Support Through Therapy offers the opportunity to speak with a qualified therapist about prolonged feelings of anxiety, depression, self-loathing, sadness or anger relating to your ileostomy or internal pouch, or perhaps feelings you are experiencing after being told that you need to have this type of surgery.

Having a mental health issue that requires therapy can itself create a stigma for many, according to research. However like living with a stoma, it is important that we continue to break down those barriers and recognise the benefit that getting the right support can have.

These feelings are normal because this surgery is life changing. It could be as a result of abdominal trauma or an acute or chronic health condition. Whatever the reason for needing surgery, if you have been unable to rely on your usual coping strategies to manage your feelings, therapy sessions may be able to help you.

Therapy can help you to:

• Learn how to cope with the anger you are feeling
• See the positives to help you gain confidence and move forward
• Express your feelings in a safe space and work through those feelings with someone who won’t judge you
• Find yourself again

We would recommend that you speak with your stoma care nurse or medical professional (GP) in the first instance who may be able to offer access to a range of services including discussing the option of IA’s Support Through Therapy to see if they think that counselling/therapy would be a positive step forward to help you.

What does Support Through Therapy offer?

The programme offers an initial consultation (typically 15 minutes) with a therapist over Zoom after completing a questionnaire about yourself. The questionnaire will be accessible via the link sent to you following your successful application to apply for IA’s Support Through Therapy programme. It is important to note that the responses to the questionnaire will ONLY be accessible by the therapist and IA will NOT have access to your completed questionnaire. We recommend you complete the questionnaire as fully as possible and honestly to ensure you get the best from the initial consultation. Following your initial consultation, your therapist will confirm if they can help you going forward or whether they are unable to help you and signpost you back to your healthcare professional, IA or alternative support.

Please note that funding will only be available through the qualified therapists that IA is working with as part of the programme. It is not possible for IA to fund a therapist of your choice as part of this programme.

How many sessions can I have through the programme?

Where your application has been successful, IA will fund UP TO 3 sessions (excluding the initial consultation) if you are pre-surgery and UP TO 6 sessions (excluding the initial consultation) if you are post-surgery. If you require further sessions after this, you can discuss options available to move forward with your therapist. To ensure that IA is able to extend Support Through Therapy to as many people that apply and are successful, we are unable to fund further sessions beyond the initial funding agreement.

Can I apply?

To comply with IA’s charitable aims and goals, you can only apply for Support Through Therapy where:

• you are a current member of IA and we are able to confirm that through our membership records
• you have been advised that you need to have stoma or internal pouch surgery OR you are already living with a stoma
• you are applying for funding for pre-surgery sessions and you have not already had your stoma or internal pouch formed (in this scenario we may be able to offer you post-surgery therapy up to the maximum allowed)
• you have spoken with a One2One Support Volunteer and feel that further, more professional, mental health support would help or a healthcare professional has identified the benefits of therapy (counselling) in relation to your (future or existing) stoma or internal pouch. We regret that we are unable to accept applications for funding where the need for therapy relates to another chronic condition or life event.

How do I apply?

Assuming you qualify for Support Through Therapy after reading ‘Can I apply?’ above, please complete the short application form below. Please do not disclose anything further on the form than what is requested. The information will be used to help us identify you as a member, when you are due/had surgery, what type of surgery and your contact information to reply to your application or contact you further if we need to. Where your application is successful, you will be sent a link to complete a more detailed questionnaire that will be shared with the therapist only. IA will NOT have access to any of the information you share with the therapist.

You can read about the therapists that IA is working with by clicking on their profile below. This service launched on 30 September 2024 and our aim is to extend the range of therapists available.

Application for Support