Clinical Psychology
It is common to struggle with a diagnosis of cancer, the treatments and the after-effects. All healthcare professionals have a role in supporting you emotionally during this time and some have additional skills in providing emotional support, for example Clinical Nurse Specialists. Some charities also offer advice, support groups and counselling (see end of this page).
Some people experience more significant psychological difficulties which can affect their quality of life and go on for a longer period of time. Examples of this might include depression, anxiety or panic. If you are experiencing difficulties like this, then you might benefit from accessing our service.
We see people who are experiencing emotional distress related to their cancer diagnosis or treatment. The service is for adults who are under the care of the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre.
There is a separate psychology service for Teenagers & Young Adults with Cancer and more information is available about this here; Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Service (scot.nhs.uk)
We are a team of Clinical Psychologists and Trainee Clinical Psychologists. We are non-medical doctors who specialise in providing psychological interventions.
Clinical Psychologists are regulated by law and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). There is more information in the ‘Seeing a Psychologist’ leaflet here;
INSERT SEEING A PSYCHOLOGIST LEAFLET LINK
Appointments for psychological therapy usually last up to an hour. How many appointments and how often they are, will be agreed between you and your Clinical Psychologist. We offer face-to-face appointments at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, but we can also offer telephone or video appointments. You are welcome to bring someone with you to your appointments.
The first appointment is called an assessment and it is generally about getting to know you and hearing about your cancer experiences. During the assessment, we will discuss your needs and goals. The Clinical Psychologist can then advise as to whether therapy will be useful for you at this point in time. They may sometimes signpost you to other services if they feel they could better meet your needs.
We offer a range of evidence-based psychological therapies, sometimes known as ‘talking therapies’. During your sessions, we will offer you time to talk about the emotional impact of having cancer, help you manage any challenges and support you to try out new ways of coping with difficult feelings. You might be asked to do some tasks between sessions.
If you feel that you would benefit from our help, please talk to a member of your cancer team.
If you would like to refer someone to our service, please complete our referral form which is available in the Beatson Shared Drive under ‘Psychology Referrals’ or provide a clinical letter. Our referral triage meeting takes place on Thursdays.
If you would like to discuss a potential referral with us, our contact details are also in the shared drive folder.
Interpreters can be arranged for spoken and sign language support. We cannot provide a crisis service, so if you have concerns about a person’s safety then you should contact their GP (for outpatients) or Adult/Older Adult Mental Health Liaison (for inpatients).
Beatson Cancer Charity
The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre (beatsoncancercharity.org)
Cancer Support Scotland
Maggie's Glasgow, Lanarkshire or Forth Valley
Everyone's home of cancer care (maggies.org)
Macmillan Cancer Support - BUPA Counselling
Free specialist counselling for people with cancer
Ayrshire Cancer Support
Ayrshire Cancer Support Charity (ayrshirecs.org)
The Haven Forth & Blantyre Home
2024haven (thehavencentre.com)
Rays of Hope Renfrewshire Home
The Dove Centre, Oban
Lifelink Counselling Glasgow
What happens when I am referred?
Your first visit will be for assessment. You will be asked questions to help them understand how they can best help you. They will ask about your diagnosis and treatment so far, and about your life more generally. They will work with you to plan your therapy sessions.
For the first session, they can see you alone or with a partner, family member or friend.
At the end of that first session, the psychologist will make a plan with you about what the next steps might be.
Further information
Both Macmillan and Cancer Research have useful information:
www.cancerresearchuk.org
www.macmillan.org.uk