The Community Health division of County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust provides a range of mental health services for residents of County Durham.  These services are primary care mental health services for people with common mental health problems.  The Trust does not provide services for people with serious mental health problems which are generally provided by the Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust.  The mental health services provided by Community Health Services are:

• A primary care psychology service.  The psychology services is only available currently to the residents of Durham, Chester-le-Street and Derwentside.  Referrals to the service are made by General Practitioners for people who suffer from complex common mental health problems who require complex psychological interventions.
• Psychological input by the Pain Management Unit of the University Hospital North Durham.  The Pain Management Unit with the University Hospital North Durham aims to help people deal with the problems of living with a condition that causes them pain.  Within the service Community Health Services provide a number of Psychological Therapists who offer therapies to help patients cope with their conditions.
• A mental health service for people with learning difficulties.  This is a new service which aims to offer support for people with learning difficulties who also have a concurrent common mental heath problem.
• The County Durham and Darlington Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service called Talking Changes.  IAPT is a national programme which has seen significant investment in the provision of talking therapies for people with common mental health problems.  In County Durham and Darlington the service is provided by a joint venture partnership between Community Health Services, Mental Health Matters and the Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust.  The service is know as Talking Changes and accepts self-referral as well as referral from General Practitioners.  Further information can be found on its own website www.talkingchanges.org.uk