Below you will find information on how to self refer, making an initial appointment, and what to expect from that initial appointment. How to self-refer We invite interested individuals to email us at cpt@ed.ac.uk with a brief description of the current mental health issues they are seeking support for. If you are a parent or caregiver that is looking to refer their child or young person, the referral process follows the same steps outlined below. Once the Centre for Psychological Therapies has received your initial email, we will reply with the link to our online referral form, which is to be completed by the young person themselves or their parents/ caregivers. This form is simply to outline the main areas of concern and to collect any necessary contact information. Once this form is submitted and has been reviewed by our team, the client will then be added to our waiting list, and they will receive email confirmation of this. As we review all our referral forms by hand, we kindly ask that you allow 2 working days to receive your confirmation email. If, from the information provided in the self-referral form the team feel the client would be better supported by another agency, the client will be emailed advising this. Once you have received this confirmation email, that means you or your child/young person is now on our waiting list for an initial assessment appointment and will be contacted when one becomes available. Please note, the Centre for Psychological Therapies is a self-referral only service. If you are a member of an external organisation that is looking to refer someone to the Centre, please see our guidance here. Making an Initial Appointment Image Once a client reaches the top of our waiting list, we invite them for an initial assessment appointment with one of our trainees and a member of our clinical team. This is to meet the client and to get an idea of whether the Centre would be the right fit for them. We invite the client for an initial assessment appointment via email and we aim to offer it with 2 weeks’ notice of the appointment date. We are a small centre with limited flexibility, however if the time offered is not suitable then we ask that you get in touch, and we will do our best to find a time that works for everyone. The Centre can offer both online and in person appointments. Please note that, as we are part of the University of Edinburgh, the waiting time for an initial appointment can fluctuate, and therefore the timeframe we provide is subject to change throughout the year. Does CPT offer emergency appointments? The Centre for Psychological Therapies is does not offer emergency mental health assessments. We recognise that when young people are in distress it is incredibly worrying, however we are unable to respond on an emergency or crisis basis. If you feel that you or your child/ young person needs help now, please find further information here. What to expect at the initial assessment The initial assessment appointment will either take place online or in person (depending on client preference) and the information for both will be sent out with the initial appointment offer, including links for online assessment. The basic structure of the initial appointment is the same whether you are in person or online. How long does it last and who is it with? The appointment itself will be with one of our clinicians and one of our trainee therapists. It will last for around 40-60 minutes and provides an opportunity for our team to get to know the client, and for the client to ask any questions they may have about the Centre and the service we provide. Please note that time and day of the initial appointment is only for that one off session. Availability for future sessions (either in person or online) can be discussed either at the initial appointment or with the Centre's Operations Team. What questions will be asked? The clinician and trainee will ask questions to support the client to share as much as they feel comfortable doing, regarding the reason they have self-referred. They may ask for some background information. They will try to gather information around the main areas of concern and relevant coping strategies and interests that the client may have. They may also ask about hopes/goals and what the client would like to change. Do I need to prepare anything in advance? There is no need to bring or prepare anything in advance of the initial appointment. We only ask that you read the information sheets we send out with your appointment offer and bring any questions that you (or your child/ young person) might have for us. Information for Online Initial Assessment Appointment We use Microsoft Teams for all of our online appointments (both ongoing and initial). You do not need to have the app or any software installed to be able to access it, we just require that you have the suitable equipment, ie. laptop, and internet connection. It is also important that for an online initial appointment, the client has a confidential space where they feel comfortable talking. The information documents that we send ahead of the initial appointment will include: CPT Initial Information Sheet Guidance for Online Therapy A Guide to using MS Teams. Information for In-Person Initial Assessment Appointment Our in-person initial appointments take place at our Centre. Please note that we have ten steep steps leading up to the Centre and unfortunately have no wheelchair access. Further information on where to find us The information documents that you will receive ahead of your appointment will include: CPT Initial Information Sheet How to Find Us Sheet Information for parents/caregivers about the initial appointment If you are a parent or caregiver who has referred your child or young person, you can be included in the initial appointment as much as you and the client feel comfortable with. You are welcome to join in for 10 minutes, 30 minutes or the whole hour! For younger clients, parents/caregivers may wish to be present for the whole appointment. If the client is older, they may wish to have a parent/caregiver in the appointment at the start then have the remaining time alone to speak freely with the clinician and trainee therapist. Making a Donation The Centre for Psychological Therapies is a charity and donations will be invited for sessions at the discretion of the individual. Emergency and Crisis Resource List If you are in need of immediate support, please see our list of urgent and out-of-hours crisis support services below.
