PERSONALITY DISORDER SERVICES IN FORTH VALLEY
Our model of care focuses on the process of working with individuals rather than on any model of therapy. Interventions are individualised and tailored to the patient, using collaboratively set, realistic and prioritised goals. We emphasise issues relating to trust, (given the difficulties clients can have with attachment) and a consistent approach to care. It is recommended that there are always two members of staff involved in the care of someone with a diagnosis of BPD so that sharing clinical decision making can inform the therapeutic process in a helpful and consistent way. Brief interventions of less than three months duration are not the sole component of treatment and interventions are delivered within a recovery-oriented approach, maintaining a hopeful stance about the patient being able to eventually move on from services. Therapeutic intervention is through the Community Mental Health Teams. Day Unit and hospital admissions are kept to a minimum.
Courses or Therapy Groups
There have been two solution focused therapy groups for people with borderline personality disorder. The last one has been a research project and the results of this should be available from May 2013. The groups met fortnightly for 90 minutes. The original one was open ended and the second one ran for 16 sessions. There are currently no groups running at present. This is in part due to staff shortages.
Research
The Solution Focused Therapy (SFT) group is being researched.
An audit into services for this client group has been conducted. This involved interviewing staff and service users about their understanding and experience of borderline personality disorder. Staff representing all areas of the service in Clackmannanshire were interviewed. We are in the process of disseminating and responding to the findings.
Service users’ contribution to training delivered in the service is in submission as a psychology article.
Training
A variety of training events have taken place over the past few years. Two day training delivered by two psychologists, a psychiatrist and service users took place for staff in the CMHTs and Day Unit. The first day involved looking at what staff struggled with in working with this client group and the second day focused on responding to the issues they had raised. The training was then repeated for staff in other sectors of the mental health provision in Clackmannanshire. Training on understanding and working with people with borderline personality disorders was delivered to GPs at a local CREATE session.
Last year the majority of staff in the CMHTs and Day Unit attended three day mentalisation training. Some staff attended further two day training in mentalisation specifically for working with people with BPD.
A mentalisation supervision group, run by one of the trainers from the three day course, takes place monthly.
Other Work
A multi-disciplinary borderline personality disorder working party meets regularly to discuss service delivery and development.
A BPD assessment clinic is about to be established in the service. This will be run by a psychologist and a psychiatrist.
Information packs for service users and staff are being developed.
Users and Carers
Scottish Association for Mental Health: Central, South and East Regional Office The Fisherrow Centre South Street, Musselburgh, East Lothian EH21 6AT Tel: 0131 653 6719
Carers 4PD: visit the new UK PD Carers website here.
To find out if Falkirk’s Mental Health Association (FDAMH) is for you, click here.