Psychological trauma: The impact and how it led to the setting up of a Crisis Centre and a Trauma Centre Website:

Transcription

1 Psychological trauma: The impact and how it led to the setting up of a Crisis Centre and a Trauma Centre Website:

2 The personal experience: before the traumatic event in 2012 Had no contact with mental health services No mental health diagnoses No history of psychosis Had never attempted suicide Had never self-harmed

3 From March 2012: The impact of the traumatic experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosed Dissociation (disconnection between thoughts and emotions) Psychotic episode in the days after the traumatic experience Suicidal thoughts. Suicide attempts Sectioned (detained under the Mental Health Act) Bipolar disorder diagnosed in 2015.

4 NHS Crisis Services: Crisis Teams Challenges for some people who have experienced trauma Number of team members involved. Different person coming out every day. Difficulty in building trust/connection with one person, let alone a whole team. Training of staff regarding trauma. Attempts made by crisis team to restrict numbers of team members visiting client. Staff shortages and shift patterns can hamper this.

5 Crisis Services (Psychiatric Hospital) Challenges of being sectioned (detained under the Mental Health Act) It can be re-traumatising. Loss of power, loss of control, feeling trapped or imprisoned. This can replicate aspects of the traumatic experience, for some people. Aspects of one to one observations, e.g. a different person coming into your room every hour at night (each doing a one hour shift). Strangers coming into your room at night can be alarming.

6 Access To NHS Therapies (1) IAPT (Improved Access To Psychological Therapies) Evidence based treatments for PTSD Practitioners trained to provide CBT Fast access to psychological therapy (usually within weeks) Self-referral is possible (in our area)

7 Access To NHS Therapies (2) Secondary/Complex Psychological Therapies Service Focuses on helping people who have: a more complex presentation or / and higher suicide risk more than one traumatic experience a severe and enduring mental health diagnosis and who are under secondary MH services Waiting times: usually several months

8 Impact of long waits for secondary/complex psychological therapies The symptoms of PTSD not being addressed: flashbacks, re-living the event, intrusive thoughts and nightmares. Feeling unable to process, accept or bear what has happened to you Increasing sense of despair as the months pass, without the therapy needed to address the symptoms Risk of using alcohol or drugs to block out the pain Risk of suicide

9 Addressing the gaps in services: The Trauma Centre Trauma Centre set up in May 2013 Providing one to one support for people who have experienced traumatic events (recent or historic) In particular, to provide support while people are waiting for psychological therapy Early intervention, to help prevent people from going into crisis In addition, support groups led by NHS psychological therapist, with input from advising psychiatrist

10 The Suicide Crisis Centre Providing one to one crisis support Combination of Crisis Centre, home visits and our emergency phone lines Not a drop-in centre Staff are fully qualified BACP-accredited counsellors with additional training Providing crisis support, not counselling Advising psychiatrist and other clinical advisers

11 Ways our services have adapted to meet needs of people post-trauma Client is in control : shift in power balance Small team: usually two people supporting a person who is in crisis Home visits provided including when a person is too afraid to leave the home Appointment-based: no busy drop-in centre Flexible ways to access the service

12 Former Shadow Minister for Mental Health on her visit to Suicide Crisis I think it reflects incredibly well on this service in particular that for every person who has come through their door, no one has gone on to take their own life. That s particularly significant. I ve been very struck by the important work that s being done here Luciana Berger, BBC Radio Gloucestershire interview, 7/1/ 16

13 The Government In March 2017 we received a letter from 10 Downing Street which informed us:- The Government appreciates the excellent work that the Suicide Crisis Centre does. The letter also informs us that the Department of Health is always keen to learn from best practice. Information about your important work has been received with interest.

14 Other Comments In September 2016 the Government s adviser on suicide, Louis Appleby, invited us to give a presentation about our work to the national advisory group which he chairs. He has described our work as very impressive (Twitter) We gave oral evidence about our Suicide Crisis Centre to the Health Select Committee in The National Lead on Suicide Prevention at Public Health England has described our work as inspiring

15 Contact If you have any questions or would like further information, please - Website: