‘Through the Looking Glass’ Implementing a Single Session Clinic in a Regional CAMHS Setting
Tracks
Conference Centre Room 1
| Tuesday, March 29, 2022 |
| 10:37 AM - 10:57 AM |
Overview
Mrs Gill Goodman, Winnie McCulloch, Sam Norris & Amy Webster, Albury Wodonga Health Camhs
Speaker
Mrs Gill Goodman
Single session coordinator
AWH CAMHS
‘Through the Looking Glass’ Implementing a Single Session Clinic in a Regional CAMHS Setting
Abstract
In March 2021, AWH CAMHS commenced Single Session Clinic for families referred to the service. This initiative was implemented by manager, Winnie McCulloch, with the operational support of Albury Wodonga Health. The SSC involved employing a Senior Clinician, experienced in family systems practice, into a dedicated position to coordinate and run the clinic. Utilising an experienced senior clinician was a step to ensuring the clinic ran effectively and able to respond more immediately to families ,ensuring the clinicians involved in the SSC, and engaged in other CAMHS commitments, were not overloaded.
Single Session Treatment (SST) is a strength based, solution, and reflective focused approach, client/family directed and responsive to the present.
The process involves a pre session questionnaire, a longer than “normal” appointment with the addition of a reflective team. At the conclusion a follow up phone call, a few weeks post session, is activated. Pre and post evaluation of the process is incorporated.
Feedback from participating families has been generally very positive. All verbally reported enjoying the experience of multiple clinicians and receiving immediate feedback to both the family and their GP. The idea of commitment for a single appointment has also been well received with clients only needing to take limited time away from work or school.
Feedback from the clinicians involved has also been very positive, eg enthusiasm experienced on the SSC day, feeling well supported in seeing complicated families, and transfer of skills learned across other areas of more individual clinical practise evident and notable.
We are now changing over some of the initial SSC clinicians to include other CAMHS clinicians – expanding overall knowledge and skill sets across the team and embeding the use of SSC as a core service offered by CYMHS.
3 x Key Learnings:
1. Implementing innovative service delivery within a regional setting.
2. Experience of encouraging cultural change for consumers and clinicians within an established CAMHS.
3. The benefits and uses of reflective practise in everyday clinical work.
Single Session Treatment (SST) is a strength based, solution, and reflective focused approach, client/family directed and responsive to the present.
The process involves a pre session questionnaire, a longer than “normal” appointment with the addition of a reflective team. At the conclusion a follow up phone call, a few weeks post session, is activated. Pre and post evaluation of the process is incorporated.
Feedback from participating families has been generally very positive. All verbally reported enjoying the experience of multiple clinicians and receiving immediate feedback to both the family and their GP. The idea of commitment for a single appointment has also been well received with clients only needing to take limited time away from work or school.
Feedback from the clinicians involved has also been very positive, eg enthusiasm experienced on the SSC day, feeling well supported in seeing complicated families, and transfer of skills learned across other areas of more individual clinical practise evident and notable.
We are now changing over some of the initial SSC clinicians to include other CAMHS clinicians – expanding overall knowledge and skill sets across the team and embeding the use of SSC as a core service offered by CYMHS.
3 x Key Learnings:
1. Implementing innovative service delivery within a regional setting.
2. Experience of encouraging cultural change for consumers and clinicians within an established CAMHS.
3. The benefits and uses of reflective practise in everyday clinical work.
Biography
Gill is a mental health nurse and family therapist who has worked extensively with young people and families for over forty years within the UK, New Zealand and Australian health systems.
She has specific interest in working with Eating Disorders and helped set up the Geelong Eating Disorders Service for PHN Barwon and Geelong Clinic. Gill is an advanced practitioner in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy , delivering this to individuals and families within the Geelong region.
Gill has experience of working within CAMHS Geelong. She is currently working for AWH CAMHS as Single Session coordinator seeing families and supervising clinicians.
Co-presenters:
Gill Goodman
Winnie McCulloch
Sam Norris
Amy Webster
Mrs Winnie McCulloch
Manager
AWH CAMHS
‘Through the Looking Glass’ Implementing a Single Session Clinic in a Regional CAMHS Setting
Abstract
Please see Gill Goodman
Biography
Winnie McCulloch is a mental health nurse who has worked for over 20 years in both Metro and Regional Child and Youth Mental Health Services. She is currently the AW CAMHS manager and has a keen interest in evidence-based interventions that includes the whole family system and is attentive to the needs identified by the young person and family. Solution focussed and recovery orientated practices are areas of expertise. She has been instrumental in setting up a Single Session Clinic in regional child and youth mental health service.
Ms Samantha Norris
Social Worker
Albury Wodonga Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
‘Through the Looking Glass’ Implementing a Single Session Clinic in a Regional CAMHS Setting
Abstract
Please see Gill Goodman
Biography
Sam Norris holds a Bachelor of Social Work and Post Graduate Masters in Child Psychotherapy.
She has worked with people across the life span, in community health, drug and alcohol and public mental health.
Sam is currently a Senior Clinician at AW CAMHS, holding the eating disorders portfolio and specialising in psychodynamic psychotherapy.
Sam has special interest in the maternal-infant bond, developmental disruption and the influence on personality, conversion disorder.
Sam is a member of the Single Session Clinic and will be a key leader in its ongoing implementation.
Ms Amy Webster
Social Worker
AWH CAMHS
‘Through the Looking Glass’ Implementing a Single Session Clinic in a Regional CAMHS Setting
Abstract
Please see Gill Goodman
Biography
Amy Webster is an accredited Social Worker who has worked extensively with young people experiencing trauma, neglect and attachment disruption and in working with children and adults who are victim/survivors of sexual abuse. Amy has a strong passion for early intervention and scaffolding the attachment relationships within families – drawing an attachment-trauma lens focusing on rebuilding fractures, relational repair and the re-organisation of the system to promote developmental growth.
She currently works for Albury Wodonga CAMHS and is a member of the Single Session Clinic.
