We offer a range of support to the teams in which we are co-located:
Consultation
We will meet with an individual member of staff or a team / group of practitioners to help them to develop an understanding of what might be going on for that client and why (sometimes called a ‘formulation’) and to think about how best to meet that client’s needs. This could include making a referral to a mental health / therapy service; however, our consultations will almost always include ways in which that practitioner / team can work with that client in a way that is helpful for the client and themselves.
Consultations often include some information / teaching about particular diagnoses or presenting difficulties; however, we aim to facilitate teams in recognising the skills and knowledge they already have and enhancing their skills so that they can apply these effectively.
Consultations can be a space to also make sense of the personal impact of working with clients with complex needs and helping staff to think about how and where they can get the support they themselves may need.
Training
We have a range of training packages that we offer as well as developing bespoke sessions based on the needs of the service. Training that we have delivered to date includes:
- Understanding personality disorder
- How to work effectively with people with personality disorder in crisis services
- Understanding parental mental health difficulties
- Working with parents with personality disorder
- Deliberate Self Harm – responding effectively and making a change
We have delivered training to a range of professionals including mental health service staff (nurses, social workers, support workers), GPs, reception / administration staff, social workers, family support workers and mentors.
Joint direct work
A smaller proportion of our work is joining practitioners in sessions with their clients. This may be to:
- Assess what the specific difficulties / needs are in order to ensure a smooth pathway to an appropriate service or other intervention plan
- Demonstrate to the practitioner strategies or approaches to working with people with personality disorder / complex needs
- Help the client and practitioner to develop a clear, shared understanding of their presenting needs and to start to develop a way forward in their work
Supporting referrals and pathways to mental health services
An outcome of some consultations and joint work may be a referral to a mental health service. As all PICT psychologists are employed by Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, they have a good understanding of the referral pathways and processes and can help other teams / practitioners to navigate this.