Psychology in Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) for Older People

• Clinical Psychologists (and Trainee Clinical Psychologists)
• Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioners (and Trainee Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioners)
• Integrated CBT Therapists
• Assistant Psychologists (in some areas)

(Please note that the exact staffing mix may be different across different CMHTs). 

For more information on Psychology in Community Mental Health Teams, you can contact the Lead Psychologist for the Older People Care Unit Community Services Dr Georgina Bainbridge (Georgina.Bainbridge@nottshc.nhs.uk)

Psychological professionals in Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) work in different ways, but all provide a mix of delivering one to one therapy for patients and working with the staff team around a patient to support their recovery journey. Sometimes, Clinical Psychologists and/or Integrated CBT therapists may supervise other members of the MDT to deliver therapies or psychological interventions they are trained in, such as low-intensity CBT techniques. 

People might benefit from CMHT psychological therapy if they:

• They are open, ready, and motivated to work psychologically.
• Are committed to work towards meaningful change (including completing tasks at home if the therapy needs this).
• The therapy can be delivered appropriately in a community setting.
• Meet the criteria for Community Mental Health Services.
• The therapy needs cannot be met by an alternative psychotherapy service (e.g., Notts Talking Therapies, Step 4, Mentalisation-Based Treatment services).

Psychological professionals in the CMHT help with a range of mental health needs, such as anxiety, depression, complex bereavement, psychosis, trauma, and people experiencing enduring complex emotional needs (sometimes referred to as 'personality disorder'). One to one therapy normally includes meeting with a person to learn about their needs and individual goals, understand their difficulties, and create a plan to improve their quality of life. The type of therapy will depend on the needs of the person, and skills and training of the psychological professional.

Clinical Psychologists in the CMHT can also help to assess and diagnose neurodegenerative conditions (like dementia) for people already being seen by the CMHT. This involves an in-depth neuropsychological assessment (over several, one-hour long sessions) and reviewing other medical information. A report will then be produced with the Clinical Psychologist will discuss with you at a Feedback Appointment. To find out more about what is involved in a neuropsychological assessment, please click here.

Psychological professionals in the CMHT can also support patients indirectly by working with CMHT colleagues. They can help team members understand a patient's difficulties, plan effective care and create and support staff members to carry out psychologically informed interventions. This can be done through one-to-one consultations, multidisciplinary team meetings, or by working with other services involved in a patient's care (such as neurology). Even if they don't work directly with a patient, psychological professionals still contribute to patient's care. 

In addition to individual patient care, psychological professionals in CMHT also help the team and wider service in other ways, including:

• Developing and sharing resources.
• Facilitating staff training.
• Offering clinical supervision.
• Liaising with other agencies / services.
• Providing consultations to colleagues in other services.