I worked in the UK’s National Health Service for three years. I am experienced with working with individuals of various ages and backgrounds. I learned to adapt assessments and therapy to suit the needs of individuals. In all of my clinical experience, I received extensive supervision and guidance from experts in their field to ensure that I delivered the highest quality interventions.
Listed below are some of the organisations where I’ve worked. I’ve included a brief description of the service and the work I did there.
Norfolk Adult Mental Health Service
I provided psychological therapies for individuals who were 25 years old and above, with various mental health difficulties such as Depression, Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The therapeutic models used often dependent upon individuals and their needs or difficulties. In particular, I was familiarised to the model of Cognitive Analytical Therapy which explains how dynamics and patterns are formed within relationships and ways to identify and “exit” the patterns that are not too helpful. I co-facilitated a 10-week managing emotions group, where attendees would learn the function of emotions, the concept of Wise Mind (the balance between our emotion mind and rational mind) and acceptance, following modules from Dialectical Behavioural Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment models.
Norfolk Community Older Adults Mental Health Service
During my time in the Older Adults Mental Health Service, I predominantly conducted assessments of dementia, using assessments of cognitive functioning, executive functioning, attention and memory. Furthermore, I learned to use and adapt Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with older adult patients and utilised a timeline approach, where I would allow them to narrate their life story to get a sense of their identity and how their difficulties came to be. I also assisted care home staff in understanding difficult behaviours in their patients and place together practical solutions that could help their patients feel more comfortable.
Norfolk Specialist Community Learning Disabilities Services & Autism Service
My roles within these services were wide-spread. I conducted screening and assessments of both learning disabilities and autism to adults above the age of 25. I conducted behavioural therapy with individuals with learning disabilities through a tool called talking mats whereby pictures and other tools are used to facilitate a shared understanding of difficulties and ways to overcome them. I was also involved with a multi-disciplinary team to provide holistic care for individuals with learning disabilities. For example, I worked closely with nurses and social workers to begin to formulate what may cause difficult behaviours, such as aggressive tendencies or sexually inappropriate behaviours, and to come up as a team, different ways each professional can contribute to provide support for these individuals. I also provided regular teaching and facilitated sharing sessions on autism towards families and carers of individuals with high functioning autism.
Norfolk Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
I worked specifically with children and adolescents between the ages of nine and fourteen, specifically adapting Cognitive Behaviour and Acceptance and Commitment therapeutic models and utilised creative approaches, to work with the difficulties that they had, such as difficulties with depression, social anxiety, selective mutism and OCD. I would very often involve family members in my work with children so that they may begin to think about how to solve the problems together as a family. I was also in charge of adapting and conducting an anxiety management group towards children and adolescents and their families, which was well-received by the children and their families as well as the staffs involved in assisting me in facilitating it.
Norfolk Youth Mental Health Service and Early Intervention in Psychosis
I had many roles within the two services. Within the youth mental health service, I had primarily provided training and supervision to NHS staff across the service in Norfolk. For example, I conducted several training on goal-based interventions to encourage staff to utilise an online goal-based outcome measure to better track the progress of young people within the service. Modules on motivational interviewing were also delivered to NHS staffs and supervision was provided once they had started to use the modules on their clients. Within the early intervention in psychosis service, I had mostly seen young adults with symptoms of psychosis, such as hearing voices, paranoia and disorganized thought patterns. I utilised a specialised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy designed to work with individuals with psychosis, and often used techniques such as normalising their symptoms, developing a shared understanding of what these experiences may mean and acceptance towards them.