Local talking therapies service Access Sefton is working with Sefton Council and the local CCG's to to spread the word about local services and activities available to people in Sefton as part of the ‘30 Days of Sefton In Mind’ Campaign.

Access Sefton provides NHS talking therapies services to people experiencing a wide range of common mild-to-moderate mental health conditions. The services are free to people who live in Sefton, and are available from a range of accessible locations across the borough.

In addition to face-to-face therapy, the service also run group workshops in Bootle and Southport which can help people develop techniques to better manage anxiety and depression.

As well as anxiety, depression and stress, talking therapies are clinically proven to be an effective treatment for other common mental health conditions, including obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), phobia and panic.

Someone who received help was Dave who said "My experience with Access Sefton has been a really positive one. I've learned how to keep my anxiety under control and make it much more manageable - I never imagined I'd get to the point I'm at now. Thank you."

You can find more details at www.insighthealthcare.org/accesssefton or by calling 0300 303 2708.

Access Sefton is funded by NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Southport and Formby CCG, and is provided by Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with Insight Healthcare.

Approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. In England, 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (such as anxiety and depression) in any given week.

The overall number of people with mental health problems has not changed significantly in recent years, but worries about things like money, jobs and benefits can make it harder for people to cope. In Sefton there many activities and services that happen in the community every week, that you might not even know about, which could improve your mental health and help make life a little easier.

So, from World Suicide Prevention Day (10th September) to World Mental Health Day (10th October) we are going to spread the word about local services and activities available to people in Sefton. Look out for the hashtag #SeftonInMind and join in by telling us about good local services and activities that have helped you.