How we work

We offer:

Initial comprehensive assessment with a doctor specialising in mental health/psychiatry or a clinical psychologist.
Ongoing monitoring as well as comprehensive psychological, medical, and practical support to clients, e.g. employment support) and carers for up to 2 years.
If specific needs are best met by other teams and organisations, we support referral to relevant services.

What we do not offer:

We can’t offer a crisis service. If you feel like you really need to talk to someone quickly, please click here.

Who can access the OPEN service?

We welcome referrals from:

Young people themselves (if aged 18 or over)
Families/carers/friends
University/College tutors/nurses
GPs or other healthcare professionals (eg. psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, support workers, etcetera)
Third sector organisations

Those aged 14-17 will need to be referred by their carer, via their GP or CAMHS Single Point of Access. More information can be found here.

How do referrals to OPEN work?

For all referrals the person seeking support will need to complete a confidential 5-minute screening survey asking about what’s bothering them before being able to submit a referral to our service.
This questionnaire helps us determine if our service is the best fit for your/their needs. This will be usually followed-up by a triage phone call, where we will ask more questions about specific symptoms.

For professionals: You will be asked to fill in an online referral form. We will then get in touch with the young person via phone or email to schedule a triage phone call or an assessment with one of our team members.

If you or the person you are supporting don’t meet the criteria for our service, we will direct you to self-help resources and other services.

What to expect if offered an assessment

If our service seems like the right fit for you, you will be invited to an assessment at John Sharich House, Horspath Driftway, Oxford, OX3 7JH, or online on Microsoft Teams.

During the assessment, one or two of our team members will meet with you to discuss your experiences and how they affect you. We may also ask about other areas of your life to determine if we can provide appropriate support.

The assessment can take up to 1.5 hours or may take place over a few appointments to ensure we have enough time to understand your experiences.

What to expect after an assessment

Once you’ve had an assessment, our team will discuss whether we think we’re a good fit for your needs.
We will provide a letter to summarise the assessment, sent to you and your GP. This letter will explain our decision on whether we think OPEN-ARMS is the best service for you or not.
If we think another service is a better fit, we will discuss with you whether you would like to be referred to them.
We may also provide resources and other suggestions if we think you might find them helpful.
If we think OPEN-ARMS is the best fit for you, then we will allocate you a keyworker, who will be in touch to arrange your first meeting. This will involve creating a Support Plan together, which will outline what support we can offer based on your needs and goals.
There may be a waiting period to receive individual talking therapy.

How will my information be used

All the information you give us will be kept confidential within our team. However, if we are gravely concerned about you or someone else’s safety, we may have a duty of care to share that information with other services or individuals. Find out more about how we use your data.

Opening Hours

Our working hours are 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.

We do NOT offer crisis/emergency support. If you are in crisis and need urgent help, there are some useful contacts here. You may like to save these numbers in your phone in case you need them.