The Service Report is designed to replicate the type of task psychology graduates are often asked to perform in a range of employment settings. For example, Assistant Psychologists and Trainee Clinical and Counselling Psychologists frequently undertake such reports to help psychological services make evidence-based decisions about treatments options. Psychology graduates are valued members of such teams, due to their skills in critical evaluation of the literature and ability to apply findings to a particular setting or population.
The coursework aims to test your breadth of knowledge of two interventions (LO2), critical evaluation and literature review skills (LO3), knowledge of clinical applications and limitations of therapies (LO4), and ability to reflect on the cultural context of mind-body therapies (LO5).
Instructions
You are working in an NHS psychological therapies service in an ethnically diverse area of London, however the service has noticed that patients from marginalised ethnic groups are under-represented in the patient numbers. Consultation with local community groups and existing patients suggests that a choice of a mind-body therapy, alongside the standard talking therapy currently offered would be welcomed. You have been asked by your Service Manager to investigate two suitable mind-body therapies and to write a report on these so that the service can determine which therapy to offer to its patients.
You have been asked to 1) describe what the interventions are (as no one in the service has much knowledge of such
therapies) 2) explain the ways that the therapies claim to increase wellbeing; 3) review the literature on the two therapies, and to report on their effectiveness; 4) try out at least one of the therapies yourself and 5) provide a final recommendation about which intervention you think should be offered to the patients.
Guidance
To approach this task, you should first choose:
1) One of the following services to imagine that you are working in:
i. A service for young people with eating disorders
ii. A service for adults who have chronic pain
iii. A service for adults experiencing drug and/or alcohol addiction
iv. A service for older adults with common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety
