Gastroenterology

For three days each week, a clinical psychologist provides input into the Trust's gastroenterology service.

How can a clinical psychologist help?

The gastroenterology psychology service can offer talking therapies and coping strategies to people who are struggling with adjusting to, or managing the symptoms of, their gastrointestinal disorder/syndrome.

Our service offers a person-centred approach, which means psychological interventions offered are tailored to each person's specific needs. Direct psychological work begins with an assessment session, where we work together to develop an understanding of each person's experiences, thoughts, emotions, behaviours and relationships. This will then help decide the best psychological support for each person.

Types of psychological support include:

• Learning about the complex links between the 'gut' and our brain, stress response, and emotions.
• The development of coping strategies to manage gastrointestinal symptoms, such as relaxation techniques, mindfulness, and emotion regulation strategies.
• Identifying cycles of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that maintain or trigger gastrointestinal distress.
• Psychological support to process traumatising health events.
• Supporting adjustment to a gastrointestinal disorder by exploring emotional barriers to living with a condition.

As well as working with patients, the gastroenterology psychology service works closely with other members of the gastroenterology service, including consultants, nurse specialists, and dieticians, to offer reflective practice, consultation, and training on integrating psychological approaches into care.

Why is psychology an important part of our gastroenterology service?

People can experience a wide range of emotions when they are diagnosed with a gastrointestinal disorder.

For some, the diagnosis may come as a terrible shock, with lots of new information to take in. Others may feel some relief that there is an explanation for the symptoms they have been experiencing.

A clinical psychologist can provide support if your diagnosis was more than a few months ago and you are particularly struggling with difficult feelings about your illness, such as anxiety and depression. If you think you need support, speak to your consultant or specialist nurse about being referred.