A day in the life of a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner

Jessica shares details of her role as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner working in the community and the Tameside Macmillan Unit

What does Talking Therapies T&G do?

We provide talking therapies for anxiety and depression to anyone age 16+. Talking therapies include low-intensity cognitive behaviour therapy / guided self-help through the forms of workshops, online (Silver Cloud) and 1-1, along with high-intensity cognitive behaviour therapy as well as counselling. However, an initial assessment has to be carried out to determine the most appropriate type of therapy and this may be something that is provided by an alternative service which we can sometimes make referrals to and other times clients have to refer themselves depending upon different service requirements.

What does your job Involve?

My job involves completing assessments to assess client’s suitability for the service, for us to decide whether Talking Therapies is the most suitable service for them or whether their needs are best met elsewhere. I also carry out low-intensity cognitive behaviour therapy which is guided self-help to manage symptoms of anxiety and depression, this is done through workshops, online or 1-1.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day involves assessments and then working with clients on a 1-1 basis either through an online platform called Silver Cloud or via the telephone, MS Teams, or face-to-face. I can also be a facilitator of a workshop which involves delivering low-intensity CBT to a group of people. I have regular supervision where I discuss people that I am working with to make sure I am offering them the correct support and seek guidance following initial assessments to assure the correct therapy is being offered to the client.

What is the hardest part of your job?

It can be difficult to manage client’s expectations as people often think that “talking therapy” is all counselling-based which the media (films, tv shows, etc) does not help with as people tend to think they are going to be sat on a couch and talking about everything from their childhood to now, whereas low-intensity CBT is focused on the here and now and looking at how to manage what it is that is going on right now.

What do you enjoy most (or is the most rewarding aspect) about your work and/or your work with people affected by cancer?

Helping people get the support they need and teaching them things to help manage how they are feeling. It is rewarding knowing that you are supporting them through difficult times in their life, especially when they are affected by cancer.