Beating the Blues

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Beating the Blues is an online mental health support programme that provides referred participants with a confidential and structured way to improve their mental health and wellbeing. If you are on the Restart Scheme, your employment advisor can help you access this support.

Beating the Blues is not a crisis service. If you are feeling distressed, or want to hurt yourself/someone else, you need to tell someone immediately. Help and support is available right now, so you don’t have to struggle alone.

Sign up today

Helping you to feel emotionally better

Beating the Blues works by helping individuals to understand depression and anxiety, with targeted mental health support to better manage these conditions. Based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, it has been shown to help people get better and stay better. Once you are signed up you can work through the programme at your own pace at times that suit you. It is available online and completely confidential.

Commonly asked questions

  • What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)?

    When people are anxious or depressed, they tend to think negatively, avoid stressful situations, and stop doing the things that they enjoy. This then makes them feel even worse.

    CBT challenges these thoughts and behaviours by showing the connection between how we think links to how we feel. It teaches you how to break this negative cycle.

    The therapy has been successfully used in clinical practice for over 40 years’, helping people to overcome their anxiety and depression.

    It focuses on the here and now, providing a range of tools and skills to help you overcome anxiety and depression.

  • How is Beating the Blues different from CBT?

    CBT is usually offered face-to-face by a therapist. Beating the Blues provides the same structured approach as CBT, but online rather than with a therapist.

  • How can Beating the Blues help me?

    Beating the Blues can empower you to help yourself. You can track your progress with the assessment tools to be completed at each session.

    The programme is flexible, confidential, secure and no appointments are required.

    Many people report that this helps them to be more honest about how they are feeling.

    The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) have approved the use of online CBT for people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety.

  • How long does Beating the Blues take?

    Beating the Blues consists of eight sessions with each session consisting of between 3-5 modules. Each module takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. It is recommended that you try to complete a module every other day, completing one session a week.

    When you need to 'Sign out’ your data is saved. When you next ‘Sign in’, you will restart where you left off.

    It is recommended that you complete all eight sessions, to get the most out of the programme, even if you feel better. On average, people take 8-10 weeks to complete the programme.

Need urgent help?

Beating the Blues is not a crisis service. If you are feeling distressed, or want to hurt yourself/someone else, you need to tell someone immediately. Help and support is available right now, so you don’t have to struggle alone.

Call your GP and ask for an emergency appointment.

Call 111 out of hours, they will help you find the support you need.

Important: Is your life in danger?

If you or anyone else is in immediate danger or harm, call 999 for an ambulance or go straight to A&E. You can also someone else to call 999, or take you to A&E.

Contact us

We are here to help you, for more information please contact your employment advisor.