Mind Matters Curfew Bell Road, Chertsey KT16 9FG

"Mind matters really helped in a time when I didn’t feel like myself. I really felt that I wouldn’t get to be the happy girl I used to be and I didn’t think that I could manage being a new mum and a wife. However, just talking to my counsellor he really helped me and got me to where I needed and wanted to be. I now don’t see the difference between being a mum or a wife cause it’s the same thing it’s being a family. My counsellor has really helped me have hope for my future and helped me with my happiness. I didn’t know how they would be able to make my problems go away but having their support and having them listen to you is really helpful. Don’t feel ashamed about seeking help and support from professionals cause they are brilliant. Feeling down is not a problem, they are there to help us stand back up on our own two feet and be the happy person we was. Thankyou to my counsellor at mind matters for all the support and for being amazing. With his support I am now the person I used to be. I feel free and happy and no longer trapped in darkness. Thankyou mind matters."

"I first accessed the service 7 years ago, at a time when I was experiencing a very traumatic and difficult time. I was getting to the point of being so anxious and this was interspersed with depression, I couldn’t calm down on my own and my normal coping strategies were not working. My GP suggested a referral to MindMatters. I was open to the idea and straight away I submitted an onlIne referral to MindMatters, and I have never looked back. Within a month, I had received my first session with my therapist Dr. Gisella Unsworth, choosing to receive the therapy over the phone for convenience. The sessions were extremely useful and valuable, and the therapist was very supportive. Each session, we reflected on my progress, and I was able to appreciate the small steps that I had made. I was able to increase my awareness, particularly focussing on the negative thoughts and how they were making me feel. I was able to change some of these thoughts and learnt more coping mechanisms, such as intense meditation and breathing techniques. I’m at a stage now that I feel I’m more able to cope with whatever life challenges come my way. I feel I’ve now got more tools to fall back on, when times get tough. I’d recommend the service to others, just go into it with an open mind and take your time, you’ll get back running in the end My therapist recommended I try mindfulness and the MindMatters online course. The online course and the support materials were excellent and extremely valuable. I practiced mindfulness meditation based on stress reduction. Practicing mindfulness helped to reduce both anxiety and depression massively. I continued self-management of anxiety during a time when I was experiencing a series of intense panic attacks that debilitated me, particularly in that moment. Through careful guidance and valuable online resources, I was able to use a variety of methods to successfully deal with my debilitating extreme anxiety. I’ve realised that my anxiety and fears may never completely disappear, as their origins are likely deeply seated in childhood. However, I’m now able to use a variety of methods that successfully deal with both my extreme anxiety and depression I felt very comfortable with my therapist Dr. Gisella Unsworth right from the beginning. She was non-judgmental, extremely engaging and friendly, but most importantly incredibly professional."

"It took around 8 months just to be contacted, I was told I would get 6 sessions via phone, and that the fact I work rota'd shifts wouldn't be a problem, 3 sessions in and all of a sudden my therapy is being stopped because I apparently cannot commit to a set day, I'd never missed a session, but somehow something on their end had changed. Tldr: I was lied to about my appointments, and then made out like it was my fault."

"Originally contacted them in January. Its now September and they are bombarding me with calls texts and emails to organise a consultation with a therapist... Ive since turned to antidepressants and no longer feel the need to talk to a stranger about my feelings. But even if i did, i wouldnt bother out of sheer spite. Terrible service in my opinion. Definitely wouldnt recommend. No only are they useless, the texts emails and voicemails are of an accusatory tone as if its somehow my fault they waited 8 months to contact me."