Feature

Good therapy requires good communication

Sally Cook reports on the National Centre for Mental Health and Deafness, a pioneering and culturally-specific mental health service

The first or preferred language of over 75,000 deaf people in Britain is British Sign Language (BSL). Most of these deaf people form a minority group, sharing a rich culture reaching from poetry, drama and humour to language and community.

Deaf people have long recognised that their groups are different from those of hearing people. The term ‘deaf community’ has demographic, linguistic, political, psychological and sociological dimensions. Britain’s deaf community shares characteristics born from common experiences, beliefs, values and norms and, most importantly, language.

Members of this community, like any other, present with mental health problems and related issues, perhaps disproportionately so because of the unique difference in communication, coupled with a lack of public awareness of the factors involved in deafness.

The National Centre for Mental Health and Deafness has been providing services for deaf people since the late 1960s. It was the first service in the UK to provide specialist mental health services for deaf people. It is our experience that appropriate services for deaf people can only be provided by professionals who understand the psychological, sociological, psychiatric, cultural and linguistic aspects of deafness, and can communicate in sign language.

In May 1993, the service relocated to Prestwich, north Manchester, to become an integral part of mental health services of Salford Trust.

The Centre provides in-patient, out-patient, day patient and community services, offering assessment, diagnosis and treatment to deaf people of all ages who experience mental illness, emotional and behavioural difficulties, personality problems, communication and language disorders and learning difficulties.

The in-patient service has 24 beds in purpose-built accommodation, equipped for deaf and deaf/blind clients.

The centre’s team includes medical and nursing staff, occupational and creative therapists, speech and language therapists, teachers and social workers. Some are deaf, some are hearing. Deaf members of staff bring important cultural perspectives and a special ability to empathise with clients in their care. They also act as role models promoting a positive deaf identity.

Communication is fundamental in establishing good therapeutic relationships: all members of staff use BSL and are trained in various modes of visual communication.

The centre has a holistic approach and individual care programmes are devised to meet each client’s particular needs and include counselling, group therapy, occupational therapy and creative therapy, as well as social skills, vocational training, language, communication and education.

The majority of clients are admitted informally but clients are also accepted subject to sections of the 1983Mental Health Act.

We hold out-patient clinics across the country, including Newcastle, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Clinics offer initial assessment, follow-up, ongoing support and individual psychological therapies. Domiciliary visits and consultations are provided on request at numerous other establishments and at clients’ homes.

The development of two other services, one at Pathfinder Trust, London, and the other at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, has provided better access for deaf people. Even so, each service still has a wide catchment area and relies on the co-operation and support of local services to attempt to provide a seamless service

We accept enquiries from professionals of any discipline, deaf people themselves and their carers, schools, residential facilities, courts and prisons. Non-medical referrals should be supported by a letter from a GP or Responsible Medical Officer.

We have a reputation as a unique and pioneering service and are recognised nationally and internationally as a centre of excellence, with a commitment to conduct research and provide training in all aspects of mental health and deafness. Seminars, training days and workshops are organised for professionals who work with deaf people, psychiatrists, social workers, occupational therapy and nursing students.

Counselling Certificate and Diploma courses for deaf people are provided at City College, Manchester, designed and delivered by members of staff from the centre.

It is currently working in co-operation with a number of charitable organisations for deaf people to develop community based services throughout Greater Manchester that provide support and accommodation for clients on discharge and ensure a greater degree of continuity of care.

Proposals are also being developed to provide a specialist service for deaf mentally disordered offenders.

.

For further information contact Sally Cook, clinical manager, tel (voice) 0161 772 3400 (minicom) 0161 772 3407.