Psychology - The Gastrointestinal Psychology Service

Who are we?

We are a small team of clinical psychologists working alongside the gastroenterology and colorectal teams at Salford Royal Hospital. Your consultant or healthcare professional may have referred you to us because they believe we may be able to help you cope or feel better. We are registered with The Health Care and Professions Council and work to their standards for safe and effective practice. Unlike medical doctors, we do not prescribe medication. We do work alongside your medical or surgical team and, where appropriate, provide them with guidance on how best to support your needs.

How can we support someone with gastrointestinal difficulties?

Experiencing gastrointestinal difficulties can have a considerable impact on you and your life. Some of the reasons it may be helpful for you to meet with us include:

• Feeling distressed or frustrated about your symptoms
• Viewing yourself or your body differently
• Struggling to come to terms with changes or losses
• Feeling stressed about your health or wider circumstances
• Losing interest or enjoyment in life, or having low motivation to make positive changes in your life
• Difficulties with your social life or relationships
• Difficulties with eating due to your gastrointestinal condition or symptoms
• Feeling overwhelmed by your medical treatment, or distressed by previous medical experiences

It may also be wider issues that you are wanting support with. We work together with you to understand the nature of your difficulties and to agree an individualised plan of how to address these.

We use different types of therapies that may help to improve your well-being. These approaches will involve working together to bring about change. Here is some feedback from people who have used the service:

"It has been a great help and made a positive impact on mine and my family's life, thank you".

"It helped me understand my issues well and equipped me with tools to deal with life's challenges".

"I found the therapist very empathetic and understanding, thank you".

What does an appointment involve?

You will be offered an initial appointment to meet with one of our team. This appointment will usually last for 50 minutes to an hour. Initial appointments are usually held by telephone. You can request a face to face or video appointment if you prefer.

The initial appointment will be a chance to share more about yourself and what you may be finding difficult in your life. This will help us to understand how best to support you. Typically, the support offered involves attending regular appointments with one of our team. You can attend these appointments in person, or remotely by telephone or video (your preference). Alternatively, we may decide that another service would be most helpful to meet your needs and discuss a plan with you.

What will be kept confidential?

All psychology sessions are private and confidential. We will keep a detailed record of our meetings in confidential
psychology notes which are only visible to psychologists within the Trust. We also write a brief clinical note so that your team are aware that you have attended an appointment, what the outcome was, and any important medical and/or risk information. We usually write a letter back to your referrer and/or GP to update them on your care. We usually write these letters following your assessment, after the first therapy session and after the final session.

In exceptional circumstances, we may need to share information with other services due to an issue of safety for yourself or others. We would discuss this with you first if possible.

Sources of further information

If you would like to discuss your referral to a Clinical Psychologist further, please contact: GI Psychology Service on 0161 206 5588 or email Psychology.Referrals@nca.nhs.uk

Please see our webpage for further information
https://northerncarealliance.nhs.uk/our-services/gastroenterology-and-intestinal-failure or scan the QR code below.