Opportunities for experienced CBT therapists discussed at BABCP conference

Sarah Bateup will be talking to therapists about opportunities to work for  PsychologyOnline at the BABCP conference this week. Rapid expansion has meant that the company is looking for more associates to join its team of clinical affiliates.

PsychologyOnline  provides live text-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for clients who are referred via the NHS, who self refer or self-fund.

PsychologyOnline is an exciting and innovative new way of delivering live CBT. Therapists communicate with users through typed instant messaging in a secure virtual meeting room. All that is required is a computer and internet connection so the therapist doesn't need to travel.

Sarah says: “Demand for our service is growing, we are operating a number of contracts in collaboration with NHS providers in England and also allow self-funded patients to self refer through our Thinkwell service where PsychologyOnline is not available in their area.”

Flexibility is appreciated by the current team as Sarah explains: “Our therapists combine freelance work for PsychologyOnline with their existing workloads, managing their diaries to suit individual circumstances.  Although the majority of our therapists live in the UK, some live overseas, which means that we can provide a 24/7 service to clients and flexibility to therapists.

“Therapists are fully trained to use our system provided with regular clinical supervision and CPD, so there are lots of opportunities to develop your skills and gain new experiences. ”

PsychologyOnline is interested in hearing from BABCP-accredited therapist with more than three years post-qualification experience.

For more about this exciting opportunity please visit www.psychologyonline.co.uk/therapists.

West Kent: our service is now free for NHS patients in West Kent!

Our convenient, easy to use service is now FREE for NHS patients in West Kent over 18 years of age.

You can refer yourself to the service (although you do need to be registered with a GP in West Kent) or you can ask your GP for a referral.

How to Access this FREE service

• Self-referral

  To self-refer yourself for PsychologyOnline, please call 01954 230066 between 9am and 5.30pm (UK time). We will need some registration details from you, including details about your GP practice (if you are registered with one). Self-referring allows you to access our service promptly and easily without the need to visit your GP.
  We are working on enabling you to self-refer directly through this website. In the meantime, please call us as above.

• GP Referral

  Your GP can also refer you to our services. Please ask them to complete the PsychologyOnline referral form on their patient management system (called DORIS) and send it to us by email following the instructions on the form.

Once we receive your referral, you will be sent details on how to get started. You will be contacted by your therapist to arrange your first appointment at your convenience.

To find out where else we are available through the NHS, please go to http://www.psychologyonline.co.uk/NHS-patients.

Do you know the symptoms of postnatal depression?

FREE Webinar 10:00 – 11:00, 9 July 2014

About 15% of mothers will develop postnatal depression (PND) and it can affect women up to a year after they have given birth says Sarah Bateup, cognitive behavioural therapist and clinical lead at PsychologyOnline. Sarah is chairing our forthcoming webinar on PND which begins at 10:00 BST on 9 July 2014.

Sarah explains: “Most women will experience symptoms of feeling a bit tearful and tired, particularly in the first few weeks after birth.  This is perfectly normal and these feelings generally resolve without treatment.  With PND, these symptoms tend to be more severe and go on for longer.

“Postnatal depression often starts with feelings of sadness and low mood that last for three or more weeks without going away. Mothers lose pleasure and enjoyment in things and often avoid activities that they would usually participate in. Often mothers find that can worry excessively and find it hard to be reassured.

“These feelings can be accompanied by physical symptoms such as headaches, feeling sick, butterflies in the stomach, dizziness and a racing heart. Mothers may not want to be around other people or to leave the house. In extreme cases, they may stop sleeping, eating and taking general care of themselves and their baby.”

Sarah has successfully treated women with PND and says that, very often, it only takes a few sessions in order for people to begin to feel better.

“Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is particularly beneficial for conditions like PND. It is a collaborative process where the therapist and patient work together to develop a good understanding of the processes that are maintaining the symptoms.

“Usually maintaining factors are driven by the way that our mind begins to interpret things (cognitions) and our consequential actions or behaviours. For example, when we feel anxious or low in mood it is very common for people to start to avoid doing things. Unfortunately, avoidance usually results in people feeling worse.

“Understanding these processes can be very helpful in itself. The therapist and patient can then 
work on developing ways to manage and improve the symptoms. CBT can be a very effective treatment.

“PsychologyOnline’s approach to CBT is particularly beneficial, as people do not need to leave their home for an appointment.  Instead, it allows them to work with a therapist online using secure instant messages and gain the skills and strategies needed to cope more effectively. There is no need for new-mums to even change out of their pyjamas!“

To better understand the factors that contribute to postnatal depression and why some women may not seek help, PsychologyOnline has run a national survey in partnership with Infertility Network UK and with the support of the online community Netmums.

The findings will be discussed in a webinar, which aims to raise awareness of how to recognise the condition and consider the types of support that mothers would find beneficial.

The free webinar “Can postnatal depression be predicted?’ will be held on 9 July 2014 at 10:00. If you would like to register your interest, please email info@psychologyonline.co.uk with “PND webinar” in the subject line giving your name, organisation (if applicable) and email address.