I'm a consultant clinical psychologist AMA

[midgeattractor]

Ok then!

I've been working in the NHS for 21 years, in a variety of specialties and regions. Does anyone have any questions

What’s your favourite kind of cake?

A really squidgy chocolate one. V therapeutic

Do you ever just say you’re a psychologist? Your title is a bit of a mouthful.

What do you think of psychoanalysis?

Do you think a very traumatic event can impact a part of someone's life into adulthood?

Witnessing a very*

What's your opinion on the current state of NHS mental health care?

Can you help in the middle of a crisis as there is a person on another trending thread who needs help right now? See Left my husband sat in hotel....

Do you work for CAMHS?

Yes I do say psychologist in convo, it is a mouthful... people do generally then ask what I mean though as there are lots of types of psychologists...

Definitely traumatic events continue to have an impact into adulthood. Some people are affected more than others, and it varies depending on type of support available at the time and after (short,medium and long term), and also in personality and genetics.

NHS is in a sorry state. We try our best to help as many people as possible, but it is tricky. In some ways we are constrained by legal systems, as when you get to the point of needing to be really helped in hospital, the ways we understand this are based on psychiatric classification systems, and not on an individual understanding of the person, what has happened to them, and how the systems continue to perpetuate some of ten issues. Lucy johnstones 'power threat meaning' paper is a better way of describing this...

I don't currently worm in CAMHS.

Psychology isn't really an emergency service unfortunately. When people are in crisis, it is very difficult to think and plan properly (the part of our brain which protects us from threat kicks in, and this overrides the part of our brain which can think calmly). When people are in a crisis situation they need various things to help them calm. Space, time, support, being contained, feeling heard. Gradually this helps at this point. And then later therapy can help to make sense of what has happened, practice new ways of thinking / reacting / feeling.

When would you suggest there is there a benefit to seeing a psychologist instead of a counsellor for depression?

Hi !

Can I ask you what is the best advice you have ever been given or alternatively what is the best advise you give people 😊 Tks.

If a young person is considering clinical psychology as a career, what advice would you give them?

I have a degree in psychology and counselling. What would I need to do/what extra qualifications would I need if I was considering a career change to work as a psychologist? Would you recommend changing?

I don't understand the third paragraph in your third post sorry (may be thick ).

What psychologist role can I go into with experience as a teacher and a masters in psychology? Before I get my PhD in child clinical psychology.

What area do you specialise in (as in developmental, trauma, educational etc). What made you choose psychology?

Lots of career questions! Clinical psychology is one branch of psychology, and once we have qualified people tend to work in specialties, meaning a particular clinical group. Depending on the area and how services are set up, people work with adults, children, people with disabilities, autism, brain injury etc.

To become a clinical psychologist you first need to do a degree which infers graduate basis for registration with the division of clinical psychology (some undergrad degrees don't have this so you need to check. If you don't have it you can do a conversion course to get it). Once you have this, most people spend time doing work which exposes you to either direct work with people (eg support worker, nursing assistant, or most sought after is assistant psychologist) or work doing research. Once you've done this for a little while, generally people do this for a few years, you need to apply for the doctorate in clinical psychology (DClinPsych; this is the only professional qualification which allows you to practice, and mostly takes 3 years of supervised clinical practice, research and academic study). This is highly competitive, and most people apply more than once before being accepted. The better your experience the more likely you are to get on, but a large proportion of applicants are entirely suitable and highly qualified. The 'clearing house' for clinical psychology (google it) handles all the applications for all courses, and keeps data on how many apply vs how many get on each year. While it's competitive, it's obviously achievable with drive and focus.

I would definitely recommend this career. I love it, my job is varied and fascinating, the reward when someone recovers or makes progress is amazing. The way our training works means we have analytical and research skills which makes us good leaders, and we are often engaged in research about actual interventions or about how services can work best.

Would there be any prejudice for someone that has had MH issues as a teenager and been under CAMHS following this career path?

How much can you tell about someone on the first meeting? Do you tend to form a diagnosis in that first session?

Do you diagnose people you meet socially? Conversely, am I right in thinking that people you meet socially try to tell you their life story and ask for a diagnosis?

I've been diagnosed under secondary care with anxious personality disorder with strong avoidant and obsessive compulsive components. It's crippling me and ruining my life, causing frequent bouts of heavy depression and despair. Had it all my life since being a child. Always in a constant state of fear and distress.

However, as I'm not a danger to myself and and can function - I've been discharged back to my GP with advice to self refer to the local CBT centre for a 6-12 week course.

From everything I've read on treating anxious personality disorder in adults, it is absolutely not something that is treated quickly or easily with a 6-12 CBT sessions as the hard wiring is deeply ingrained.

Someone I know in the mental health word when I opened up to about this sucked through her teeth and suggested that PDs are a nightmare and there's a tendency for medical professionals to pass the hot potato from department to department.

I feel like I've been fobbed off and that I'm highly unlikely to get the depth and length of treatment I may need on the NHS.

Any truth in this or thoughts?

Tried a plethora of ADs including all the first line SSRIs (Fluoxetine, Citalopram, Venlafaxine, Sertraline, Mirtazapine, Trazadone, Amitriptyline, Clomipramine) - none have really worked but most have induced intolerable side effects. My Psych did say that AD's were a sticking plaster to mask the symptoms, and that I should really treat the root cause, the PD, which I accept.

But how, where?

Is that a decent enough question?

Thanks in advance.

Which therapy modalities are you trained in, and how extensive was that training? Enough to be BABCP registered, for example?

Following