How it works

BSL Healthy Minds provides counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for Deaf people, BSL users and deaf people who do not sign. Find out more about who we can help. 

All our therapists are BSL users. They are either Deaf or hearing and fluent in BSL. Learn more about our therapists.

To get therapy with BSL Healthy Minds, ask your GP to refer you or refer yourself using the online form.

Mark on the referral form, whether you want to talk to a therapist face-to-face (usually at your local GP surgery) or online using BSL video calls. If you want to sign up for the six-week online cCBT course, choose this option on the form. 

You do not pay for any of our services. After receiving your referral form, we will apply for funding from your local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to pay for your therapy. CCGs organise the delivery of some NHS services in England. Therapy can only start once funding is in place. How quickly this happens depends on your local CCG.

Once funding is agreed, you will be invited for an assessment with a therapist. This might be online or in person. Your therapist will ask you questions about your thoughts, feelings and physical health to understand your needs. You will then decide together which treatment will be the most helpful for you. 

You could be offered weekly counselling or CBT sessions in BSL. Therapy sessions are one hour per week and either face-to-face or online. Or you could get support through one of our online cCBT courses.

Before each therapy session, you will be asked to fill in a couple of simple questionnaires to measure how anxious or depressed you have felt over the past week.

If you feel unwell again, a few months or years after your therapy ends, you can re-refer yourself to the service for more therapy.