Is Wobble therapy? Wobble compared with weekly therapy

What is the difference between a Wobble and therapy?

Therapy is a relationship that builds over time: the same practitioner, a regular slot, usually a minimum of several weeks for most types of therapy, and work that goes deeper as the weeks go on. A Wobble is a single response to what you sent: your answers to seven short questions, and anything you added. The therapist reads or listens to it, records a video that says what they understood, gives practical guidance and sets one next step, and that is the whole exchange. There is no live conversation and no follow-up appointment unless you send another Wobble.

That makes a Wobble lighter than therapy in every way: faster, cheaper, nothing to attend, nothing to commit to. It is still mental health support from a qualified therapist, with the same training behind the answer. It is a different format, though. A Wobble is a personal video, not an hour sitting with a therapist, so it will not give you a live conversation each week, will not diagnose anything, and will not replace a course of therapy where that is what you need. When that is the case, the therapist says so in the video and points you to the right route.

Can I get advice from a therapist without a full course of therapy?

Yes, that is what a Wobble is. You describe one thing, a qualified UK therapist gives you their take on it, usually within hours, for £9.99 the first time, usually £14.99. Private therapists sometimes offer a one-off appointment too, at their ordinary rate of about £40 to £70, and you still have to find one, check their registration and wait for a slot. If you want a therapist's view on one thing today, a Wobble is the shorter route.

Can Wobble work like therapy if I use it regularly?

It can give you the rhythm of therapy without the appointment, and many people use it that way: a Wobble a week or a fortnight, each one a check-in with a qualified therapist and a small next step, building up over time. The plans are priced for it: two a month for £19.99, four for £34.99, which is £8.75 each. What regular Wobbles do not give you is the single ongoing relationship with one practitioner, or the depth that a course of live work can reach. If your therapist thinks that is what would help you most, they will say so.

Can I use Wobble alongside regular therapy?

Yes. Wobble works alongside a course of therapy as well as before one, and many people in therapy use it between appointments. Therapy happens at a set time each week or fortnight, and things do not wait for it: a hard day, a conversation that went badly, a decision you have to make before you next see your therapist. A Wobble gives you a qualified therapist's view on that one thing, usually within hours, and you can take what the video says into your next appointment.

It does not replace your therapist or the work you are doing together; it covers the days in between. The same goes while you wait for NHS Talking Therapies or a private therapist to start: stay on the list, and send a Wobble in the meantime.

Is private or NHS therapy better?

Neither is better; they differ in cost and waiting. NHS Talking Therapies in England is free, you can refer yourself without a GP, and it most often offers CBT for anxiety and low mood; waits vary widely by area, and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the GP is the usual route. Private therapy starts within days, gives you the choice of practitioner, and costs £40 to £70 an hour, more in London or with a specialist. Both are courses. A Wobble is the thing to use while you wait for either, or instead of either when a course is more than you want.

When should I choose therapy rather than a Wobble?

• When the difficulty has been there for months and keeps coming back whatever you try.
• When you have a diagnosis, or a GP has suggested talking therapy for a specific condition.
• When you need to sit with a therapist for an hour at a time and talk it through live, with the same person each week.
• When a Wobble therapist has told you, in your video, that ongoing therapy would help you more.

In every one of those cases, choose therapy. Wobble can still sit alongside it, as the section above says, and it is never a reason not to have therapy.