Welcome to our September 2016 Newsletter
Our newsletter aims to bring you up to date with the services we offer to GPs and their patients throughout Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Birmingham.
For many people, being diagnosed with a long-term health condition can be a frightening and disorienting experience.
Diagnosis of a chronic condition may cause a person to reassess their life, future plans and relationships with others. During this process it may be necessary for them to grieve, whilst also making changes to their everyday life to incorporate treatments or adjust to physical limitations.
As a GP caring for patients living with long-term conditions, you might agree that patients can find it helpful to learn everything they can from you about their physical symptoms and treatment options. As psychologists we often see clients who are impacted by the all-encompassing nature of a chronic illness. We endeavor to help them manage a wide range of emotions and reactions, such as stress, grief, rage, fear, denial, depression and anxiety, which often accompany their changing situation.
THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES TO HELP PEOPLE WITH A CHRONIC HEALTH DIAGNOSIS
At Morency we predominantly work integratively with our clients. This means that we draw from a range of therapeutic approaches to best meet the needs of our clients. Some these approaches are:
A Cognitive Behavioural Approach Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can be extremely useful in helping people cope with the changes illness brings to a person’s life. This therapy can be useful in learning new stress management and relaxation techniques that will assist them in managing their illness. It can also help them to think about their beliefs around illness and barriers which may be preventing them from taking the best care of themselves.
An Existential Approach The mind’s response to the body’s betrayal. Existential psychotherapy looks to explore the difficulties that a client is experiencing from a philosophical perspective, rather than taking a technique-based approach. Here the existential psychotherapist has an opportunity to work alongside a client in a powerful and moving process recognising the existential concerns (death, freedom, meaningfulness) that may be operating for the client with their chronic illness.
A Mindful Approach Mindfulness focuses on clients paying more attention to the present moment, being more aware of their own thoughts and feelings and the world around them, without judgement. This can help clients to learn to sit with difficult feelings, and has been shown to help with anxiety, depression and pain.
A Psychodynamic Approach This model can help clients to understand their emotional reactions to their health condition, it can help them to understand the reasons behind some of their behaviours, defences and coping mechanisms, such as treatments or self-care, and to make links to earlier experiences.
A Person Centred Approach This approach recognises our client’s knowledge and experience within the therapeutic process. It is an endeavour between us, rather than the client coming to us to be ‘made better’. This can be especially important with chronic health conditions where clients may already have had medical procedures and interventions which have left them feeling vulnerable.
Couples Therapy Relationships require work and are bound to face challenges both large and small. Chronic illness can affect close relationships finding that often spouses can assume differing roles and responsibilities once their partner has been diagnosed with a chronic condition. Keeping relationships strong despite a chronic illness requires good communication between couples so that anxieties and needs are clear.
Thank you for considering Morency Therapy as the best team to support the mental health of your patients. It continues to be our privilege to provide psychological support to local people.
Dr Julie Hannan
Clinical Director & Chartered Counselling Psychologist
Morency Therapy, The Mill, Radford Road, Alvechurch, Birmingham B48 7LD
Opening Hours
Monday-Friday: 08:30am-8:00pm
Saturday& Sunday: Closed
Tel: 07530 854530 www.morency.co.uk enquiries@morency.co.uk/morency-rooms