MND Psychology

1. About us
2. Meet the team
3. What can you expect at your appointment?
4. Where will the service be offered?
5. How can you be referred to the service?
6. Contact us
7. Other useful resources
8. Feedback questionnaires

Our MND Psychology service is a regional service offering specialist psychological and emotional support to help people who are living with MND and their carers. We work as a core part of the MND community services in Calderdale, Huddersfield, Bradford and Mid-Yorkshire, and can offer a service to anyone receiving care in these respective NHS Trusts. We have close links with the clinical psychologists working at our nearest MND Care Centres in Leeds and Sheffield.
 

Individual psychological assessment and therapy

As clinical psychologists, we are trained to understand the effects of having a health condition on our emotional and psychological wellbeing. We are trained in a range of talking therapies to support people with understanding and finding helpful ways to cope with the challenges that they are facing. Our service uses compassion, mindfulness and values-informed approaches to therapy.  Depending on what is needed, we may signpost to other services; we work closely with the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) and local hospices who can provide counselling and family support.

Our service offers a single 90-minute assessment session following a new diagnosis of MND.  This is an opportunity to talk about the emotional impact of MND and consider how the person with MND can best take care of themselves and the things that matter to them. They may also choose to bring a close family member or carer to this appointment and consider what support they may need as part of this discussion. 

Cognition and behaviour change

We can also provide input with screening and support for managing changes in thinking skills and behaviour which affects around 50% of people living with MND.  This screening is usually carried out by Occupational Therapists or other trained healthcare professionals in the MND service; however the psychologist may be involved where people are experiencing more severe changes or need additional support.

Working with the multi-disciplinary team (MDT)

We are a core member of the MND team, which means that we can support people with their psychological needs alongside their physical, medical and social needs. We meet regularly with other clinicians in the MND services to talk about how we can best support people as a team, and sometimes offer joint appointments. We also offer teaching, training and supervision to our colleagues, to support the psychological care of people living with or affected by MND.

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Appointments usually last up to 50 minutes, although we allow 90 minutes for the single psychology assessment sessions.  We can decide together about how to support your communication needs during an appointment. You are welcome to communicate in the way that is best for you. For some people with MND this may involve writing or using another communication device such as a phone or tablet. Some people find it helpful to prepare a written summary of their concerns to bring to the appointment, but this is not essential. 

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We can offer sessions in person at an outpatient clinic or remotely. People may choose to have a remote sessions as these are usually available sooner, and more frequently, because this is a regional service.

In person
In person outpatient appointments take place monthly in each locality:

• Calderdale and Huddersfield - Acre Mills Outpatients, Huddersfield
• Bradford – Marie Curie Hospice
• Mid-Yorkshire – The Rosewood Centre, Dewsbury Hospital
   

Remote (Online or Telephone)
We have regular outpatient appointments available online or by telephone. You would need to ensure that you have a private and comfortable space to meet, and for online appointments we would send a link to join the appointment.
 

Home visits or inpatient visits
We recognise that mobility and communication needs associated with MND can create difficulties with accessing outpatient or remote appointments. As this is a small regional service, we are only able to offer home or inpatient visits in exceptional circumstances. Please be aware that this may be for an assessment or a limited number of appointments, and the psychologist will work with you to consider how the healthcare team can best support your well-being.

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We accept referrals from MND clinicians working in Calderdale, Huddersfield (Locala North Kirklees), Bradford and Mid-Yorkshire (including MY Therapy and Locala South Kirklees). We work alongside these teams which includes MND Care coordinators, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, dietetics, palliative care and neurology. Most referrals are arranged through the MND Care Coordinator (Clinical Nurse Specialist in Mid-Yorkshire) as they will have an overview of a person’s needs and care.

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Our secretary can be reached on 01422 222058 Monday to Friday between 8:30am-4pm.

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General psychological wellbeing

• The Samaritans are available 24 hours a day to provide confidential emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress and despair.
  • Website: www.samaritans.org 
  • Telephone: 116 123.
• SHOUT is a 24/7 UK text service for people in crisis.
  • Telephone: 85258.

Motor-Neurone Disease Association (MNDA)

• Website:https://www.mndassociation.org/
• MND Connect: Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm.
  • Website: https://www.mndassociation.org/support-and-information/our-services/mnd-connect
  • Telephone: 0808 802 6262.
  • Email: mndconnect@mndassociation.org
• Information for people with or affected by MND
• Information in other languages and formats

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For feedback about a 1:1 psychology single assessment session or therapy:

• MND Psychology Feedback Questionnaire

For feedback about screening or support with changes to thinking skills and behaviour:

• Feedback form - Screening assessment for cognition and behaviour change in MND

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