Who we are
Psychological services offers a wide range of services to adults, young people, children and people with learning difficulties.
At EPUT, Psychological Services have evolved into one of six Clinical Care Units (CCU), offering specialised services in mental health, physical healthcare, and talking therapies across Essex. We work closely with multi-disciplinary teams to provide integrated care in community, inpatient, primary care, and specialist services.
We do more than direct treatments, supporting teaching, staff development, research, digital innovations, service design, clinical governance, safeguarding, and service user engagement. We are helping the Trust implement trauma-informed care and enhance service provision. We actively promote service user networks and other forms of user participation, collaborating with EPUT’s Patient Experience Team.
We believe in supporting diversity and inclusion, and initiating projects to encourage access to psychology provision. Whether it is through developing leaders, providing further clinical skills training, flexible working or remote working, we focus on the wellbeing and career development of all our Psychological Services staff.
In dementia and older people’s services, the CCU has formed integrated alliances with primary care and local authority colleagues to develop a system-wide approach. There are a number of pilot schemes delivering specialised dementia care for complex needs and community services, including enhanced diagnostics, intensive support seven days per week and improved communication with the acute sector.
The acute and crisis pathway is undergoing significant redesign with a focus on the avoidance of unnecessary admission to inpatient care and the introduction of home first (care at home) approaches. We have invested in new roles, such as Associate in Clinical Psychology (CAP) apprenticeships, to improve access and provision in Home treatment and urgent care.
The Psychological Services CCU is also leading on a Trust-wide trauma-informed “personality disorder” and complex needs strategy to integrate interventions for people presenting with complex needs throughout the services we provide. We have an Essex-wide specialist multidisciplinary team providing interventions for people with the most complex needs. The team also facilitates the complex needs knowledge and skills training programme, and provides care coordination, consultation and supervision.
Within this integrated model, interventions are provided throughout and across services, rather than through a specialist referral pathway. This is supported by the development of complex needs leads throughout all our services.
Find more information about the different services we provide on our Psychological Services Information page.
Training Development and Staff Support
We provide training, professional development and support through workshops based on an ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy) model. And the Trust Management Development Programme.
Psychological Services also host students and trainees from many psychological professions, from undergraduate Psychology student placements through to doctorate level Clinical Psychology trainees. We have Counselling Psychology and Forensic Psychology trainees, trainee CBT therapists, trainee family therapists, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner trainees and many others.
Clinical Associate in Psychology (CAP) training
The Clinical Associate in Psychology (CAP) training programme is an MSc degree which is delivered as a degree apprenticeship. EPUT currently is the only NHS provider of this Masters degree level 7 Apprenticeship training. The programme is delivered in partnership with the University of Essex, who are the awarding body for the degree.
Visit Clinical Associate in Psychology (CAP) to learn more about the training and the role.
Here For You
Here for You offers specialist psychological support for staff experiencing distress, mental health difficulties or trauma in the context of their work. The service also provides support for managers around their own wellbeing and with supporting their teams. The service is also able to work directly with teams, for example, offering support following a significant incident.
Interventions are tailored to each individual and a course of evidence-based psychological therapy may be provided if required. The service may assist with referrals to other services and onward signposting to other professionals if necessary. Here for You also offers educational resources, self-help material and webinars available to all staff via the website.
The Here for You staff support service works with EPUT staff as well as with staff from other NHS trusts and health and social care services in the region, where this is contracted. You can find more information about the Here for You staff support service on the website.