Diabetes Psychology
The Adult Diabetes Psychology Service is a specialist service within the Adult Physical Health Psychology Service. The service aims to help people diagnosed with diabetes improve their health through treatments, education, training, and supporting self-management skills. The department aims to offer high quality care to all people with diabetes, to enable every person with diabetes to live a healthy and fulfilled life.
Diabetes can understandably affect a person’s mood, not only from the physical effects of altered blood sugars, but also from stress of condition management on top of daily life. Seeing a psychologist can help people to make sense of difficulties they are experiencing and to explore ways of coping with such stressors, improving their resilience and habitual behaviours in times of stress. This can and often does have a positive effect on a person's diabetes management and quality of life.
The Practitioner Psychologist in the diabetes team will work alongside medical colleges involved in a person's care. The psychologist may also be supported by other psychology team members, including trainee psychologists and students.
We support people whose diabetes is affecting their psychological wellbeing, or where mental health struggles are impacting their management of the condition. We can work with the person themselves and/or their families, their workplace or other professionals involved in their care.
The support we offer is individualised, dependent on the reason as to why a person has decided to seek help from a psychologist. Below are some of the things we can help with but are not limited to.
- Support people to change their behaviours to gradually improve eating habits, activity levels and their overall outlook on life
- Help people to learn effective strategies for diabetes self-management activities such as, regular blood glucose testing, taking insulin at the correct time, taking medication.
- Diagnosis acceptance
- Bad dreams or flashbacks associated with traumatic diabetes experiences
- Address emotional reactions such as disbelief, guilt, and anger
- Help people to lead a life that is in line with what is important to them
- Understanding the condition and specific diagnosis
When you talk with a Practitioner Psychologist, most of what you discuss will be kept private and confidential. This means what you say will not be shared with anyone else if you do not want it to be.
Times where this is an exception is:
- If the psychologist feels your diabetes care will be improved by the diabetes team knowing some of the discussion
- If the psychologist is worried about your safety and feels input from additional services is required.
Keeping you safe is the most important thing, and it is our duty of care to ensure this happens. If you feel unsure about the information that might be shared with the team, please feel free to discuss this with your psychologist in your first appointment.
Referrals into our service can be made by professionals in the Gwent Adult Diabetes service only, please speak to your lead nurse or consultant if you would like to discuss a referral.
Diabetes UK - https://www.diabetes.org.uk
Diabetes Genes - https://www.diabetesgenes.org
Emotions and diabetes- Guide to diabetes and emotions
Type 1 Education programme- Bertie Psychology
Team diabetes 101- https://www.diabetes101.co.uk/
Diabetes UK helpline: 0345 1232399
Free books available for all patients via your diabetes team- Diabetes Psychology matters