What to expect
Doctors face unique pressures and challenges, from long working hours, chronic stress and burnout to low mood, compassion fatigue and exposure to trauma.
Our process is expertly designed to make accessing confidential, tailored therapeutic support easy and reliable, tailoring our approaches to suit your needs.
1. Submit a confidential self-referral
Complete our short, secure online form to tell us a bit about yourself. We only ask for essential information at this stage to be able to contact you to discuss what support may be suitable.
Alternatively, you can contact the Royal Medical Benevolent Fund to find out if you’re eligible for financial support.
2. Attend an initial assessment
Within 5 days, one of our in-house therapists will contact you to arrange a 45-minute initial consultation. This discussion helps us to understand your needs and recommend the most suitable next steps for you.
3. Book your sessions securely
Prior to your sessions and initial consultation, you will receive a link to our secure booking and payment portal, where you can schedule support at times that work for you.
4. Begin accessing tailored support
Sessions work on a pay-as-you-go basis, unless you are eligible for funding via the RMBF. All sessions are delivered confidentially via telephone or video call. We offer a variety of approached tailored for doctors including Integrative Therapy, Person-Centred Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
You have two options available:
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Self-funded
You can refer yourself for a free, no obligation initial assessment with one of our therapist.
This is a 45-minute consultation to help us understand your needs and recommend the most suitable next steps for you.Any future sessions will be charged at £85 (if you are recommended that 'High-Intensity CBT' would be suitable for you this is charged at £105 per session).
After this assessment your therapist will discuss with you about how many sessions they recommend.
If you would like to continue with the sessions they will choose a date and time for your next session directly and you will be sent a payment link via email.
Refer yourself
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Help with fees
The RMBF may be able to offer financial help for the Talking Therapies service for those in financial need.
Please provide brief details of your current circumstances, including your full name, phone number, grade, specialty and employment status. If we think that you could be eligible for support, a short application form will be sent out to you.
Please click on the link below and RMBF will get back to you with details of the process.
Why doctors trust us
Our trusted therapy teams work exclusively for Rightsteps, and we never outsource therapists from external agencies. This means that we can confidently ensure all our therapists are:
- Experienced in supporting frontline clinical workers
- Fully qualified, with training ranging from counselling diplomas to MSc and PG Diploma level
- Registered or accredited with the BACP
- Skilled in working with issues such as burnout, trauma exposure, complex stress, low mood and anxiety
Our approach to supporting doctors is both compassion and rigorously evidenced-based, with strong clinical outcomes that exceed national benchmarks. You can hear from our service manager, Katy, and find out more about some of our therapy team below:
“My therapist was calm and comforting during our sessions. She explained all the techniques thoroughly and helped me to adopt a different way of thinking about stress and anxiety.”
“Perfect counsellor for me, supportive, listened, reflected back on past conversations and followed up on outcomes. Very impressed!”
“My counsellor was absolutely lovely and encouraging. Never judgemental.”
“I've had such a massive shift in perspective and I am super appreciative!”
Frequently asked questions
How is your therapy delivered?
Our expert team of therapists deliver sessions over the phone or video call via Teams. Online self-guided therapy is also available via the My Rightsteps Hub.
How do your clinical outcomes compare?
Rightsteps boasts a Reliable Improvement score of 68.5%, above the national average of 67%, and a Recovery score of 65.6%, significantly higher than the national average of 50.9.
Is therapy confidential?
Our self-referral form and therapeutic support is confidential. We provide the RMBF with anonymised data reports focusing on engagement metrics.
What is your cancellation policy?
Charges will only be applied for sessions attended or DNAs, which is where a doctor does not attend the session and does not notify the service in advance. Any doctors that give more than 48 hours’ notice will be offered the opportunity to reschedule their appointment.
What is the average waiting time for therapy?
Following completion of our confidential self-referral form, an initial consultation will be scheduled within five days (excluding weekends).
What happens if therapy isn't appropriate at this time?
Our goal is to ensure your employees receive the right care at the right time. If therapy isn't appropriate, our team will help identify alternative resources or support options which may be better suited.