Psychology services
Clinical health psychologists provide support for patients and their families/carers to help cope with the psychological aspects of living with an illness, or with pre-existing problems that might be affecting the management of an illness. Their aim is to improve the overall quality of life by helping patients manage their illness and reduce the impact of disability.
Support is given in a variety of ways, including one-to-one sessions, family work and support groups, using evidence-based approaches such as cognitive behaviour therapy. Patients may be seen on the ward or as outpatients.
As well as providing psychological support, psychologists are also involved in training, research, audit and writing guidelines for good patient health care.
Psychologists at Guy's and St Thomas' often work as part of a wider multidisciplinary team, enabling other health care professionals to care more holistically for patients.
We have dedicated teams in -
- cancer
- chronic pain
- cleft palate
- cochlear implant
- dental
- dermatology
- skin cancer
- medical dermatology
- hematology and haemophilia
- kidney/renal
- children's neuro disability
- neurofibromatosis
- sleep
We also work closely with the counseling services, liaison psychiatry teams and the community to alleviate distress and promote psychological well-being.
Charity support
Guy's and St Thomas' Charity funds the psychology input for our clinic for children and young people affected by Tourette's Disorder. It also funds a three-year project looking at psychological factors associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
