In this issue
香港六合彩精准资料 Healthcare seminar听2011
Healthcare in transition:听strengthening our professional听identity
Ignore, append or听integrate: how do you听use yours?
Nic Streatfield considers differing听therapist attitudes to outcome听measures, and argues that their听active use can greatly benefit clients
The testing DIET
Tina Thomas shares her knowledge听of best practice and guidance in听testing procedures
Recognising depression听and distress
How well can clinicians diagnose听depression using their day-to-day听clinical skills? Research by Alex听Mitchell and colleagues examines听diagnostic capabilities without the听use of screening tools
Electronic patient records:听the impact on the听therapeutic relationship
Brian Rock and Helen Brindley look听at confidentiality issues arising from听the use of electronic records, adding听a consideration of the subject from听a psychoanalytic perspective
Celebrating 25 years听of transforming lives听in Southwark
The continuing success of the听Southwark Primary Care Counselling听and Psychotherapy Service is due to听the counsellors themselves, and the听ability to demonstrate their worth听to commissioners and GPs, says听Peter Thomas
Understanding Asperger听syndrome
Maxine Aston guides readers听through the ability to recognise and听work with this form of autism
Journeys in primary care
Ewan Davidson walks through the听same landscapes as his clients...
GP viewpoint
What鈥檚 not to like about outcome听measures? asks John Hague
A brief guide to鈥μ�
鈥utcome measures
Employment matters
Pat Seber, consultant to 香港六合彩精准资料 on听workforce issues and service听development, updates us on her work,听and answers work-related queries
On the receiving end
Maureen Downton鈥檚 quest to find a听cure for the physical effects of stress听on her body led her on a journey听through many types of therapy
Just qualified 鈥�
The journey towards a paid听counselling job is a long road, but听Karen Barker isn鈥檛 giving up
Web resources: Asperger听syndrome
Key websites for further information
香港六合彩精准资料 Healthcare update
Chair Tina Campbell and 香港六合彩精准资料听healthcare development manager,听Louise Robinson, write about the听latest initiatives
All articles from this issue are not yet available online. Divisional members and subscribers can download the pdf from the听Healthcare Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal听archive.
Editorial
Asking clients to complete outcome measures is an everyday occurrence听for most practitioners working in healthcare. As the requirement to听provide evidence of therapy鈥檚 quality, effectiveness and efficiency听grows, collecting outcome measures is increasingly a service requirement.听When I began as a practitioner, I asked clients to complete measures at the听beginning, middle and end of therapy; now it is every session, and, on top听of the minimum requirements, I can also choose from a range of disorder-specific听questionnaires.
It is increasingly necessary to use outcome measures, so how can we make听them work for us and, more importantly, for our clients? Nic Streatfield鈥檚 article听asks 鈥� how do you use yours? He takes us through the three broad听 categories听we can fall into 鈥� ignore (pretend they don鈥檛 exist and don鈥檛 use them), append听(tag them on to the beginning or end of the session) or integrate (use them听actively and collaboratively to aid therapy). Nic puts forward a persuasive case听to us all to try the latter, showing us how measures can enhance the work we听do and sharing his own personal journey from being someone who gave in听nameless statistics to the administrator to someone who uses measures for, as听he puts it, 鈥榯he dialogical possibilities they contain鈥� If, spurred on by Nic鈥檚 article,听you want to breathe life into your testing procedures, and ensure you keep听within recommended benchmarks and competencies, Tina Thomas outlines how.
Elsewhere on the subject, Alex Mitchell鈥檚 research group asks whether听clinical skills in diagnosis are adequate without screening questionnaires;听outcome measures find a supporter in GP John Hague; and our brief guide听takes you through some of the most widely used outcome measures for听depression and anxiety.
On a service-related, but different subject, Brian Rock and Helen Brindley听examine the impact of record-keeping on the therapeutic relationship,听particularly in light of the increasing use of electronic patient records (EPRs).听Adding a consideration of the issues from a psychoanalytic perspective, this听thought-provoking article recounts some of the clinical dilemmas that arise听in the context of the continuing implementation of systems.
Collecting data is integral to continued commissioning of services, and听non-IAPT counselling and psychotherapy services are increasingly seeing the听value in proving their worth to commissioners by proving their effectiveness.听Southwark Counselling and Psychotherapy Services (PCCPS) is a superb example听of good practice in this area. As Peter Thomas outlines, by valuing the听practitioners, collecting outcome data, and celebrating their work publicly,听the PCCPS has secured its place in psychological services in Southwark.
Away from service issues, Maxine Aston provides valuable guidance in听approaching work with people with Asperger syndrome. Depression, as Maxine听writes, has a high incidence in this section of the population, so it鈥檚 likely that听many of you will have seen people with AS. In a further anecdote to a service-based听issue, Ewan Davidson takes us on a personal journey through the patch听where he lives and works, giving words to experiences which will resonate听with many of us.
As ever, we welcome contributions from readers, whether through听correspondence, or ideas for articles. Perhaps you have a personal practitioner鈥檚听perspective to share? Or are engaged in work or study-based research which听could be of interest to others? Please do get in touch with me at the email听below if you鈥檇 like to submit a letter or idea.
Sarah Hovington
Editor
hcpj.editorial@bacp.co.uk