Primary Care Trust Counselling

Introduction

The City Counselling Centre has been commissioned to provide an adult counselling service to the GP surgeries within Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust.

This is a limited service with a strict criteria which is laid down by the Primary Care Trust and administered by the GP.

Patients meeting these criteria may be referred directly from their GP or other secondary Mental Health Care Teams to the City Counselling Centre from September 1st 2007.

Service Details in Full

The Service Aims:

• To receive written referrals from GPs
• To provide short-term focussed, direct counselling of six to eight weeks to patients 18 years and over with mild to moderate mental health needs.
• To deliver service in line with current best practice and professional standards
• To continually audit and evaluate service delivery

Trauma Counselling Service

Coping with Trauma.

A sudden illness, accident or assault can arouse powerful and disturbing feelings in us. This is a normal reaction to an unexpected and abnormal event and the feelings that are experienced usually settle in time. This information may be useful to you, or someone you know, to help understand some of the feelings that people may experience following a traumatic event. It includes some suggestions for coping with these feelings and advise on when to seek professional help.

First Reactions.

You may experience both physical reactions and strong feelings for sometime after the event. Some common symptoms are listed below to reassure you that what you are experiencing is not unusual.

Physical Sensations:

• Tension and irritability
• Tiredness
• Sleeplessness
• Dreams and Nightmares
• Poor Concentration
• Memory Problems
• Palpitations or Shakes
• Headaches
• Nausea or Diarrhoea
• Changes in Appetite
• Changes in Sexual Desire
• Aches and Pains
• Difficulty Breathing

Strong Feelings:

At first you may feel

• Shock- stunned, dazed or numb and cut off from your surroundings.
• Denial- Pretending it hasn't happened because it is too difficult to deal with.

After a few hours or days the shock may fade and other thoughts and feelings arise:

• Fear- That it could happen again; of losing control and breaking down
• Feeling helpless, vunerable and overwhelmed
• Shame at how you reacted and at feeling helpless
• Anger- about what has happened and who was responsible
• Guilt- if others have sufferd more than you or if you might have acted differently
• Sadness and disappointment - a loss of faith in the world

Reactions may be stronger if:

• The trauma lasted a long time
• The trauma was caused by a person or people
• Others were harmed
• Violence was used against yourself or others
• There is already stress in your life.

You may also have positive feelings such as

• Relief -that the danger is past
• Hopeful- positive feelings that your life will soon return to normal

Allowing yourself to talk about the experience and your feelings will help. Crying gives relief to both men and women and is a normal reaction. Remember that it is the trauma that was abnormal, not your reaction to it.

What should you do?

Give yourself time- Take time to sleep and rest and be with people who can listen and make you feel supported.

Get into a routine- Although you may not feel like eating, a balanced diet and gentle exercise can help the recovery process

Take Care- Accidents are more likely when stressed so be careful at home and when driving. Your Doctor can advise on problems such as anxiety and sleeplessness.

Avoid Drugs and Alcohol- They can help to blot out painful memories for a while but can delay the healing process and cause depression and other health problems.

Finding Support- Neeeding support is a vital human repsonse to trauma. Sharing your feelings with others is helping yourself to recover rather than showing weakness.

What you should NOT do?

Don't bottle up your feelings- Strong feelings are natural and need to be expressed.

Don't make any major changes- Delay big decissions as you may regret your choices later

Don't take on too much- You may want to keep busy, but over activity can tire you and divert attention from your need for help. Rest is healing.