What to expect

What happens when I come to Op COURAGE? 

When you’re referred to us, we’ll arrange an initial meeting with you so we can get to know you and your situation better. 

We aim to empower you to get to the support you need so you can move forward with your life, and make this as stress-free as possible. 

Your first appointment 

Your first appointment will be with a clinician. They may be a social worker, occupational therapist, psychologist or a mental health nurse. These people are involved so that you can get help in a variety of areas in your life.    

This session will take around 60-90 minutes. They’ll listen to the challenges you’re going through and talk to you about what we can do to help you. 

We may send you some questionnaires to complete ahead of your first appointment or ask you to complete these at the appointment. This will help the practitioner understand your difficulties and help decide, with you, the best next steps for your recovery. 

A tailored plan for you 

We will work with you to help you get the support you need. Depending on your circumstances we may introduce you to other specialist NHS services such as NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression or to charities that work specifically with veterans.  

We can offer some initial support for common difficulties such as trouble sleeping or help with transitioning out of the military.  

We can also guide you to local and national organisations who can help you with other areas of your life, like: work, housing, personal relationships, overcoming alcohol dependency, and boosting your general wellbeing. 

If you are struggling with military attributable mental health difficulties such as post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression for example, we may recommend treatment with our team of clinical and counselling psychologists and cognitive behavioural therapists. We offer a phased treatment approach which includes group work and individual sessions, either face to face or by virtual video consultation. 

Each treatment session is on average 60-90 minutes and usually weekly. You may be asked to complete questionnaires periodically to help us understand your current difficulties and track your progress so you and your therapist can see how far you have come. 

We understand that it can be difficult to complete questionnaires and we can offer support with filling them out, if you like –please ask your therapist and they’ll be happy to help. 

Locations 

We can offer different appointments, by phone, by video call or in-person, depending on the type of treatment and support you are having and what works for you.  

If we see you in person, we typically arrange appointments in locations that are convenient to you.  

We have access to a large number of locations across the region, such as local GP clinics and community venues such as local health centres or charity offices so you won’t have to travel too far if your preference is to be seen face to face. 

Talk to us about the options available when you have your first appointment with us.