Mental Health Physiotherapy

[Flexarrina]

Hi,
Im a third year physio student, currently working on a poster project around the subject of mental health. I was wondering if any one working in this area, or with experience in this area from placements, had any views on areas within mental health that are not sufficiently catered for with regards physiotherapy, or any areas that physiotherapists could get involved in but aren't already.

I have unfortunately had no personal experience of mental health physiotherapy so all my research is from literature and it would be good to get some thoughts from people based on personal experience and opinions.

I hope that all makes sense

[rjohnpaul]

Hi
I work in mental health and would agree that there are various issues/challenges which could be very well presented as a poster.
1. A very challenging client group.- you could work for the olympic team or a very busy outpatient department where the majority of your caseload are highly motivated individuals. In MH, you are working with a group who are not motivated, lack confidence or even looking to self harm. The challenge is how you ensure that these people comply to your treatments and recommendations, hence job satisfaction is very hard to come by, which means
2. Therapist views and attitude is very important.-This to me is the bullseye. You could be a great physio with plenty of knowledge but if you lack the attitude, then you are useless. The qualities of a MH physio is to be very patient and persistent with your approach ensuring that something is delivered for the benefit of your patient. The Ability to think out of the box and sometimes focus on a holistic method.- I personally think this is the way to go. Using various complementary therapies as an adjunct to physiotherapy can be very rewarding. Therapies such as swedish massage, reflexology, Acupuncture, acupressure, relaxation therapies, etc can be very useful
Good skill in the use of exercise and ability to promote physical activity are other avenues which can also be added strings in the bow of a Mental health physio.
The bottom line is - to be a good MH physio you've got to be a Jack Of All Trades.

I feel physios should be more pro active in their approach and take up more responsibility and upgrade themseves as health promotion specialists.
Hope this can sum up what you are looking for.
cheers
JP

[Flexarrina]

Thank-you for the insight, thats really helpful and definitely gives me some good areas to look into. I can see this is going to be an interesting project!

[vintagegirl]

Hi All,
I'm extremely new to this site and I'm a long-way off being a qualified physio! I'm currently doing an Access course to return to uni next year as a Physio mature student. One of the tasks I've to do as part of my Access course is chart how I'd move into a specialist field after qualifying. I know I want to work in MH so I wondered if anyone could give me an idea of how they moved into MH after graduating and in particular any specific CPD courses?
I've spoken to NHS Careers and the Health Learning and Skills Advice Line but they've both been a bit hazy on the detail. I've also looked at post-grad courses but they just talk about a certain time period working in the applicable area of interest, which doesn't help much either.
I currently do 1 day a wk volunteering at a horticultural project for MH users (more OT than physio) and I'm waiting on my CRB check to return to a psychiatric hospital central therapies dept for a longer work experience stint (did 1 wk in Sept).
Thanks in advance!

[Wilfie]

Hi,

I am a final year physio student and I have just got a band 3 PTa job on the bank working in MH. I have also managed to get a placement in MH in Jan. I am really looking forward to the challenges it will bring. I do get a bit annoyed with other students who dismiss MH physio....Is it just ignorence on their part? Surely it's just different skills needed, not less valuable.

Any thoughts?

W

[Homonculus]

Hi,

I am a final year physio student and I have just got a band 3 PTa job on the bank working in MH. I have also managed to get a placement in MH in Jan. I am really looking forward to the challenges it will bring. I do get a bit annoyed with other students who dismiss MH physio....Is it just ignorence on their part? Surely it's just different skills needed, not less valuable.

Any thoughts?

W

Hi all,

it's such a shame that this thread went quiet... it would be so useful to hear about 'case studies' how different therapists dealt with difficult/straight forward situations, what are the techniques that work to motivate this client group, or what are the definite 'no-nos'.
It makes me sad how some people talk about patients with MH issues 'on top of' usual conditions that are treated by physiotherapy. We are such a judgemental society and it wouldn't take much to stop and think, try to understand.
Any challenging situation someone wishes to discuss and how they managed it? Any good tips would be much appreciated!

xx

[LP Physio]

Hi all

I am a Senior Physio in an acute Mental Health Hospital. Have been in this post for an year now.
First of all it is great to know that someone has initiated this thread.
Would like to see this thread getting more active and useful for Physios in MH.
Could anyone share what protocols you use for Falls management in MH setting?
Looking forward to hear from you all soon.

Thanks in advance!