FAQs

How can we help?

What is ProblemShared?

ProblemShared was founded to provide improved access to mental health professionals. We offer a hand-picked team of counsellors and psychiatrists to both the general public and to institutional clients, ranging from universities and businesses to public sector bodies such as the NHS. We believe it is a human right to receive high quality and timely access to appropriate healthcare.

How can you help me?

ProblemShared offers affordable access to mental health professionals wherever and whenever you need. We have a broad selection of mental health professionals, many of whom speak a number of languages, ready to talk to you.

It's an emergency, what should I do?

We are not able to offer treatment in severe or life-threatening situations. If you think you are at risk of harm or at risk of harming others, you should look at the resources available on our IN CASE OF EMERGENCY page, call 999 or go immediately to your local Accident and Emergency department.

What conditions do you treat?

You may know exactly what is wrong, but you also may not. You may simply know that you don’t feel great. Mental ill health is complex. Why not book an assessment and speak to one of our experts so they can guide you to the right clinician?

What issues can ProblemShared help me with?

From Anxiety to ADHD, PTSD or Personal Development, the ProblemShared practitioners can help with a range of conditions. Learn more about what we can help with >

How do I choose a ProblemShared talk therapist who is right for me?

You can filter our list of accredited or registered practitioners by gender, specialism, type and price. Take a look through their profiles and biographies. Feel free to send an email to the ones you feel may have the right skillset to help you and have a brief discussion with them in advance of booking a session. They will be more than happy to talk about their approach to therapy and whether this would be appropriate for you.

How do I get the most from my ProblemShared talk therapy sessions?

Choose your therapist carefully – feel free to send an email in advance of booking your initial session to a therapist you think may be right for you, so you can get to know them and discuss a potential way forward.

Remember that your therapist is here to help. If you see therapy as a collaboration, you will improve your likelihood of benefitting from it.

Arrange appointments at times that suit you, when you have an uninterrupted hour and will be in a quiet and private space.

Therapy is a confidential process. You must feel free to speak your mind.

Set goals and markers for change. This will help you chart progress and feel in control of the process.

Do any work set by your therapist outside of your sessions, to maximise the time you have together.

Is online therapy effective?

Yes. There has been a lot of research into this question and although the majority of it comes from the US, it holds true for the UK as well.

The following resources should give you an idea of the efficacy of telemedicine and counselling when compared to more traditional consultation methods:
Internet-based versus face-to-face cognitive-behavioral intervention for depression: A randomized controlled non-inferiority trial. Wagner, B., Horn, A. and Maercker, A. (2019).

Internet-based and other computerized psychological treatments for adult depression: a meta-analysis. – PubMed – NCBI. online Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Bergström, J., Andersson, G., Ljótsson, B., Rück, C., Andréewitch, S., Karlsson, A., Carlbring, P., Andersson, E. and Lindefors, N. (2019).

Internet-versus group-administered cognitive behaviour therapy for panic disorder in a psychiatric setting: a randomised trial. Epstein, R. (2019).

Distance Therapy Comes of Age. Scientific American.

What’s the difference between a psychiatrist, psychologist, a counsellor and a coach?

The nomenclature can be confusing! We’ll try and clarify:

At a high level: psychiatrists are medical doctors and as such can prescribe medication for mental health conditions – such as, but not limited to, depression, anxiety, ADHD or bipolar disorder. If you are working with a psychiatrist, a lot of the treatment may be focused on medication management.

Alongside talking therapies such as psychology or counselling psychologists offer counselling and psychotherapy and perform psychological testing for mental ill-health. They are not medical doctors but have a doctoral degree (PhD, PsyD, or EdD) in psychology, which is the study of the mind and human behaviour. Psychologists cannot write prescriptions or perform medical procedures.

Counsellors are mental health professional who have completed an accredited training which qualifies them to work with people over a short or long term to help them bring about effective change and/or enhance their wellbeing.

A coach focuses on helping people attain their goals in life. They might help you to get motivated, set goals, and hold you to account. Life coaching is not regulated nor offered through our platform at this time.

Will I have the same counsellor or psychiatrist throughout my time with ProblemShared?

As a rule, yes. We believe in continuity of care and will do our level best to ensure you see the same clinician for the duration of your treatment. However, should this for some reason not be possible we will help you find an equally appropriate clinician and minimise disruption. Many of our practitioners offer free or low cost introductory sessions and you can search for them using our search filters. We also hope that our filters help you identify a practitioner who feels like is a good fit for you. If, however, you meet with a practitioner and do not feel that the relationship is working, you can change by looking through our community and booking with a different practitioner. We would encourage you to speak to your practitioner about your concerns first.

What do I need to do to see a mental health practitioner?

1. If you are seeing our university service, please contact them. Explain that you wish to have to have talk therapy. They will issue you with a passcode which you will have to enter in order to book a session.

2. If you are a self-pay client, use our filter to find the practitioner that is most appropriate, and book a session. It really is as easy as that! Should you wish to contact them in advance and discuss any further details, contact them by email using the click-through on their biography.

Can you prescribe medication?

Our psychiatrists can prescribe medication for certain conditions if they think this is the appropriate treatment. Our prescriptions can be dispensed at any pharmacy.

Can I be referred back to the NHS?

Should you wish to continue your sessions with an NHS clinician we will happily share information with your new clinician if (a) you give express permission in writing that you are happy for us to do this, and (b) we have received a letter from that clinician requesting the information.

Can my treatment be paid for by the NHS?

Currently, no. We are working to remedy this.

Who regulates ProblemShared?

The CQC regulate our psychiatry service. The GMC regulates our doctors. Our counsellors are all members of regulatory bodies and follow best practice guidelines set by those regulatory bodies. Further, we ask them to adhere to a code of conduct drawn from the requirements of professional psychotherapy bodies. We are working with the BACP to regulate our psychology and therapy services. We hope this will be in place by the end of 2020.

Do you record sessions?

We do not record any of our sessions. What you say in your session is confidential and remains between you and your practitioner.

Frequently asked questions

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