Frequently Asked Questions

The Decider is a proactive approach to mental health and a consistent language for mental health therapy. If you have a question not answered here, please contact us.

I can't login to the online training or self help course

You should have received an automated email with your login details. Check your spam folder if you don't see the email.

Login here:  https://login.thedecider.org.uk/

Your username is your email address.

if you have forgotten or lost your password, please click on the Login link below, enter your email address (username) then click "forgot / reset password" - a new password will be emailed to you.

If you know your login details and have problems logging in, your account will become locked after 5 unsuccessful login attempts, so you you'll need to contact us to unlock it.

If you have a new password, or believe your account shouldn't be locked, please try using a different browser or a private/incognito browser window.  You may need to clear your browser cache especially after a change of login details (eg.  new password).

If all else fails, contact us.

How can I help my clients/students when I can't meet with them?

Please see our resources for teaching the skills remotely

Do I have to be a qualified mental health professional in order to teach my clients The Decider Skills?

No. The skills are for anyone and everyone. If you feel confident in using and teaching the skills, then please share them with your clients. If your clients have severe and enduring mental health issues, you need to be a skilled practitioner.

Do I need to attend a workshop/online training in order to run a skills group for clients?

It is possible to run a client skills group using your copy of The Decider Skills Manual. However, attending a workshop or completing the online training is very beneficial, particularly as you'll learn the all-important "style" of the teaching, get hints and tips and skills practice. You will also hear about the ongoing development and evidence base.

I'm the only person in my service who has attended a workshop. Can I run a skills group on my own or with a colleague who hasn't been to a workshop?

We advise that 2 members from each service attend a workshop. It's important that 2 clinicians facilitate a skills group. A 2nd clinician, who hasn't attended a workshop, can act as co-facilitator, and therefore also learn the "style" of The Decider during the group.

What is "the style" of the teaching?

You'll get a feel for "the style" by looking at various clips on the videos page. It's important to be upbeat, positive, warm, empathic, fun-loving, confident, willing to share a little of your own experiences, and to be comfortable doing fun role plays!

Do I have to teach the skills in the same order as on The Decider / in The Decider Skills Manual?

Ideally, yes. We advise starting with the Distress Tolerance skills before moving on to the other skill sets. We have to learn to tolerate distress before we can learn to change how we react.

Do I have to teach my clients ALL the skills?

No. You can run shorter groups/workshops with fewer skills, or choose the skills you consider will be most useful to your client group.

Teach every client STOPP. This is the key skill. It leads the client on to use any of the other skills. If you are teaching clients with severe and complex mental health problems, we advise teaching all 32 skills.

Can I pick just a few skills and teach them to clients in my individual sessions?

Yes of course. In our experience, the skills are more effective when taught in a group as there is more of a fun factor. However, the skills can be tailored and personalised much more when taught individually.

My clients have particular needs, can I adapt the skills to help them understand?

Yes, absolutely, adapt your teaching to suit your client group. The written materials are copyrighted and cannot be changed, but we encourage you to be creative with your teaching. You know your clients and how they will learn best. You can tailor your teaching to suit them. We stipulate that you keep the same "visual" for the skills. For example, if you're teaching "STOPP", you need to keep the STOPP sign as that is what appears on The Decider.

Can we use The Decider Life Skills for people with existing mental health problems (rather than proactive mental health)?

Yes absolutely. We encourage flexibility to suit the clients you work with. Do what is best for them. Take their feedback and make changes if required.

We facilitate half day workshops for mental health clients using The Decider Life Skills. We facilitate a longer weekly course (10-12 weeks) to teach all 32 of The Decider Skills

Can I order the manuals or handbooks if I live outside the UK or Ireland?

Yes, we send them all over the world. Please visit the Order page

Now that I've attended a workshop, can I run a workshop for my colleagues?

No. Attending the workshop enables you to teach your client group only. You are welcome to use the Introductory PowerPoint presentation in the Resources section to introduce your colleagues to the Decider.

Our Authorised Trainers are able to run workshops for professionals, or your colleagues can access the online training.

When are the next workshops?

We try to run one open workshop every year - we will post updates on the Workshops and Training page (no in-person workshops currently due to the pandemic).

We, and our Authorised Trainers run in-house workshops for various organisations and NHS Trusts.

The online training is available anytime.

Do you offer any workshops or training outside of the UK and Ireland?

We have Authorised Trainers in New Zealand.

The online training is available from anywhere in the world.

I can't access the online resources. Can you help?

Clues for login information is provided on the Resources page: 

Resources

On trying to log in, you may see an error message if you have previously logged into another password protected resources.  If so, simply use a different browser, or open a new private or incognito tab.  

Contact us if you still have problems

Where can I give some feedback about The Decider?

Please visit our feedback form by clicking here

What is your favourite quote?

We use lots of quotes. The one that is most meaningful to The Decider and which we repeat is.....

"if you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got"

because The Decider is about taking responsibility for change and the person deciding to do things differently.

Resource

Client Resources

Access your account for downloads, print materials and references.

Learn More

Evidence

Client Stories

Decider is helping people take control of their mental well-being.

Read More

History

About Us

We've worked as CBT therapists for over 35 years.

Discover