Psychotherapy

What is Psychotherapy?

Counselling and psychotherapy are umbrella terms that cover a range of talking therapies. They are delivered by trained practitioners who work with children, adolescents and adults to help them bring about effective change or enhance their emotional, social or mental wellbeing which can be adversely affected following serious injury.

Sessions with a trained psychotherapist will enable a person to express their feelings and explore issues surrounding their particular problems. The duration of the therapy can be short or long term and will depend upon the depth and complexity of the issues involved.

Therapists usually have an advanced qualification in one of the mental health professions – psychiatry, psychology or nursing – and additional training in psychotherapy.

There are many different styles and disciplines of therapy. Treatment sessions are confidential and take the form of either individual or group therapy – the precise form of treatment will depend upon what is considered best for the individual involved.

The underpinning principle is that psychotherapy is no magic cure; rather, the capacity for cure lies within each person. Over time, clients develop a sense of control over their situations, feelings, thoughts and behaviours.

The Mental Health Foundation says that one in four Britons experiences a mental health problem in a year. A million Britons see a therapist each year and where it was often seen as a weakness, there now appears to be more of a willingness to talk mental health issues and to seek counselling or psychotherapy

Of course, some conditions merit psychiatric treatment and medication, but non-pharmaceutical treatment can be helpful in many cases. Examples include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) which focuses on current problems rather than issues from the past, Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) to help a person overwhelmed by a very distressing event and Transactional Analysis which looks at the way people interact and how their behaviour affects others.

We are able to identify circumstances where an injured person might benefit from some therapeutic intervention. There are many therapists available and we can help identify the most appropriate and arrange an early assessment and treatment as part of the rehabilitation process.

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• Serious Injury Department