Psychology

What does a clinical psychologist do?

A clinical psychologist uses talking therapies to help people to explore and manage difficult thoughts, feelings and behaviours, with the aim of developing long lasting coping strategies. This is done in a variety of ways and is tailored to each person’s situation. Prescribing medication is not part of a clinical psychologist’s role and therefore this would need to be discussed with your doctor.

Here are some examples of the issues a clinical psychologist working in healthcare may be able to help with:

Feeling low in mood or depressed, or feeling angry about your health condition, symptoms, treatment and the effect this has on your life
Feeling anxious, including fears about treatment (e.g. needle phobia) or your future
Difficulties with adjusting to the changes in life brought about by your health condition, diagnosis and / or treatment, and the impacts of these (e.g. pain, fatigue, pacing, eating and drinking, sleeping, appearance, your speech and more)
Self-esteem or body image difficulties as a result of your health condition
Making decisions about treatment or the future that may be hard to discuss with family / friends, e.g. transplant
Feeling anxious about moving from paediatric to adult services
Issues around fertility and pregnancy
The impact of cystic fibrosis on family or other relationships
Problems following treatment recommendations

It can be helpful to have someone to talk to who is trained in exploring and managing these feelings. People sometimes find it helpful to talk to someone outside of the family and / or friends, who can understand but who they do not need to worry about.

If you are struggling with mental health difficulties that are not primarily related to your cystic fibrosis, you can access psychological support from your local NHS talking therapies service. We would be happy to have a discussion about this and signpost you if you are unsure how to access this. You can usually self- refer to these services.

Where would I be seen?

If you, or a member of the team, think you might benefit from meeting the clinical psychologist this can be arranged for you. Appointments take place at the Health Psychology Outpatients Department, New Victoria Wing at the RVI. You are welcome to bring someone with you to your first appointment. We also offer telephone and video appointments. Appointments last around 50 minutes.

You can also ask to be seen during an inpatient stay at the RVI. The clinical psychologist will meet you on the ward.

How long does it take?

This depends on what you need. You may only need one session or a number of sessions. The clinical psychologist will help you to think through what your needs might be.

Who is it for?

The service is available to everyone attending the cystic fibrosis service and their carers/family members, who feel that they might benefit from a talking therapy in relation to cystic fibrosis. It is well known that there is a link between mental health and physical health and we recognise that looking after your mental health is very important.

How do I arrange to be seen?

If you would like to see the clinical psychologist, please contact the health psychology department by telephone 0191 2824081, or ask any member of the cystic fibrosis team to arrange a referral for you. Please feel free to contact us or any member of the cystic fibrosis team who will be happy to answer any questions about the service and whether or not it might be right for you.