PTSD RESOLUTION NEWSLETTER NO 2
20TH
FEBRUARY 2010
Introduction
1.
Welcome to our latest newsletter, which follows our first
dated 30th September 2010, and is intended to report the
outcomes of our conference held on 5th February 2011, and
mention other items of interest.
2.
Newsletter No 1 particularly mentioned:
a. Service Description and Evidence
document
b. The referral process
c. Treatment follow up document
d. Clinical Governance and Risk policy
document
e. Funding
Any of these can be resent by asking Sarah (sbingham@ptsdresolution.org)
Conference
3.
120 people attended the conference in London on 5th
February 2011. Its purpose was to bring therapists up to date with
the Charity s progress and set out plans for the coming year.
From the 92 feedback forms and messages received, it would seem to have
been a success and supports a general view to hold another one next
year. The same premises have been provisionally booked for 4th February 2012.
The press release is shown at Annex A.
4.
National Campaign. The conference opened with a
message of support from our President, Lord Ramsbotham, and a summary of
activity at the national level. The general thrust of the activity,
encouraged by the new government, is to improve Veterans access to
treatment by encouraging better cooperation between charities, the
opening of 6 Community Veterans Mental Health Centres, and the general
reaffirmation that treatment has to be within NICE guidelines, compliant
with the Care Quality Commission, and following the referral pathway of
Royal British Legion, GP, Combat Stress. A copy of the slides are
available on request.
5.
Research. Working inside the HG model makes
trauma reasonably straightforward to understand, so Bill Andrews summary
of the current state of research with respect to PTSD and its treatment
was fascinating. Bill took us through the defining elements of the
official view of PTSD, from the DSM definition to the various meta-analyses
on risk factors and treatment, summarised the many different treatments
that are considered to be trauma-focussed and took us through the
current controversy over whether there is actually any benefit in using a
trauma focussed treatment over a non trauma-focussed one.
Bill then described the current metamorphosis of the HGI Practice
Research Network into the new Pragmatic Research Network, quoting
Fishman s Case for
Pragmatic Psychology:
Coming down from the lofty perch of ideological purity, pragmatism meets
the world as we ûnd it and asks: How can we improve it - not in some
ideal way with a predetermined endpoint, but in a practical way in the
here and now, within a context of the social, cultural, political, and
economic realities we are given?
Which is, of course, precisely where we are as a charity; keen to learn
more about the factors that make treatment likely to succeed for the
individual, and what we can all do to contribute to the development of
the evidence base for our work. Bill Andrews is currently working
on a new forms pack and data management system for Resolution, to make
sure that therapists get the right paperwork from us and that the client
change data goes back into the database. Copies of Bill s
presentation are available at http://www.ptsdresolution.org/conference2011/
.
6.
Survey. We now have over 150 respondents to
the online survey Resolution has been running, and the results are
looking very interesting indeed. If you divide respondents into the
well group who have sub-clinical symptoms, the Ill but not diagnosed
group who have clinical symptom levels but no diagnosis, and the Ill and
diagnosed group who officially have PTSD, you see some that the
probability of anxiety and depression diagnoses is lowest in the first
group, higher in the second and highest in the third, as you might
expect. But the picture with alcohol is quite different excess
alcohol use and alcohol dependency diagnosis are actually higher in the
undiagnosed group than the diagnosed group even though the mean symptom
score is the same. We don t know why this is, so more research is,
as always, needed. Perhaps the sober veterans manage to get a
diagnosis and the drinkers either don t or can t present to the doctor.
The survey is an internet exercise with all the methodological
constraints that implies, and we need more respondents to make the
findings more robust, but we know that of the respondents so far:
· Half the people
suffering trauma at a clinical level are undiagnosed, and they are
suffering just as badly, on average, as those with a diagnosis;
· The undiagnosed
sufferers are 50% more likely to be drinking to excess and nearly twice
as likely to have an alcohol dependency diagnosis as those with a PTSD
diagnosis;
· The diagnosed group
have the same mean symptom score as the undiagnosed group, so diagnosis
doesn' t seem to have helped them get better.
7.
Case Studies.
Patrick Hennessey, the author of The Junior Officer s
Reading Club, a vivid account of life on operations in Afghanistan, gave
a flavour of his experience with mental health. This was followed
by two ex soldiers accounts of their experiences of Post Traumatic
Stress, their treatment journeys, and their positive outcomes from
Resolution. Then followed a 40 minute DVD of a programme made by
Scottish TV showing the negative experiences of three ex soldiers on
their treatment journeys, and the positive outcome of one of them treated
through Resolution.
8.
Criminal Justice System. This section was to
highlight the particular considerations for helping find and treat
veterans in the CJS, before, during and after prison. Experience
shows that prisons are autonomous in their provision of health and welfare
support, and therefore delegates were urged to make contact with prisons
in their area, through the appropriate Health and Welfare staff or the
Veterans in Custody Support Officers that exist in many prisons.
Sarah can provide on request the names of local prisons and their
Veterans Support Officers. Veterans in prison may be more
challenging than other clients requiring enhanced considerations such as:
a. Initial introduction crucial
b. Rapport take time crucial build
trust
c. Explain no re-telling necessary
d. IES, CORE, ORS, SRS essential
e. Feed back general progress to staff, but
retain confidentiality
f. Follow up at 1 and 3 months
g. Preparation for discharge support
prison plans
h. Continuity if posted help pass on
contact to Resolution therapist in the new prison location.
9.
Reservists. The particular needs of
Reservists were discussed, and ways to help were suggested:
a. Reaching the Reservists at the point of
discharge (Chilwell)
b. Coordinating with Reserves Mental Health
Programmebased near Nottingham
c. Contacting SaBRE, a government agency
organised nationally and with regional offices
d. Highlighting benefit to commercial
companies of early, private, treatment through employer education and
awareness, such as the proposed Trauma Awareness Training (TAT)
programme.
The Trauma Awareness Training programme is aimed at employers who are
wondering whether their employees behaviour is symptomatic of a
demanding job or of some earlier events they have experienced. The
course will explain how trauma works, how employers can recognise
traumatised behaviour, and what they can do to support traumatised
employees. There are two parts to the training the awareness
seminar is for managers and HR people who need to know about the
condition, and the second is a practical workshop on rigaar and
engagement style for line-managers who will actually have to talk to
traumatised people and bring them to the point of choosing what to do
about it.
10. Resolution
County Network. It is proposed that we should create county
networks, based on the willingness and energies of the therapists to make
contact with the service and non-service agencies that exist in each
county. A list of such agencies was provided in the handouts, and
is available from Sarah on request. Further details of the network
will follow.
11. Resolution
Pub Hubs. Within each county are hundreds of pubs, many of which
are frequented by service personnel, and which could form the basis of
local support networks and routes for referrals and fund raising.
One very successful example is The Hare Inn at Leighton Buzzard, run by
Jim Woolley (www.thehare.co.uk).
Delegates were urged to find pubs near them whose publicans would be
interested to set up a similar operation. Support would be provided
by Jim. Publican details are to be sent to Sarah, who will send
them a welcome letter and materials.
12. CAPEST.
We see Resolution s development of the county network and the pub-hubs is
a very important development. It reflects the importance of social
support in treating psychological trauma, as explained by Bill Andrews
presentation at the conference, and when the network is developed it will
provide broader support than sufferers have previously been able to
access. In recognition of this move and the theoretical
justification for it, the last session at the conference saw the first
presentation of the bathtub model of support, with therapy nested
inside the broader supportive environment of the pub-hub. This was
also mapped into an expanded version of the APET model, explicitly acknowledging
the broader social environment, the bottlenecks in sufferers thought
patterns and the circular nature of the mechanisms that sustain trauma.
13. Conclusion.
There was some useful discussion in the Q&A and a general feeling of
enthusiasm. The question of supervision was raised. It is
essential that all therapists have supervision in order to maintain HGI
registration. However, Resolution does not mind with whom
supervision is arranged, so long as the supervisor is qualified to provide
it. Would
those people willing to be supervisors please tell Sarah, who will
maintain a register.
Delegates were provided with a bag of handouts and publicity material and
exhorted to develop local contacts.
Some feedback quotes:
The Q&A at the
end was great so much variety, interest, a wealth of experience
Particularly enjoyed
Jim and the ex-servicemen who spoke brought the conference to life
Great value for
money
Excellent
conference. Thank you
I really enjoyed it
all. It was very informative
Gained a lot of new
knowledge & ideas about veterans, their problems & needs which
was enlightening, useful & moving
The idea of CAPEST is
excellent
Really found this
interesting and hope we can work together
Promotion &
Fund Raising
14. Although
fund raising was mentioned at the conference, it might be useful to
summarise here the various ways in which we are and could be doing more
of, to raise funds. We do require help in fund-raising, to help pay for
free treatment:-
- Who
Cares Wins
is the on line campaign to raise money from individual donations,
which can be a small as £1, and if cascaded via everybody s network,
can create a substantial amount. People should be directed to www.bmycharity.com/whocareswins.
- Large
corporates
or individual donations need to continue to be approached
- Grant
making bodies,
Lottery funds, and other third sector donors continue to be
approached.
- Marathon
and half marathon runners are often looking for a charity to sponsor them
and to collect for. It has been reported that people may be
tiring of collecting for H4H, and may welcome a new charity to
collect for.
- Resolution
Pub Hubs
can sponsor local collections. Contact us about setting up a
local hub, Proceeds should be sent by cheque to Resolution,
Meadow Cottage, Poundfield Road, Chalvington, Sussex, BN27 3TH.
- UK
Outdoor Adventure
is a company that helps people and groups to do sponsored
challenging pursuits. See Annex B for
details
- www.recycle4charity .co.uk gives money for mobile
phones and printer cartridges. Please make contact and become a
local collector.
- T
shirts.
We will be getting T shirts printed with the logo, and available via
Sarah.
- Locally
organised
talks, tea parties, dinners, dances, etc etc are all ways of
generating funds which we need, so we can pay you so that treatment
is free to the client.
- PR
& the Media:
our therapists are encouraged to send press releases to your local
and other media, as well as professional press, to publicise your
services and involvement with Resolution Network. Also, on your web
site: if you want help setting up a site, contact our web designer
Howard - info@massmedia.ltd.uk
Key Contact points:
Web site: http://www.ptsdresolution.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ukwhocareswins
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/whocareswins/177583270527?v=wall
Donations: http://www.bmycharity.com/whocareswins
Annex
A to PTSD Resolution newsletter No. 2
Resolution release post conference 2011
Military Covenant requires Better Coordination of Initiatives for
Services Veterans and Reservists hears PTSD Resolution Network
Conference, 05 February 2011, London
Closer cooperation of the work of the health services, armed forces
charities and criminal justice system are essential to ensure adequate
support for veterans and reservists in the community - according to
charity PTSD Resolution Network.
Too many veterans are let down by the military covenant because they
fall through the safety-net of only patchy service provision around the
country. There is a lack of joined-up thinking for the delivery of
practical support at a local level, said Piers Bishop, chief therapist
of PTSD Resolution, speaking at the Resolution Network Conference, 05
February 2011 at Mark Masons' Hall, 86 St James's Street, London - www.ptsdresolution.org/conference.htm.
Better coordination of services at a community level is essential
such as those for treatment for military PTSD, housing and employment.
With the rising numbers of services personnel suffering from the
symptoms of military trauma, veterans and reservists need single points
of local contact to fast-track the right support, delivered on a local
basis.
This was the message from the first annual conference of the PTSD
Resolution Network when 120 of its therapists from across the UK met with
representatives from military charities, the prison service and criminal
justice system - as well as services veterans, who included former
sufferers of military PTSD.
PTSD Resolution offers the first UK outreach programme to help veterans
and reservists in the community who struggle to reintegrate into a normal
work and family life because of military post traumatic stress suffered
as a result of service in the armed forces. Treatment is free, on an
outpatient basis delivered by a national network of 250 therapists.
Conference delegates heard details of a new initiative, Resolution Pub
Hub , which focuses on the pub as a centre of community life. Pubs that
participate in the scheme offer veterans social contact in a sympathetic setting,
and will provide information on local services by trained therapists,
employers, housing and services charities and other organisations.
The starting point for successful rehabilitation is to identify and
treat any symptoms of military PTSD - which if unresolved will prevent
the possibility of any return to normal work and family life. This is
what Resolution deals with every day on a local basis, through the work
of our network of therapists.
At Resolution we are very aware that hand-in-hand with therapy, it is
essential to meet a range of other practical needs, such as for jobs and
housing, ideally in the context of the local, familiar community - and
also with the involvement of the many excellent services charities that
support veterans and their families, such as Royal British Legion, said
Piers Bishop.
For further information: PTSD Resolution Network, Registered Charity No.
1133188 www.ptsdresolution.org
. ends
Issued by:-Patrick Rea, Director, PTSD Resolution Patrick.Rea@gmail.com T 020 8870
4976 www.ptsdresolution.org/conference.htm
Annex
B to PTSD Resolution newsletter No. 2
WHY NOT FIND A
PERSON OR BUNCH OF PEOPLE
TO DO A CHALLENGE
EVENT
TO RAISE FUNDS
FOR PTSD
RESOLUTION?
All you have to do is find a person or group of people who would like to
do a challenge event and plug into UK Outdoor Adventure who ll organize
the whole thing (www.ukoutdooradventure.com).
UK Outdoor Adventure is a specialist organizer of Challenge Events for
Individual, Charity and Corporate clients. Their range of
challenges includes the National Three Peaks, The Yorkshire Three Peaks,
the Welsh Three Thousand, and the Caledonian Canal Challenges.
Since 2007 they have established a reputation for quality amongst the
thousands of individuals, families, business teams, private parties,
charity fundraisers, and youth groups, who come back time after time for
another UK Outdoor Adventure.
Using the best equipment and instructors that money can buy, UK Outdoor
Adventure guarantees you ll have the time of your life.
It will cost £325 per person to enter, and each person commits to being
sponsored for £500 or more. UK Outdoor Adventure takes a cut and
the rest goes to PTSD Resolution.
Kind regards:
The PTSD Resolution Team
0300 302 0551
|
