Training graduate primary care mental health workers to work with people with a diagnosis of personality disorder
| Published date | 18 May 2009 |
| Date | 18 May 2009 |
| Pages | 27-34 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17556228200900005 |
| Author | Catherine Woodward,Alan Jones,Tasim Martin |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
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The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice Volume 4 Issue 1 March 2009 © Pavilion Journals (Brighton) Ltd
Training graduate primary care mental
health workers to work with people with
a diagnosis of personality disorder
Catherine Woodward
Trainee Clinical Psychologist, University of East London, Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust
Alan Jones
Senior Nurse, Oscar Hill Service, Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust
Tasim Martin
Lecturer in Psychology, Glasgow Caledonian University
Abstract
It is recognised that training is required for staff
working with people with a diagnosis of personality
disorder, as it poses challenges requiring particular
skills and abilities (National Institute for Mental Health
in England, 2003a). The proposal to train graduate
primary care mental health workers (GPCMHWs) to
work with the client group met with some scepticism
by senior clinicians. However, the experience of
providing training and supervision to the graduate
primary care mental health workers to work with
clients with personality disorder in Camden and
Islington has proved positive. Several characteristics
of the GPCMHWs identified in the training literature
might contribute to this positive experience. Those
factors include cognitive ability, motivation to learn,
age, and attitudes. Initial findings from the evaluation
of the training shows that graduate workers respond
positively to the training, showing improvements in
self-rated knowledge and skills relating to working
with the client group, and an eagerness to learn
more. The relevance of this to the personality
disorder capabilities framework are described.
Key words
graduate pr imary car e mental health work ers;
personality disorder; primary care; training
Introduction
The role of the graduate primary care mental health
worker (GPCMHW) was introduced in 2003 to extend the
mental health service within primary care, by offering
limited interventions including guided self-help, an d
signposting (Farrand, Duncan, & Byng, 2007). The role is
open to graduates from any background, but psychology
graduates are encouraged to apply for the role (Department
of Health, 2003), which is sometimes seen as a stepping
stone to applied psychology training (Race & Fullen, 2003).
In Camden and Islington, the role of the GPCMHW
is twofold: providing guided self-help, and a community
links service (Grayer et al, 2005). In brief, the community
links service is a short-term intervention, which facilitates
access to voluntary sector and community activities. The
service aims to provide a low intensity intervention for
people who may not be able to engage in more intensive
therapeutic approaches.
The service model and initial outcomes from the
service are described in Grayer et al, 2005 and Grayer et al,
2008. Originally, the service was provided to individuals
with common mental health difficulties, such as anxiety
and depression. In the light of the policy guidance,
Personality Disorder: No longer a diagnosis for exclusion
(National Institute for Mental Health in England, 2003a)
the community links aspect of the service was extended
to clients with the sorts of difficulties leading to, or
associated with a personality disorder diagnosis.
Primary care services often provide the first point
of contact with services for people with a diagnosis of
personality disorder (PD). The majority of people with
such a diagnosis will be cared for within primary care
(National Institute for Mental Health in England 2003a).
There is a high prevalence of PD among primary care
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