I have a wca 10 October

stay_positive

The assessment will be a telephone call , so pleased about this . My work coach has been amazing , so understanding and I cannot fault her at all . Just need to get through this now .
My CPAP is challenging I am waiting for my third mask , if this fails I have to go into hospital for a sleep assessment by a sleep therapist . 

I have just completed 8 weeks of counselling with 'talking therapies ' and now on the waiting list for 8 weeks as I need a more in depth counselling as it goes very deep .

Also I just had my three monthly follow up with gynecologist and because of my anxiety and fear he has changed the follow up care , Usually for the first year it is every three months, but he is going to see me every three months for the next three years .

So now I wait for the phone assessment and then wait for their decision . 

poppy123456

Good luck for the assessment. Please remember to try not to answer any questions with just a yes or no. Try to go into as much detail as possible. 

Albus_Scope

So glad to hear you have the assessment via phone @stay_positive, that's great news! 

stay_positive

Thank you poppy and Albus .

stay_positive

Deppi said:

stay_positive said:

I have just completed 8 weeks of counselling with 'talking therapies ' and now on the waiting list for 8 weeks as I need a more in depth counselling as it goes very deep .

Try to avoid saying in the assessment that Counselling goes deep. This is false. Counselling is based on the Humanitarian approach from the works of Carl Rogers. It works with here and now, and totally rejects the past as a way of achieving a result as it is not believed your past drives you.

What you refer here the Freud based Psychodynamic approach, and this is not done by Counsellors or talking therapists who apply CBT.

Ask you Counsellor, but this wrong idea, can cause a lot of problems to your assessment if you happen to crash on a knowledgeable assessor.

Why? Because Counselling can help you cope, but doesn't cure you if you have psychological issues. Counselling is to deal with short term challenges and prepare the way for a path to self actualisation. aka You will be fit for work in the near future = LCW.

Also, I hope you are aware, that the title of Counsellor is not protected in the UK. Meaning ANYONE can use it. You dont even have to be registered to practise as a Counsellor. So lookup on your own what Counselling is offering and what it doesnt please. I have seen quite a lot in my hard life.

I would suggest you ask you GP to put a referral for a Specialist, Psychologist, to have Psychotherapy. This will go "deep" as you call it, and when you do the Specialist will know what to do with it, because now, they dont. Bear in mind, it has a long waiting list of over 12 months, so request it now.

Finally, your Counselling 8 sessions are running too fast. You should look a mark of 3-4 weeks per appointment, not weekly. if you need that fast, you need psychotherapy 100%. And when the second series of 8 is all done, you will have to wait 12 months for asking a new series. Take all that into your consideration please.

Take this as you wish, I only mean good here. But you are using the wrong terminology for Counselling, in the wrong place (for a WCA).

Good luck.

Thanks , I've got MacMillan ringing me Thursday he has been guiding me throughout this . I had cancer in January and it has totally freaked me out I do not go out alone , so I shall see what the MacMillan benefits guy suggests .
I have seen many professionals during my life , my illness started when I was 7 . I was sent away to boarding school because nobody could cope with me . I don't know what to make of your counselling suggestions , its causing me a great deal of panic and anxiety . The counselling is with the NHS talking therapies .

stay_positive

Also I have phone counselling because i cannot do face to face , If they find me fit for work then they are inhumane and also are not professional enough to do these assessments . 
This would make me very very ill . The thought of being around strangers and trying to do a job would make me ill . Now I feel very stressed and very panicky , just waiting for this appointment has been hard on me now I feel I am going to fail it and forced to take a job. Not feeling well at all now .

stay_positive

I have received a letter from my Gynae Oncologist that he wants to see me every three months for the next three years instead of the first year being three months only.
Shall I forward this to the UC50 so they have it for the assessment ?

poppy123456

It would be better to send it directly to the Health Assessment Advisory Service because they are dealing with your assessment, not UC. Details here. https://chdauk.co.uk/about-us/contact-us/

stay_positive

Thank you Poppy, I was hoping you would reply , thank you as always .

stay_positive

I've just had my wca , was over an hour , I'm completely stressed out , I started crying .
How long is it before a decision is made ?

poppy123456

I think the majority or people find it stressful, myself included. Once the report is returned a decision can take up to 12 weeks. Though a lot of people have a decision much sooner than that. 

Once it’s made you will receive a letter on your journal.

stay_positive

Thank you poppy appreciate you

stay_positive

My letter said that counselling is fine and taken into account from the medical professionals at the dwp .
During the phone assessment ,I was asked about my counselling and  as I have counselling since i was a little girl in fact i saw a psychiatrist for years as a child , the assessor even said that it seems it is an ongoing thing . If I am honest the counselling only helps for a while then my phobias come back and i am back to the beginning . 

I told her that if I am forced to be in a situation where there are a few or lots of people I get really anxious and if I panic I lash out , I am not proud of this , but when the anxiety and panic kick in I need to get away and to some sort of safety . I hope she doesn't think I am a violent person , because I am not , I just don't cope in crowds or small groups .