The service is made up of clinical psychologists, health psychologists (clinical associates in applied psychology) and assistant psychologists. We work closely with multidisciplinary medical teams to ensure that the psychological needs of patients with physical health conditions are met. We have psychologists working in the specialist areas of:
- Oncology and palliative Care
- Pain management
- Blood borne viruses
- Rheumatology
- Adult weight management
- Intensive care rehabilitation (InSPIRE Programme)
- Major physical trauma
- Psychosexual difficulties
- MACH ( Mental health After Covid-19 Hospitalisation)
- Respiratory Medicine
We also have a general medical psychology service which provides psychological care for a range of other acute and long-term health conditions such as diabetes, dermatology problems and functional neurological conditions.
Psychologists working in clinical health psychology can help you with a number of things, including:
- Coping with the impact that your physical health condition is having on your quality of life
- Coming to terms with feelings of loss as a result of your physical health condition
- Working on difficulties in relationships with partners, family and friends (including sexual difficulties)
- Increasing your understanding of your condition and its impact on you
- Coping with the demands of treatment
- Helping you learn how to live a life you value despite the presence of your condition
- Helping you manage difficult emotions which are related to your physical health condition (such as anxiety, depression, self-esteem, confidence, body image difficulties or trauma)
We provide a range of evidence based psychological treatments to address these difficulties in both one-to-one and group formats.
We also:
- Offer psychological assessment prior to some types of surgery
- Provide consultancy and supervision to a wide range of healthcare professionals to help improve your physical healthcare
- Provide teaching and training for other health care professionals to enhance their understanding of the psychological impact of physical health conditions
- Provide teaching and placement experiences for trainee clinical psychologists on the Edinburgh University Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Course.
- Conduct research and service evaluation to improve Clinical Health Psychology Services
Where can I be seen?
We are a Fife wide service and offer clinics in the main hospitals in Fife. We can also offer virtual “Near Me” consultations and telephone appointments.
