Share your feedback

We know your comments are vital to our continued success.

Please email: ask@parabl.org to submit your feedback on your own experiences with Parabl, and help us to better address the needs of people using our service!

Feedback on Telephone Assessments

“I was impressed by the referral service – very comprehensive assessment – very helpful individual I spoken to on the phone – would recommend to others.”

“Dear Frances,
I am contacting you to say how much I appreciated your call last month. I have never spoken to anyone in a professional capacity other than my GP about the problems I have been experiencing, and I have to admit that I have always thought until now that I should be able to help myself without the need for counselling. I am still suffering from the problem of what I now think is some kind of panic attack each morning but it was remarkable that after my conversation with you on 9th March I had several days almost free from that occurrence and I am now thinking that I have you to thank.
I was particularly moved by the fact that my reference to my childhood experiences was taken seriously by you, although, as I said, my parents, I am sure, always did their best.”

“I just wanted to thank the staff at Parabl – as I had a telephone consultation in January and was referred to a Mindfulness course with Flintshire Mind, which finished yesterday and (so far and fingers crossed!) has proved a great help to me; so thank you so much for listening and finding something which I didn’t have to wait for too long for, and has been an amazing experience.”

“Thank you for all you have done and are doing to help me. I have received the information you have sent me and I will read it tonight. Just wanted you to know it’s much appreciated what you’re doing. THANK YOU” Olly (Permission given by Olly to use his name)

“very helpful, very positive”

“I feel quite positive now”

“So helpful”

“I really appreciate what you’ve done for me”

“Thank you so much for your help “

“Thank you for giving me the space and time to talk”

“What you have done for me today, I can’t thank you enough”

“This is the first time that I have been able to talk about this. It has helped me greatly”

“you’ve been brilliant”

“I feel better already after talking to you”

“I feel a lot brighter, and that I’m not going nuts”

Feedback on the Serenity programme – Computerised Cognitive Behaviour Therapy programme

“Using Parabl has been the only treatment that has effectively helped me to deal with depression, anxiety and stress. I really can’t say enough how much of a huge change the service has given me. I have suffered for almost 4 years and finding parabl has completely changed my thought processes for the better. The serenity programme has been a real lifeline for me when I was thinking that I could never receive treatment to help my depression. I now feel better that I have ever felt in my life. – thank you.”

“Very happy with this service, it was extremely beneficial at a very traumatic time for me. I do feel that a face to face follow-up session would have been of greater value than the telephone sessions.”

“I had one introductory session to CCBT- answers refer to helpfulness of CCBT. Amy was a fab helper and I appreciated being able to have helper calls outside office hours to fit around work. Did not like module 3, felt disheartened after doing it but glad I persisted. I did not like the image under introducing in each module (the ladder starting at introducing at the bottom up to preventing relapse at the top). I personally felt it reinforced the fact I was at the lowest point of my whole life and had a huge process to go through before I would be at the stage I wanted to be better and better. On line resources such as relaxation downloads were good. I liked the DASS end being able to see my own changes with each module. Two areas I felt could have been explained better were distraction techniques( egs) and metro cognitions/emotions. One comment overall is that it took apprx 4 weeks form my first call to telephone assessment. However once I was referred into the CCBT programme, things moved very quickly. When struggling with acute mental illness, four weeks feels like a lifetime. I felt my recovery would have been quicker if I had have been accessed and able to access resources sooner. It also meant that elements of the programme weren’t relevant by the time I reached them as I had already experienced them. I apologise if the comments seem negative. I am so grateful for all the help I have received over the past few weeks. I am really impressed with my contact with services offered by PARABL but think it would be improved with a few minor amendments( like the telephone assessment system) “. Thank you for your feedback which is greatly appreciated. We are working hard to reduce the waiting time from referral to assessment. With regard to your feedback in relation to the Serenity CCBT program, this has been shared with the designer of the program and he is working to make improvements based on your feedback.

“I don’t think it was quite what I expected and not quite suitable for me. However, I’m grateful for the opportunity to try it,and hopefully will have benefitted from it. Amy was very kind and helpful. Thank You. ”

Feedback on therapeutic courses

“A very helpful and worthwhile course. Thank you.”

“Very impressed with the whole course.”

“I feel the venue choice is excellent it is non stigmatising and normalises the issues we as service users have. The staff conducting the course are extremely helpful and give valuable advice. I have seen a tremendous difference in the way I deal with situations compared to prior the course. I am grateful the staff here signposted me to the other courses relevant to my needs. Thank you.”

“The choice of venue was very appropriate. The setting is very valuable to the success of the course.”

“I liked the venue, I learnt a lot and have been able to control some aspects of my life I hadn’t identified as a problem, Knowledge of what is happening to me is a very useful tool.
Small groups very effective. Venue ideal.”

“Much prefer being a non-mental health setting. Feel less judged.”

“An extremely helpful and friendly service. Thank you so much for your help and support in getting me back on my feet and able to cope with life better.”

“Course is on too long far too much info needs to be to the point and simple.”

“It has helped me put my concerns into perspective and I know it’s up to me.
The programme did not have too much content and was easy to follow. I felt that the pace for completing the programme was comfortable for me.”

“Excellent group leader.”

“I really did not think it could help me but I was willing to try anything. I have found the course so helpful, I really feel capable now to use the skills. I have learnt in my life. I managed to speak up as I would not normally because I felt safe in the group. Sandra is such a lovely, caring tutor and so helpful, she has really made a difference to me and I am so grateful. I am looking forward to the next course.”

“Excellent course and excellent tutor in Sandra. Frist week I was very unsure it was a help to me but from week 2 onwards – fantastic!! Whilst obviously I was not expecting all the answers I needed to why I am stressed and a “sure” as such, now I have tools to help myself. I also have an understanding why I get stressed. I cannot express more highly the worth of this course.”

“Neutral venue is nice – staff members/group leaders very friendly/nice. Format of the course was good too.”

“Appreciated the fact that the venue was in a “neutral” setting. I would not have attended the course if it had been held in a mental health facility as it would have brought back too many bad memories having experienced the setting before helpful to have venue in a “real world” setting, presents potential of additional anxiety over attending course and reinforces the normal/common occurrence of such mental health issues.”

“More detailed handouts/services/discussions tailored to specific needs/issues – improvements needed. Good friendly vibe was great – no improvement needed there – run very well. Good that only a few people in each session, not too much to overpower issues. “

“More diary handouts supplied, push on working on things like that – self-tracking
Etc”

“I have been fortunate enough to receive the benefit of courses through Advanced Brighter Futures in Wrexham, having been referred to them through Parabl. I cannot express how thankful I have been for the invaluable help I have received through both charities. My husband is also using your services as he is doing a home-based course alongside telephone support.
After trying to get some support for us as we were very stressed after trying to support our daughter, who at the time had her own mental health issues, our GP passed us your leaflet to look at. Everything was dealt with very quickly and before we knew it we were getting the support we needed and are now benefiting from. Thank you so much.”

“It’s nice to meet up with people who have similar problems or something in common. It helps to mix with other people to build up confidence and it also gets you out of the house. ”

“A very good course, a safe environment to explore issues and feelings of anxiety. Good information given and support. ”

“The group is compassionately and sensitively conducted. I’ve loved spending time with everyone involved. The group coordinators couldn’t be more perfect considering the nature of these group meetings”

“The course was very good and helpful. I would attend any other course offered to me. Helped me a great deal.”

“Everything was really good and positive, learnt so much about myself, self awareness, felt so comfortable within the group, the only comment i could add is it would be good if it lasted maybe couple more sessions. Thank you”

“At the moment I am not well enough to complete the course however would like to return to it in the future.”

“The course helped me cope with anxiety and depression, meeting others with similar feelings. I has helped me cope with different issues.”

“Enjoyed the sessions, both tutors very approachable + nice. Group was friendly, helped with getting me out of the hours + socialising. Would attend future groups. ”

“Another very well presented course – excellent course leaders as always. So helpful and supportive. Very worthwhile.”

“They are really supportive. Really look forward to another course. Learn so much. ”

“More funding needed. Definitely felt support, Non-judgemental ”

“This course has livened up life. The tutors were very helpful. They were professional and kept everyone involved.”

“It was a shame I could not make all the meetings but as a positive note, it has opened up new doors for me- plus being able to come on the course again is very helpful. It has been very beneficial to me. Thank you all. Xx ”

“I found some parts useful to help me deal with some things, but it was not really tailored to my specific problems so it could not be 100 % effective for me So it was of some help but not the complete answer and maybe I may need a one to one type of therapy in the future”

“Very good help and I need to do the homework. Thank you. ”

Feedback on Mindfulness groups

“The instructor Sholot was excellent and made the course informative and enjoyable, it was just such a shame that there were such a small number of participants. The consensus of the group felt that it would be most helpful for further classes on “mindfulness” to continue on a monthly basis to help provide motivation and would enable us to interface with each other despite the distances involved. Whilst the group met in a relatively small room it did get extremely hot and noisy when being used and because of the need to immerse oneself in the practices it was not conducive to having an open door. Perhaps this could be addressed for future courses.”

Thank you for your feedback, we have reviewed our venue for this group and have changed to a larger venue which allows for more space and is much quieter. Feedback re the change of venue has been very positive. Re the monthly follow on sessions, we are looking to develop these and will advertise on our website when available.

“Really intense meditation – perhaps a more gradual building up from a shorter to a longer meditation.”

“Melanie is a very good Teacher.”

“Melanie and Nathan were great tutors. The only observation being that it was difficult to find out about the availability of mindfulness/ parabl in my area, I found it by chance.”

“Unfortunately the timing of the sessions coincided with a commitment that meant that I was unable to fully engage with all of the sessions; however those that I did attend were very helpful. I understand that there are currently two courses running over one year and would suggest at least one more be slotted into the year to space them out.”

Thank you for your feedback, due to increased interest in the Mindfulness groups we are now holding 3 groups per year.

“Parabl have helped me through a very difficult period in my life – first with having 6 counselling session with Kelly in Wrexham and now with the Mindfulness course. I am sleeping better and functioning with much less stress occupying my mind. Thank you. I would and I have recommended the Parabl services to anyone in need.”

“Great course and a good venue. Great teacher and opportunities to have further meditation classes.”

These comments were taken over the phone so are not verbatim. “Melanie was an excellent tutor and it was a lovely
group to be a part of – one suggested area of improvement would be to have a monthly follow up sessions to help people with their motivation.”

“I have attended the 8 week mindfulness course and found it very helpful.”

Feedback on Individual Counselling sessions

“I have been helped to focus on problems that have or are still causing me anxiety. I do feel I need to continue to address these but is not a failure of the system or my therapist more a “need more time” aspect.”

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Conny for her excellent work. I have had counselling in the past but Conny has used difference techniques to them and they have been so much more beneficial. I know feel in a completely different place – many thanks.”

“I would just like to thank Kelly very much – she was warm and supportive and I felt very relaxed and comfortable from the very first meeting. Thank you Parabl!”

“Excellent support/ Very caring and reassuring very much needed at a very hard time of my life – counselling sessions have been priceless and I can’t thank you enough – thank you.”

“The length of the individual sessions I think would benefit being extended another 2-4 weeks, as I feel the other options, as set out in leaflet would not be any benefit to me.”

“I thank Louise for her time and effort. I found her very helpful, understanding. She left me going home afterwards on a happier frame of mind. Having someone outside of the family listening to your problems really helped made me feel more contented with my life.
Thank You.”

“When I first attended my first session I didn’t think it was for me but Mike has a way of getting you to open up I feel this has done me a lot of good I will apply for more sessions as I feel I am almost there but not quite. Thanks again.”

“I have definitely come a long way from when I started these sessions but I know within myself that I still have some work to do. However before starting these sessions I would not have realised what I have to work on. Thank you for allowing me to attend these sessions, and look at how my life has affecting my future. Thank you also to Mr Huntley for his support.”

“The sessions enabled me to put my feelings into words and enable me to accept current situations.”

“I feel that the support and guidance regarding my feelings/problems was invaluable.”
“Louise was really helpful I feel like I have very much improved.”

“Very good service staff very nice would have liked an extra session as part of the therapy but the service really helped me.”

“Sessions could be for longer period i.e. Not just 8 sessions. Support needed for longer than this. Felt better after sessions but didn’t help when things crop up between them (unexpected problems etc). Some means of contact.”

“Have found the sessions very useful! I had not used the service previously and found comfort in the knowledge that there was help available if needed.”

“Sarah has been absolutely incredible as my counsellor/therapist. I feel I could open up to her about my life problems and explain fully about them. I would recommend Parabl and the services it offers. Thanks for everything.”

“The counsellor has been very useful. He has been very supportive and understanding and worded things for me that I never thought before, and made me stop to think of my own actions, breathing techniques are helping me through difficult time.”

“This service has made a huge difference to my life over the last 6 weeks. I feel ready to live once more. Thank You. You brought me back to life.”

“I have spoken to counsellors in the past and have found Clive to be the best by far, he listens to and seems to understand all that I say. ”

“I feel someone who listens can help and support you, through difficult times.”

“An exceptionally gifted and capable counsellor who gave a huge amount of help and support in a short time”

“I would just like to mention the lady who took time to listen and support me. Her name was Kelly and she deserves a special thank you, she was easy to talk to and very professional. Many Thanks again.”

“Was good to have someone to speak to. ”

“I feel that I was already well on the road to recovery by the time it all started(service) would have benefited me 2/3 meetings earlier. ”

“This has been very valuable in helping me to improve my way of thinking. Would recommend the service.”

“It was very helpful to reflect on things under the surface- examine what was affecting me.”

“Fixed time each week, if you miss a session you lose it,- venue a bit public to walk in to ”

“I have felt better after attending the session, it felt helpful to off load my current problem and to learn to deal with things one at a time and not to over burden myself with everything at once and to try to have some time aside just for myself.”

“It’s helpful to talk to someone who’s not judgemental and doesn’t apply the benefit of hindsight to my past mistakes.”

“This service has made a huge difference to my life over the last 6 weeks. I feel ready to live once more. Thank you, you brought me back to life. ”

“Jane has been great , thank you. ”

“I did eventually receive the one to one counselling as requested, rather than attending group meetings. I found that there was someone there for me to listen and talk to, which I found very satisfactory. ”

“Unfortunately though sessions were great and Kelly was excellent, very supportive, but sessions (6) was not enough! ”

“Follow on service was a great let down. Now I feel abandoned and my problems still ongoing.”

“Accessing counselling /CBT from Parabl has helped me to get back on the right track and laid the foundations for the work I need to do to stay on track. Thank you ”

“I think in a more positive way now and people have noticed the difference. Thank you for helping me. ”

“I would definitely come back to Parabl if I needed support again. I believe the sessions I have received have helped me resolve issues and taught me how to live with them, which in turn has helped me to be the confident person I was before or nearly anyway. ”

“My counsellor (Ms. Plum) was attentive and extremely helpful. It was reassuring to find someone who understood what was wrong. Excellent service. Parabl. Could do with more public funding. ”

“I now feel more optimistic.”

“By talking through events has helped me to clarify issues”

“These comments are based on my experience at Gwersyllt resource centre after initial difficulties at the first venue. ”

Feedback from Professionals

“We welcome the advent of your service as there has been a gap in service provision for some time now for patients with mild to moderate depression etc” Sian Jones, Health Visitor BCUHB

“I am passionate about ensuring that people with mental health problems receive support – whatever their level of complexity.”

– Sean Clarke, Clinical Programme Manager, Primary Care and Psychological Therapies and involved in the commissioning of Parabl

General feedback on Parabl services

“Good venue, Poor parking “