programme to be translated into Welsh, giving Welsh speakers the choice and freedom to express their feelings, thoughts and emotions in their chosen language.

Fionnuala Clayton, NHS Wales online CBT service project manager, said: “We’re incredibly proud to launch this programme in Welsh.

“Providing bilingual therapy is a key priority for us and is very much forefront in our minds as the service continues to grow.

“It can be difficult to open up and share your thoughts and feelings, and it’s even harder if you have to do it in your second language.

“It’s vital that we break down that barrier and provide people with the space and opportunity to use Welsh when they access our therapeutic content.”

Research suggests almost a quarter of adults in Wales feel anxious all or most of the time, while 45% of adults with feelings of anxiety keep them secret.

Although some level of anxiety plays a useful and healthy role in helping us deal with problems and rise to challenges, it can become overwhelming and ultimately debilitating if left unaddressed.

Lingering stigma around mental health issues can make it tough to reach out for help, but NHS Wales’ online therapy programmes – delivered by SilverCloud® - help break down barriers to care.

The interactive programmes teach practical coping skills for mild to moderate mental health issues and can be accessed anonymously online - without seeing a GP or joining waiting lists - via any mobile, tablet, laptop or desktop device.

They take 12 weeks to complete and service users need commit as little as 15 minutes a day, 3-4 times weekly. Progress is monitored by qualified practitioners, who provide fortnightly feedback and can escalate more serious cases to access further support.

30,000 people have accessed the service – funded by the Welsh government - since it piloted in Powys in 2018.

It was extended across Wales in September 2020 and Space from Anxiety has become the second-most requested programme, with almost 6000 people signing up in the last six years.

The new Welsh provision meets one of the themes of Cymraeg 2050 - a Welsh government strategy aiming to deliver a million Welsh speakers by 2050 - and is in line with More Than Just Words, its Strategic Framework for Promoting the Welsh Language in health, social services and social care.

NHS Wales Online CBT Co-ordinator Leah Williams is one of 12 trained online supporters monitoring and providing feedback to SilverCloud® Wales users. She grew up in a family of Welsh speakers, speaking Welsh as her first language.

Says Leah: “I think I always took it for granted when visiting a GP that I had the privilege of seeing a Welsh speaking doctor, but when it came to accessing mental health support, this was not always the case.

“My mental health practitioners and counsellors were non-Welsh speakers. I found it difficult to open up and discuss personal issues.

“Not being able to converse in your first language can be distressing, especially when speaking about an already emotive subject.

“I found that when I did get to speak to a Welsh-speaking counsellor, there was an instant therapeutic connection due to a shared identity and a deeper understanding of my issues and needs.

“It’s incredibly rewarding that I now get to bring that to SilverCloud Wales as a Welsh-speaking member of the online support team.

“People are quick to say that the Welsh language is fading away, but the reality is it’s very much alive.”

To find out more and sign up, visit: https://nhswales.silvercloudhealth.com/signup/

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilverCloudWales

Released: 22/07/2024