Talkingspace Plus
Abell House, Slade Site, Horspath Driftway, Headington, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 7JHContact details and opening times
Patient ratings and reviews
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Reviews
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Review titled Waste of time
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 28 May 2024
Clinician was not supportive. Make you feel stupid, very confusing advise. Tell you “you’re doing well, but” then in the next sentence tell you that you shouldn’t use the word but to try and play down a celebratory moment. They tell you taking medication prescribed by your GP is not helping and that whilst taking it you won’t ever feel any better. Even when you explain you can’t leave the house without it at times they don’t seem to care or listen. They moan at you when life gets in the way - work, sickness/holidays etc but it’s okay for them to need time off and have to cancel sessions. CBT techniques not helpful. I finished my sessions early without notice as the clinician made me feel worse and bad about myself and totally knocked my confidence. Do not recommend to anyone. Total waste of time and left me feeling worse and even more anxious at times and like a complete failure!
Visited March 2024
Talkingspace Plus has not yet replied.
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Review titled Worst experience ever
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 12 March 2024
They are honestly the worst, takes weeks to call you back and no support at all also discrimination on medical cannabis saying they won't treat me when I'm on a licenced controlled medication then thinking they are qualified to tell me to stop taking the one thing that's keeping me alive.
Visited January 2024
Talkingspace Plus has not yet replied.
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Review titled Awful.
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 07 October 2023
I made an online referral to Oxford Health Talking Therapies following an appointment with my GP, who recommended the service. Two days later, I was called by the service to say that they needed to cancel my telephonic triage appointment. The admin staff who rang me up said they needed to cancel my appointment, as I am currently under a mental health team. This is false, as I have been discharged from all mental health services. I voiced my concerns to the clinician, who said the team would promptly review my application. I was told explicitly that the service would contact me promptly to reschedule, as in a few days. This has not happened. This is entirely unacceptable for a mental health service to a) refuse my application and b) lie about getting in touch. I am now stable, but I want some help getting my sleep on track. I can't fathom how horrible and unfit for purpose this service is to people who are at risk. Avoid at all costs.
Visited October 2023
Talkingspace Plus has not yet replied.
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Review titled ad my phone call today
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 31 August 2023
So I've had the first call and I was disappointed , I was only asked if I had issues with self harm no! I have had really bad anxiety since 4 I'm now 40 I need talking therapy .. they are only interested in if you want to kill yourself so they can obviously pass on to someone else, as I'm not she wasn't interested and said they will call back in 2 weeks , she was almost disappointed. And I felt abandoned , also a trigger to my anxiety fear to open up and talk!! It took alot of me emotionally to ask for help and support it was totally useless , they are obviously paid for nothing another useless service,
Visited August 2023
Talkingspace Plus has not yet replied.
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Review titled Woeful experience
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 18 July 2023
My review very much tallies with the others on this page. Having had an assessment with this service which felt like little more than a tick box exercise, lacking in empathy for my difficulties, I was then left waiting for several days before I was told of the "outcome" of the assessment. Why employ staff you don't then trust to make independent clinical decisions? Demoralising for them I'm sure but also for patients. Needless to say I was advised I was going to be discharged and that I needed to seek therapy for my issues elsewhere. No collaboration with me about this, I wasn't given any choice. A dreadful service,if you can afford private therapy then that's likely to be your best option.
Visited May 2023
Talkingspace Plus has not yet replied.
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Review titled Dangerously useless
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 02 March 2023
After spending ages filling in the self-referral form I was met with an error message saying it hadn't submitted so I rang them and they didn't seem to believe the error and tried to persuade me to wait a few days and ring back. I went through the lengthy referral on the phone and when someone finally called me for an assessment they questioned me for about an hour and responded oddly to my answers. They told me I needed to get my drinking under control before I could use the service even though I consume less than the recommended weekly units, they repeatedly recommended an app to help with self-harm even though I told them that hasn't been a problem for nearly a decade, and they referred to gender dysphoria as a "lifestyle choice". They said they'd ring me back to continue the assessment the following week so I left work early and they were 20 minutes late calling, whereupon they listed some 'options' consisting of well-known charities, private counselling and the police; as if I couldn't have figured that out for myself in a single Google search. They then announced they were 'discharging' me despite not having offered me any actual help at all, and ended the call after about 5 minutes. From my experience and the other reviews, I am left wondering if they've ever helped anyone with anything. It seems that at best they waste time and at worst they leave people feeling more isolated, judged and hopeless than when they were referred in the first place. Most people can't afford to go private and this service isn't fit for purpose.
Visited March 2023
Talkingspace Plus has not yet replied.
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Review titled Terrible
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 04 February 2023
Immediately pressured nto giving constant to allow them to share personal information with whoever they wanted. This would not have been an informed choice on my part
Visited February 2023
Talkingspace Plus has not yet replied.
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Review titled Unfit for purpose
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 17 February 2023
Shockingly bad service. I genuinely worry for others if the experience I've had is anything to go by. My GP referred me to Talkingspace to tackle my anxiety issues. Nearly three months since my initial conversation with them and I still haven't had my first proper 'treatment' call. The therapist who was assigned to me has been off work for over a week, so too is her supervisor, and not a single person at Talkingspace could be bothered to let me know - I'm the one having to contact them for updates. They have no contingency plan, nobody else can assist, and when I do call them to try and reschedule my telephone appointment, I'm told someone will call me back, and they never do. And if I want a different therapist? "That could take another one-to-two weeks..." Just hopeless. If you have the money and means to, go privately. Talkingspace will just leave you more frustrated and despondent.
Visited February 2023
Talkingspace Plus has not yet replied.
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Review titled Unhelpful
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 24 February 2023
Ironically talking space involves anything but talking to a human being. I understand cbt courses are helpful - but this is a very outdated way of addressing mental health issues. Most cbt resources can be found, free, on the web. If access to information was the main barrier to resolving mental health issues, then the internet would have coincided with lower rates of mental health issues. I was referred to TalkingSpace from my GP, and was put onto a CBT course for "low mood" where I sat on a zoom call 2 hours a week with 100+ people hidden behind cameras while a woman read off a sheet of paper on what CBT is and how to use it, and the basics of depression and anxiety management (exercise, sleep, eating well, journalling etc everything else you can find through a basic google search). I know what CBT tools are, I understand how the coping mechanisms work, but what most people with mental health issues require is talking to a qualified professional in person, going through specific issues that require specific solutions - with accountability involving follow up appointments with this professional. I withdrew from the course half-way through, received a follow up call to do another online course, and I asked if I could speak to someone in person and I was told this was not an option. All I can say is if you can afford to see a psychologist (£130 per hour for every mental health service near me) then definitely pursue that route. This is personally out of my financial price range and I have given up on help.
Visited January 2023
Talkingspace Plus has not yet replied.
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Review titled Very disappointed and no help whatsoever
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 10 February 2023
Was advised to contact by my GP. Filled in questionnaire in advance. I was phoned by a trainee and told him of my anxiety and insomnia caused by several life events. He went through the questionnaire again with no empathy about my recent bereavements etc. He phoned my back in a couple of days after discussing my case with his supervisor. He advised me to only drink alcohol on 5 days out of 7 and seem to think the cause of all my problems was my average social drinking. I told him that the lady who died recently aged 118 said her secret to longevity was a glass of wine a day! I really did not like the implication I was an alcoholic which I am not. He phoned when I was back from holiday and went through the check list again. Never once did he ask about my holiday or about any of the problems I had mentioned at the beginning. He told me I was average for the general population - how does he know. He then went through a feed back check list - I did not want to be rude so just said OK or average. Im pretty annoyed at the implication that I drink too much alcohol and that I was given no advice and shown no empathy - what a waste of time and surprised the NHS funds such a useless service The review below is a waste of time as I was never offered an appointment
Visited January 2023
Talkingspace Plus has not yet replied.
Information supplied by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust