How do I make a referral?

• Our ‘adult’ referral form can be found here
• Our ‘child/young person’ referral form can be found here
  

We welcome referrals from other professionals (solicitor, social worker therapist, etc). If you are a professional and wish to make a referral please email the information to admin@psychologicalpathways.com and, where applicable, we will come back to you to discuss the nature of the work being requested. Prior to contacting us please ensure that all necessary parental and client consent has been sought.

What happens when I make a referral?

When you make a referral you will receive an email acknowledgment letting you know we have received it. Our clinical team will review the referral to determine if we are best placed to offer support at this time. We make decisions, on the suitability of referrals, based on our clinical judgment and the skills mix of our practitioners. Once a decision has been made we will contact you again by email.

What is considered a suitable referral?

Our service is designed to support clients with mild-moderate emotional health and wellbeing needs eg anxiety, low mood, etc, and where a short-term intervention can be helpful.

Are all referrals accepted for an initial assessment?

No. In the case where clinical judgment suggests that we are not the right service to support your present needs, we reserve the right to decline referrals.

Why might my referral be declined?

We understand and appreciate that when seeking psychological care, you are likely experiencing challenges that are causing a level of distress. While you aim to find support to help alleviate that distress, it is important to find the right type of support that best fits your needs.

While we endeavor to provide the best possible standard of psychological care, there are areas in which we are not best placed to offer safe and effective therapeutic intervention. For example, we do not provide assessments for the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) or ADHD or where a child, young person or adults difficulties have met the threshold for a referral to AMHS or a Crisis Response Service or where such services are already providing support.

As a service that not does provide emergency or crisis intervention, we cannot accept a referral where there is a level of risk associated with mental ill-health such as suicidal thoughts or plans.

For safe and effective care, certain difficulties (e.g. where there is a concern around risk or eating disorder issues) require a longer-term, multi-disciplinary, team-based approach or psychological support that is integrated with other professionals, such as Psychiatry or Allied Health Professionals. We primarily work on an alone clinician basis, therefore we cannot accept referrals where such multi-professional support is indicated. Your GP is best placed to advise you on how to access such service(s).

I have been offered and will be attending an initial assessment. What should I expect?

We understand that not only can meeting a new person be a daunting experience but beginning to explore areas of difficulty can be quite challenging. If you are more comfortable bringing a friend or family member to your session, you can of course do so. Your clinician will endeavour to make the experience of assessment feel as safe as possible. You will be under no obligation to disclose any information you are not comfortable with and can ask questions at any time.

In the case where you are attending as the parent/carer of a minor, initial assessment sessions will likely be a parent-only space without the young person present. This allows for a more thorough and detailed discussion and exploration of areas of concern.

At an initial assessment, your clinician will aim to work alongside you to gain an understanding of the challenges you are experiencing. You may be given a questionnaire to help gather information and you will likely be asked questions pertaining to the reasons that brought you to the service, as well as relevant historical and background information.

Depending on your needs and the nature of the challenges you are experiencing, the period of assessment may vary. The process of assessment aims to gather enough information that a psychological opinion can be formed, on the basis of which, goals, advice, and therapeutic plan can be made. The assessment also allows the beginning of a therapeutic relationship to be formed and an opportunity to develop an understanding of current challenges.

It may be the outcome of the assessment that after having gathered additional information, we may not be the best service to progress in supporting you at this moment in time. Where this is the case, we will explain why and will (if and where possible), signpost to a more appropriate service.

How will my information be stored or used?

Respecting your confidentiality and privacy is fundamental to our practice. Your information will be stored securely in a password-protected data system that is governed by strict GDPR rules. Any information, shared by you, will be used for the purpose of contacting you, making clinical decisions regarding suitability for this service, and ensuring that the support we provide to you is appropriate. In line with good clinical practice, notes are recorded after each contact with clients.

When a referral is made we ask you to agree to our consent and GDPR statements. You can revoke your consent at any time by contacting us via admin@psychologicalpathways.com

We will not share your information with anyone outside our practice unless we believe you, or someone else is at significant and/or imminent risk of harm. In this instance, we are legally bound to share information in order to keep you or others safe.

Complaints and compliments

We’re always happy to receive feedback on the service you receive from us. We understand that things sometimes go wrong and we see complaints and feedback as an opportunity to learn from our successes and mistakes, allowing us to improve the services we provide.

If you are happy or unhappy with an aspect of our service we would like to know. We aim to deal with problems quickly and efficiently. In the first instance please contact the Practice Manager on +44 (0)28 95320838 or by email at admin@psychologicalpathways.com