The team is made up of Clinical Psychologists (1.5 wte) and Assistant Psychologists (1.2 wte).  We also at times have Trainee Psychologists, working with us.  Trainee Psychologists are usually very skilled and have considerable experience, but will work under the supervision of our Clinical Psychologists until they complete their doctoral training.  Most of the team work part-time, but across the different days of the week.

We also have a Goal Planning Co-ordinator who organises the Patient Goal Planning Meetings.  

The psychology staff do not wear a uniform and will be dressed in normal clothing.  You should be able to identify them from their ID badge, which states their name and role.

The amount and kind of contact that people have with the psychology team varies from person to person. 

For many people, the first contact with the team following admission will be meeting with our Assistant Psychologist.  They will provide you with information about accessing support from Psychology.  They will also arrange a time to complete our screening measures, which help us to understand more about how someone is feeling. 

Screening Measures

The screening measure is our attempt to try to measure how people are feeling about the situation they have found themselves in.  We aim to complete this with everyone in the first couple of weeks following admission.  Measuring feelings is tricky.  We have a series of 27 questions about how someone might be feeling following their injury.  It takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.  This gives people a chance to think about how what has happened, has affected them emotionally.  It will also help us to think about how best to support each person, throughout their inpatient stay. 

The same screening measure is used within the other UK Specialist Spinal Cord Injury Centres. 

We then repeat the same questions again, before discharge.  Returning to the same questions again, enables people to explore how their feelings may have changed, over the course of admission. 

All patients are then able to attend the Psychology Patient Education Group sessions, where they will be able to learn about the psychological impact of their injury and explore different ways that people cope. 

Psychology Patient Education 

The psychology team arrange a series of group education sessions that all inpatients are welcome to attend during their stay here.  They usually cover the following topics: 

- Coping with difficult feelings 

- Taking back control 

- The impact on relationships with others 

- Preparing for the outside world 

More information on Psychology Patient Education can be found here.

When these sessions are happening, will be shown on patient timetables. 

We also have a drop-in session, each week, that inpatients and their relatives can access when needed, if they would like additional support or advice. 

Psychology Drop-in Session 

We have a weekly drop-in session, that is available for any inpatient or close relative to attend, if they want to speak to a psychologist.  The timing of this session is posted on the Psychology Room door.  There is no need to book an appointment for this session, just come along to the Psychology Room and you will be seen.  This is an opportunity to access support or advice when needed, at any point during your stay. 

Some patients will receive individual sessions with the psychology team during their admission.

Individual Sessions 

Sometimes this can help people who might be coping with other issues as well as their injury.   This might include mental health difficulties, complex family situations, dependency issues, problems with memory or cognitive functioning, chronic pain and people who have been traumatised by their experiences and are struggling to cope on the ward.  Need for individual support will be assessed on an individual basis and some patients may need to wait to access this, depending on the capacity of the team. 

As we work as part of the multi-disciplinary team, we have access to, and keep a record of our meetings, in the electronic medical notes.  We also work with the doctors, nurses and therapists to help to ensure that our patients get the most out of their time at the centre. 

As with the rest of your medical team, psychologists are not permitted to share any information about you, with anyone outside of the team, without your consent.  The only restriction on this is if someone tells us or give us reason to believe that they or anyone else is in danger of significant harm, then we have a duty to act on this information to prevent harm, even if this involves breaking confidentiality. 

If you have any concerns about confidentiality or would like to speak to a psychologist about something that you do not want to be shared with the team or recorded in your medical notes, please let us know and we can discuss this with you. 

We have a private room close to the MCSI ward entrance which can be used for conversations with a psychologist.  This space allows people to have private conversations, away from the ward area.  If you prefer to be seen on the ward for any reason, this is also okay.   

If for any reason you prefer not to be seen by the psychology team, please let us know and we will respect your wishes.  We aim to support people to cope in whatever way is best for them.  There is no pressure to talk about how you are feeling, if you prefer not to.