The Impact

Since implementing Tools for Therapy, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin NHS Talking Therapies has found SilverCloud programmes to be a valuable addition to the way they deliver support to clients at Step 3.

“ Simply by offering digital as an option we’re involving patients in the therapy process and giving them autonomy in how they access tools and resources,"

explains Amy.

It has also been helpful for emphasising the value of between-session exercises.

“ It’s really good at engaging clients better in between sessions"

says Amy. “If someone has taken the time to work on something at home, we can easily access it in the session. Either they show me on their phone, or I pull it up on my laptop and we can talk it through.”

Amy gives the example of a client she worked with using the SilverCloud Social Anxiety programme, which includes protocol-driven tools and activities such as Behavioural Experiments and Attention Training that can be unlocked for clients at an appropriate point in their therapy.

“ This client found the Behavioural Experiments tool extremely helpful. They didn’t like paper copies as they tended to misplace them, so having all the information in the SilverCloud app on their phone really worked for them. It was a very collaborative process; they would get their phone out and we would plan the experiments there and then. They would then do the experiments between sessions and record them. All their experiments were there in the app so when they looked back at how they had challenged themselves it gave them a real sense of achievement."

Patients retain access to the SilverCloud platform even when their therapy has come to an end so it’s a useful resource for clients to look back on.

“ It helps to empower clients so they feel confident in maintaining the skills they have developed,"

explains Amy. “It’s really useful to know that they have something engaging and evidence-based to help them to consolidate their therapy gains and maintain wellbeing post therapy.”