THEIS follow national frameworks for Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services and draw on guidance and evidence from NICE and RCPSYCH. EIP services have a solid evidence base showing clear benefits compared with standard care, including reduced relapse and hospitalisation, improved symptoms (particularly early in treatment), and better engagement with services.
Community Mental Health Care
We offer mental health care, primarily in the community, using a ‘multi-disciplinary team’ (MDT) model. This means we have various healthcare practitioners, including psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, support workers, peer support and community connectors who work together to provide the best possible care. Individuals under our care have a named healthcare worker (Care Coordinator) who helps monitor mental health recovery and follows a ‘CPA’ model of care. We’re an integrated service and undertake duties delegated to us from adult social care.
Physical Health Support
Evidence shows mental health difficulties have an impact on an individual's physical health, and it is common for our service users to struggle with accessing physical health support. We follow the Lester Tool guidance for early identification and intervention, covering physical health and lifestyle support and offer physical health reviews, structured interventions and onward referrals as required.
Family & Carer Support
A First Episode of Psychosis often impacts the whole family network when someone begins to experience symptoms. THEIS have a specialist Family Therapist and offer both structured and informal family support. Our models of family work can involve the service user or be specifically tailored to focus on family members.
Psychological Therapy
Psychological interventions in THEIS focus on helping people and their families understand psychosis and cope with its impact. They can be offered in individual or group settings. Psychological therapy is sometimes called ‘talking treatment’, as it
usually involves talking with people about their thoughts and feelings. During therapy, there may also be practical exercises to complete within and between sessions, in order to try out different ways of coping. Psychological sessions may be used to focus on a range of difficulties, for example:
- making sense of experiences
- reducing the risk of relapse
- finding strategies that help to reduce the impact of psychosis
- helping with other emotional difficulties such as low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression.
Support Work & Groups
THEIS support workers help service users meet their goals in the community by helping to build a productive daily routine, explore hobbies and interests and access services and activities available in the community. They run groups and activities on a weekly basis to provide an opportunity to build confidence, meet other people with shared experiences, be physically active and socialise. Bilingual support workers also provide an interpreting service for service users and carers.
Employment Support
Employment Specialists from Working Well Trust are based within THEIS and can help service users look at their strengths and abilities while supporting them to get back into work, education and training. They identify people’s key skills to maximise their employment potential.
Employment Specialists work collaboratively with potential employers to provide work-focused pathways. They also aim to assist people to achieve their vocational goals and if required, related training opportunities through Upskill, who are also part of Working Well Trust.
Spiritual, Religious & Cultural Care
Many service users understand psychosis from a spiritual, supernatural, or social lens. THEIS work closely with the Spiritual, Religious and Cultural Care Service, who provide a range of support to assist people during their recovery and to maintain wellbeing. Together, we recognise the importance of culture and the spiritual needs of service users and the influence of these needs on their mental health. We aim to sensitively support individuals without alienating them from their own cultural beliefs.
More Information about the Spiritual, Religious and Cultural Care team can be found on this link - https://www.elft.nhs.uk/contact-us/spiritual-religious-cultural-care
