In this issue

Features

Eating disorders in primary care (free article)
Primary care practitioners have a role to play in improving the healthcare experience of clients with this complex  mental health problem. Jayne Joy reports

The day of the jackal
For Suzanne Adey, training in nonviolent communication has had a healing impact on all her relationships

Trauma resilience
Martin Weaver and Felicity Biggart outline a proactive programme designed to help those with an increased risk of exposure to traumatic events

Surviving broken connections
What sort of issues might a client who is a transracial inter country adoptee bring to the counselling room? Susan Cousins utilises her own experience to explore this complex and emotionally charged subject

Practitioner’s research: crafting practice
The pilot and evaluation of a model which combines individual and team supervision for genetic counsellors has contributed to awards in excellence, explain Alan Phillips, Gail Mannion and Janet Birch

Best practice: treating veterans in Wales
Neil J Kitchiner outlines how the Welsh Government-funded NHS service is responding to the health and wellbeing of ex-service personnel with psychological problems

Regulars

Chair’s report – BACP Healthcare
Tina Campbell: Looking forward

Development – BACP Healthcare
Louise Robinson: Turning challenge into opportunity

GP viewpoint
What can we do in primary care to practically help patients with more complex ‘common mental health problems’, asks John Hague

Counselling in primary care
Richard Mason: Multicultural meetings in Haringey

Third sector perspective
Michael Lilley: A year of change

Resumé
Cornelia Dobb

Cover of Healthcare Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal, April 2012

All articles from this issue are not yet available online. Divisional members and subscribers can download the pdf from the Healthcare Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal archive

From the editor

A warm welcome to the new design of the Healthcare Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal. Among the pages, you’ll also find some changes to the content, with the introduction of new regular features. We’re delighted that two new columnists will be joining Dr John Hague in writing for the journal: Michael Lilley, chief executive of the mental health provider, My Time, will be updating us on developments in healthcare in the Third Sector, and primary care counsellor Richard Mason will be providing an insight into his working life as a practitioner working within IAPT services.

The aim of the journal is to provide a useful and interactive resource for practitioners working in healthcare and, as such, we want to feature as much that’s for, and about, counsellors and psychotherapists as possible. To this end, you’ll find a new feature on the back page detailing the working life of practitioners – thanks to Cornelia Dobb for being our first featured counsellor. Elsewhere, the book reviews section has been renamed Resources and, as its title suggests, aims to provide you with information, including book reviews, guidance, and web resources, to help you in your working life.

The main body of the journal remains made up of features of interest and use to counsellors and psychotherapists in healthcare. Written specifically with primary care practitioners in mind, Jayne Joy’s article on eating disorders aims to inform and update – how can you recognise when a client has an eating disorder? When should you refer on? The subject of complexity in primary care is continued by John Hague, who asks if there’s more that can be done to help clients with complex problems in primary care.

Our best practice feature this issue focuses on the setting up of a pilot mental health service for military veterans, considered one of the highest risk occupational groups for exposure to traumatic and adverse events. As such, veterans are a priority group for services offering psychological therapy, and Neil J Kitchiner’s article will be a valuable aid for both practitioners and service managers who are working towards implementing best practice in this area.

At the end of April, the BACP Healthcare executive and staff look forward to seeing you at the division’s one-day event, Healthcare in transition: strengthening our professional identity. The aim of the day, comprising a combination of keynote speakers, panel debates and workshops, is to inform members of policy updates and developments, and to consider the future – how can we define our roles and evolve as a profession? Along with our Deputy Chair, Zubeida Ali, I will be facilitating a workshop during the day which is designed for healthcare practitioners to share the issues impacting on their practice and find a way forward. 

As ever, we’d welcome your feedback about the new design of the journal and any of the features within it – you’ll find contact details at the end of each article. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sarah Hovington
Editor
hcpj.editorial@bacp.co.uk