LMWS is a city-wide service that provides support and psychological therapies for common mental health problems, such as anxiety, stress and depression for people aged 17 and over.
This includes free online courses, group and face-to-face sessions, workshops and help with coping with coronavirus and uncertainty.
Courses include stress and anxiety, mindfulness, panic attacks, understanding self-esteem and managing stress in parenthood.
Please note, the service does not offer support around recent bereavement. If after 6 months to a year or more, the bereavement has led to depression, or if the bereavement was in traumatic circumstances which have caused trauma symptoms such as re-living/ re-experiencing the situation, avoidance of things associated with the event, and being on the look-out for danger, the service may be able to offer helpful therapy following an initial assessment and conversation.
The service follows the ‘stepped care model’, which offers the lowest level intervention or treatment first. This means that you may feel much better quite quickly with a simple and short treatment. However, if your symptoms don’t improve, you can then be ‘stepped up’ to a further treatment which may be of benefit.
Please note, the service does not offer therapies for eating disorders or weight management.
If you’re over 17 years of age and registered with a Leeds GP, you can self-refer on the service website. A number of questions will pop-up – these are to make sure you are being directed to the right service. You don’t need to see your GP to access this service although your GP will be updated about your treatment.
Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service replaced the service known as IAPT in November 2019.
LMWS is a partnership between Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Leeds GP Confederation, Northpoint Wellbeing, Community Links, Touchstone, Women’s Counselling and Therapy Service, Homestart Leeds, Ieso Digital Health, SilverCloud Health and SignHealth.
Support for new mums and parents-to-be
You can self-refer through the service website. Priority is given to women and partners of women who are pregnant or in the first year after the birth of their baby. This means you don’t have to join the general waiting list, however, as this is not a crisis service there is usually a short wait. This service is open to anyone over 17 years old registered with a Leeds area GP, so it’s also available for partners or other family members.
Support includes Omnitherapy online video courses you can access immediately, with topics including postnatal depression and managing stress in parenthood. There are also live online group classes, telephone and online video support and face-to-face support for people who are not able to access treatment online.
Support for employment
LMWS also offers employment advice. It is open to everyone receiving their support. The advisors help adapt your working life to better suit your mental health.