The Medway Secondary Care Psychology Service offer assessment and treatment to people who are under the care of the secondary mental health services, especially to those who are experiencing more severe and enduring mental health ill health.

Our psychological therapists are trained to find out how your problems affect you and how you may be helped. They will work with you and encourage you to find your own solutions based on a clearer understanding of yourself and your current difficulties.

It involves making a commitment to attend sessions regularly. You may also be asked to try out new behaviours and ways of relating between sessions.

Different therapeutic approaches have been found to be effective for different types of psychological difficulty.

What services are available?

Specialist assessment

We provide a range of comprehensive, evidenced based psychological assessment to help you understand the difficulties you are facing.

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)

CBT can help people overcome a wide range of problems including anxiety, depression, trauma and other long standing and severe emotional difficulties.

Psychodynamic therapy

Psychodynamic therapy is recommended for the treatment of long-standing and recurring difficulties in the way people think about themselves and the way they relate to others.

Systemic family/couple therapy

This will help you explore the patterns of relating and behaving to each other that might be contributing to your difficulties.

Group therapy

With the help of a therapist, you can explore your feelings and patterns of relating in a way that promotes understanding and offers the possibility of change.

Confidentiality

Your sessions are confidential and privacy will be respected. We do, however, put your safety and the safety of other people first and occasionally this may mean communicating any concerns we have about safety to others

As part of your assessment you will have an opportunity to think together with a therapist about what might be the most effective approach for your particular situation. A treatment plan will be agreed, which may include:

• Further appointments with the psychological therapist
• Advice about how another service could help
• Information about accessing and using self-help.

Different therapeutic approaches have been found to be effective for different types of psychological difficulty. If none of the psychological therapies are right for you, you may be referred to another part of the service for a different treatment approach.