Adult Mental Health Nikki Harrison Consultant Clinical Psychologist Belfast Health & Social Care Trust
What got me interested? Some mental ill-health in the family 1 in 4 people will experience mental health problem in course of a year Family member worked in social work & occupational psychology General curiosity/interest
Mental Health in Cinema/TV
Cont’d
Mental Health in Cinema/TV
In Books/Poetry LoF – human impulses towards civilisation and the pursuit of power
My route into Undergraduate degree in psychology – UUJ Msc in applied psychology- UUJ Assistant Psychologist post- learning disability 3 year clinical training- Psychological society of Ireland (PSI) First clinical post- working with Looked after Children (LAC) in Health Service Executive (HSE) BPS statement of Equivalence Second post- AMH- Belfast City Hospital, Windsor house- 6 years Current post ( 2012-) Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Primary Care, Belfast Trust
My job: Individual work Family work Group work Consultation Supervision Management Teaching e.g. on the DClinPsy training course
Services I work into Primary Community Mental Health Teams (PCMHT) Community Psychiatric Nurses (CPN), Social Workers, Psychiatrists, Psychologists Referrals to team from GP’s Moderate/ Complex Mental Health Difficulties- not Severe Mental Illness (SMI)
Clinical work- Typical referrals to Clinical Psychology Complex/ Chronic Anxiety Disorders Depressive disorders Trauma- Type II ( including childhood trauma) Adjustment/ Loss Attachment/ Interpersonal difficulties Often with associated difficulties such as Self harm/ Risk/ Eating Disorder/ Personality Disorder
Individual work Assessment Psychological formulation Psychological interventions/ Psychological therapies
Family therapy Helping family members support someone with a MH problem, reducing isolation Improving communication in family relationships particularly during times of stress Improving understanding of mental health Identifying helpful and unhelpful family patterns
Group Work Self-Esteem ACT 4 mood Others Mindfulness Childhood trauma group Bipolar awareness group
Other parts of my job:- Consultation Supervision Management/ Service Development Teaching/ Training
Other roles for psychology in AMH Cognitive assessments/ IQ Assessment of ASD & ADHD Neuropsychology Behavioural work Working with staff teams (reflective practice) Research Working with SMI- Psychosis & Bipolar Can work on acute Psychiatric wards, or in community settings ( e.g. Health centres)
Skills for the job Empathy Patience Good communication skills ( verbal, written & listening skills) Curiosity Critical thinking skills Time Management
Issues Challenges Too few clinical psychology training places Too few funded posts in Health Service Other disciplines claiming to do the same/ similar work Positives Can be fascinating work Can change peoples’ lives Can specialise how you like, to quite an extent; in terms of area, research, approach No two days ever the same, always learning