Did This Psychologist Cross The Line?

[digger]

Even if this psychologist is available to you, @Rochelle on the NHS, it is possible to go back to your GP and ask to be transferred to another one.

Maybe, maybe not. I was referred through my GP to IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies). I'm not going to go into all the details here, but they seriously messed me around. I went back to my GP to ask for help sorting it out and she said it was out of her hands because I had been referred on!

There are a lot of good people working within the nhs, but the structure of it sucks sometimes.

 

[Echo]

@digger - I am sorry for your experience. I hope you have found something better somehow. I do also though hope it is worth @Rochelle asking, at least. The current situation can't be allowed to go on.

 

[digger]

@Echo - I hope so too. I just felt the need to give the heads up. I ended up finding a private therapist, but I appreciate that I was lucky to be in a position to be able to. A lot of people aren't and shouldn't have to, but the sad truth is that mental health provision in the UK seems to be so much of a lottery for so many people now. Rochelle's is sadly not an isolated case.

 

[Rochelle]

@Echo thanks, I'll be seeing my GP on Monday and see what they can do, if anything. Mainly I want to inform them on what the psychologist said to me before she sends my GP the report saying something completely different.

@digger thanks for the heads up, I'll keep my expectations low

 

[xena21]

I didn't realize England was so far behind the times. I thought they were more progressive with their health care. I guess living in the US and them trying to form it after the English health system, I thought it was supposed to be the best. I don't understand why you can't just tell them that your therapist or doctor was horrible and you need to see someone else.

I guess I don't pay attention that much beyond my own health system because I use the military health care. I tell them I dpon't want to see someone and I don't see them. It may take me a while to see someone else, but I eventually will.

 

[Lucycat]

I don't understand why you can't just tell them that your therapist or doctor was horrible and you need to see someone else.

Here, where I live in Scotland there simply isn't 'somebody else' available on the NHS. I know in busier places there will be more choice, however our system is usually that the professionals determine who is the right professional for the client - not the other way round. GP does referral to the service not an individual.

Our local Mental Health Team have 'allocation meetings' whereby they discuss referrals and decide who needs to see the (only) trauma Psychiatrist, the psychologist (General - 2 of) or the Community Psychiatric Nurses ( about 15 of whom just 1 in the team specialises in Trauma)

There is a Private facility (out patients only) in Scotland that offers Trauma Treatment, but that is incredibly expensive and is hundreds of miles away.

None of this means you should not report anybody who behaves unprofessionally. It does not give them excuses. It is just meant to demonstrate how complicated it can be when you cannot simply walk in to see somebody else.

 

[Hashi]

Actually, I wouldn't be too quick to report someone in an NHS setting. Ideally, yes of course. Realistically, a unit is likely to close ranks against outside criticism even if internally some of the individuals agree with it. I've worked in the NHS and I still know people who do. This happens all the time.

If you're not going to have to deal with that individual again, you might want to let it go and focus on getting the treatment you want. It makes sense to report what's wrong, but in practice you still need to access the service and making complaints about it doesn't usually help. For people with a poor NHS service in their area, they may not be able to afford to take the high ground and report.

@Rochelle the other option in the UK is to get help from a charity. Maybe there isn't anything appropriate to you and what you want, but it's worth finding out if you haven't already because there might be. You can get lists of charities providing therapy from Mind, from support organisations (eg those providing services to young people, those specialising in types of trauma) and sometimes from your GP.

 

[Lucycat]

Actually, I wouldn't be too quick to report someone in an NHS setting. Ideally, yes of course.

I've worked in the NHS and I still know people who do

I agree wholeheartedly - and I still work in the NHS!

 

[Wyakin]

I am very fortunate in that I have been referred straight away to a specialist trauma centre by my GP. They are the place for local veterans and are very experienced with PTSD. I am currently on a waiting list to begin a course on PTSD and grounding techniques before starting therapy with one of the Trauma Doctors. It should be a few weeks for the next step. It really is a postcode lottery in the UK and I seem to be in the right area.