Clinical Psychology team
Who is the service for?
Our CNRS Clinical Psychology team work across the stroke and acquired brain injury (ABI) pathways, and also support people with functional seizures. We work closely with ABUHB hospital wards, and also neurological and neuropsychiatric services in Cardiff to support Gwent-based patients returning home.
We provide psychological assessment, advice, consultation and intervention (e.g. psychological therapy) to people, families, referrers and other professionals, to support the psychological wellbeing of those affected by stroke, acquired brain injury and functional seizures.
Services we cover
Inpatient Stroke: “In-reach” inpatient support is available from our Clinical Psychology team to each of the stroke rehabilitation wards in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. Consultation is also available to other ABUHB inpatient wards where a patient has a diagnosis of stroke or acquired brain injury, e.g. to support discharge-planning.
Outpatient & Community – ESD & ABI: Outpatient and community support across Gwent and Caerphilly is available from Clinical Psychology, accessed through CNRS’s early supported discharge in stroke (ESD) and acquired brain injury (ABI) teams.
Life After Stroke: In addition to our support to the ESD stroke teams, we operate our “Life After Stroke” service. Any person in the Gwent or Caerphilly community who has experienced a stroke earlier in their life and is still struggling with the effects can be referred for a review by CNRS Clinical Psychology, to establish any ongoing cognitive or psychological support needs.
Functional Seizures Collaboration: This is a new collaboration with Aneurin Bevan’s Neurology services which facilitates support and advice to professionals and individuals regarding functional seizures, also known as non-epileptic attack disorder, psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, pseudoseizures, dissociative seizures, or functional seizures.
What Clinical Psychology offers neurological rehabilitation
The field of neuropsychology is concerned with the relationship between the brain and cognition (higher level processes such as learning, memory and intelligence), behaviour and emotions. Clinical Psychology’s work within CNRS includes:
- Neuropsychological assessment (to aid broader CNRS intervention, support diagnosis/diagnostic queries of neurological conditions, mental capacity assessment, vocational advice or to inform surgical/medical intervention)
- Psychological assessment of mood and behaviour
- Psychological formulation (including team-based formulation)
- Neurorehabilitation
- Behaviour management
- Psychological therapy (models include CBT/Mindfulness/ACT/CAT/Positive Psychological Approaches)
- Couples/family therapy work
- Adjustment work
- Family work / couples therapy
- Staff support or training (psychological skills training, consultation, support with challenging situations or cases)
- Trauma therapy (models include CBT-focused, EMDR)
Who can refer to us?
- ESD and ABI psychology referrals are only accepted internally through the respective CNRS teams.
- Inpatient stroke rehabilitation referrals are only accepted internally from the local Stroke Consultant, or from senior ward staff, following multidisciplinary discussion.
- “Life After Stroke” referrals are accepted primarily from an individual’s GPs or Stroke Consultants. We will also consider referrals from service leads/senior clinicians following multidisciplinary discussion.
- People referred to our Functional Seizures Collaboration must have a Neurology-confirmed diagnosis of non-epileptic attack disorder prior to referral.