Coronavirus / Covid 19 Pandemic

Following the latest government advice, we have suspended our face to face service for the time being. We continue to provide service across the whole of Derby City and Derbyshire and will be offering all future appointments by telephone.

FAQ

Are you accepting new referrals?

Yes, we have increased the number of appointments that we have available. Please email admin@drcs.org.uk or call 0800 047 6861 and leave us a message. One of our team will be in touch with you as soon as possible.

Will you be operating a reduced service?

part from removing our face to face service we are aiming to deliver all appointments at allocated times as usual. We have increased the number of appointments that DRCS has available with our highly trained and accredited therapists.

When are appointments available?

We are able to offer a variety of appointment times. Monday to Friday appointments will be available from 8am until early evening. Saturday mornings will also be available.

How should I prepare for telephone therapy?

We request that you treat the appointment as though you were attending in person at one of our offices. Find a place where you can be comfortable and uninterrupted. You may wish to have a hot or cold drink alongside you.
If this is your first appointment or assessment, the therapist will explain how your confidentiality will be maintained. Prior to the call, you will receive documents via email or post that you will work through with the therapist. It would be helpful if you could have these available during the call.

In ongoing sessions, the therapist will focus on building an empathic alliance with you just as they would if you were working in a face to face session. It may feel a little strange at first, but many people find that this is easy to adapt to.

What are the benefits of telephone sessions?

The main benefit is that you can still receive access to the help you may require while face to face sessions are unavailable due to our centres being closed. Many clients appreciate the additional flexibility that telephone sessions can offer. Therapy can still go ahead even if you need to self-isolate or if you have to work from home.

We apologise for any inconvenience the temporary closure of our centres has caused you, however we aim to continue to provide our usual high-quality and friendly service. If you have any questions about our service please contact us by email admin@drcs.org.uk or phone 0800 047 6861.

Crisis organisation contacts

We are not a crisis service, so if you need help right now or you feel at risk of harming yourself, here are some 24/7 organisations you can contact for free:

• Call 999
• Call Samaritans on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
• Text SHOUT to 85258 for 24/7 support via text

Long COVID - a client’s perspective

My covid experience was during November 2020, although we had already experienced the national lockdown and been informed of National Statistics, I had personally not encounted anyone who had suffered from COVID so did not know what to expect when I tested positive and started to feel unwell. My symptoms were rather severe, and I spent the majority of 2 weeks in bed, unable to do much and become breathless every time I tried.

I expected to return to my normal self once I was feeling better, but I was extremely tired and lethargic, and following discussion with my doctor it was felt I was suffering with long covid - something I had never heard of and wasn’t expecting.

I had every expectation of returning to work full time, being able to spend time with my family and friends within COVID lockdown guidelines again however I experienced extreme tiredness and due to this I was unable return to my normal life. This was very isolating and frustrating - as a person who wants to be doing things it was difficult and I felt like I was letting people down, generally at work, and that my body was letting me down. With most people not understanding what long covid is, it can be isolating and difficult to talk to people about how you are feeling.

I feel like knowledge is power and it is important for people suffering from long covid to know that they are not on their own, how they are feeling is normal and things will get better.

If you are suffering with Long COVID symptoms, you can speak with one of our specially trained therapists.