Regional Groups | South Western

PF Joyce
Templer House CMHT
Newton Abbot Hospital
62-64 East Street
Newton Abbot
Devon TQ12 4PT
Tel: 01626 362179

South-west PSIGE convenor will be taken on by Kate Millican
Email Kate here

Philippa Wilson
Poplar Unit
The Coppice
Callington Road Hospital
Brislington
Bristol
BS4 5BJ
Tel: 0117 9195800

PSIGE SOUTH WEST Geographical Group Convenors’ Meeting 06/07/06 - Brighton

Over the past year, membership of South West PSIGE has grown to 36. Philippa Wilson and PF Joyce remain as regional convenors and we continue to meet several times a year, usually for longer meetings due to the large geographical size of our region. These meetings continue to be well-attended and the professional links they provide have been particularly valued in recent months as members in some parts of the region are currently restricted from attending training events due to the financial difficulties of some local Trusts.

We have met on three occasions in the past year. In November 2005 we met in Bristol. Paul Whitby gave an interesting talk at this meeting, entitled ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’, discussing some of the challenges facing dementia care services (and likening work in these services to the experiences of Sisyphus, sentenced to continually push a heavy rock up a hill). Kate Anderson also presented a summary of the recent Mental Capacity Act and we introduced a new case discussion slot.

We met again in Bristol in April 2006. At this meeting, Reg Morris led a discussion about potential research into the issue of capacity, something which PSIGE members hope to pursue under Reg’s guidance. There was also time at this meeting for discussion of local services and issues, with particular discussion of services which seek to use a ‘community psychology’ model.

In June 2006, we organised a workshop entitled ‘Coping with Adversity’ in Cullompton. This workshop was facilitated by Stirling Moorey from the Institute of Psychiatry and was funded by a grant from the PSIGE Training Committee. The workshop focused on ways of working therapeutically with individuals in adverse life circumstances, drawing strongly on Stirling’s experience of using CBT techniques when working with cancer sufferers. The feedback for this event has been very positive. It provided both practical ideas and inspiration for us in our clinical work.

The South West PSIGE group has also been busy with our edition of the newsletter, which is due to be published this summer. Several members have contributed some thought-provoking articles, and we hope that you will all enjoy this publication when it arrives.

Philippa Wilson & PF Joyce
Group Convenors