Adult

Psychology & Counselling Service

  • Coronavirus – Advice for families and patients

  • Following the recent changes to the advice around coronavirus, our psychology team have some fantastic advice for families and patients. Please have a look. If you need anything further there are links on how to contact us lower on this page.

    Life after Lockdown: Talking to your kids about changes:

    Life after Lockdown: Helping children who are worried

    Life after Lockdown: Helping your kids manage new routines

    Life after Lockdown: Information for kids

    Life after Lockdown: Managing new routines

    Life after Lockdown: Managing anxiety and worries

  • Please click on the links below to download our advice sheets

    Advice for Parents: Helping a Worried Child Cope

    Managing Anxiety: Tips and Strategies to Help you Cope

    Advice for Kids and Their Worries

    Advice for Parents: Talking to Your Kids About COVID-19

    Helping Kids Cope with Isolation

    Managing to Cope with Isolation

  • What is the Cardiology Psychology & Counselling Service?

    As a small team of Clinical Psychologists and Counsellors based at the Leeds General Infirmary we are dedicated to supporting patients and families around life with a heart condition. We are trained to support patients and family members from pregnancy to adulthood by offering a safe and confidential space in which difficult thoughts and feelings can be shared, processed and worked through together.

  • What can the service help with?

    We see lots of different people every day with different needs such as;

    • Anxiety surrounding surgery or procedures
    • Difficulty coping with complex treatment
    • Coping with diagnosis
    • Avoidance of certain activities
    • Health anxiety
    • Support in preparing for surgery or procedures
    • Managing emotions that come from dealing with a heart condition

  • Who is the service for?

    Our service can offer to support from anyone who is currently under treatment of a Leeds Teaching Hospitals consultant and may benefit from input around their emotional wellbeing to support their cardiac health regardless if they live in the Leeds area.

    We may not be able to offer support if other teams (such as CAMHS, IAPT, Mindmate) are involved.

  • Who is part of the team?

    You may meet the team around the hospital such as on the Wards and in surgical clinics.

    • Dr Sara Matley, Consultant Clinical Psychologist
    • Dr Kat Bilbrough, Senior Clinical Psychologist
    • Jayne Slack, Senior Counsellor
    • Sandie Allison, Counsellor

    There are also Clinical Psychology Trainees and student interns that may join the team who you may meet.

  • What to expect in an appointment?

    When referred to the team you will attend an initial assessment or have a telephone assessment. We will ask you about your lives including family, school/college and interests. And we will also talk with you about any current difficulties. The aim of an assessment is to gain a shared understanding of the difficulties which is then used to develop the most helpful intervention for you. Sometimes this means coming back for further appointments to support you during this time. Decisions are made collaboratively with you / your family.

  • Confidentiality

    Everything you disclose in a session with a member of the team will be kept confidential unless we feel that you or your family members are at risk. As we work within a medical team it may be useful to share information with team, but we will always ask for your consent before sharing with another professional.