Our Services A - Z - Clinical Psychology Department
About the service
The Clinical Health Psychology team supports people whose physical health condition and /or medical treatment is negatively affecting their psychological wellbeing. Our clinical aim is to reduce distress. Our team are trained to help you understand these difficulties. We offer a variety of methods of psychological support including psychological therapy aimed at supporting you to manage the impact of your health condition so that you can maintain your quality of life.
We support people with a range of difficulties related to their health condition, including:
- Difficulty coming to terms with, or adjusting to a diagnosis
- Struggling to cope with uncertainty or life-changes brought about by illness
- Feelings of anxiety, trauma or depression related to physical health
- Struggling to cope with cognitive, functional and / or physical changes related to a health condition (e.g. memory problems, speech and language difficulties, movement limitations, appearance concerns)
- Managing symptoms (e.g. pain, fatigue, nausea) related to a health condition and / or medical treatment
- Anxiety about coping with forth-coming medical or surgical procedures
- Decision-making about treatment or elective procedures
- Making lifestyle changes that maintain and improve health
Psychologists are not medical doctors or psychiatrists, therefore we cannot prescribe medication. We use a range of evidenced-based methods of psychological support including talking therapies to best meet the needs of each individual.
What people are saying about us
“By being given the opportunity to engage in psychology always me to continue to work on myself and become a better version of myself. It also allows me to provide for my children and a space to feel vulnerable in a structured and professional way. Thank you”
"Very professional, confidential service with caring empathetic attitudes."
"Dr Spinosa, thanks for all your time and effort in supporting me through my cancer journey. I honestly don't think I could have done it without you! x"
"Dr Spinosa is so patient and kind when approaching my treatment. I feel I am making excellent progress thanks to all her work with me"
“Therapy helped me to take control and for me to decide when to ‘back off’, before my usual patterns did that for me. I’ve realised that this isn’t being lazy, and for once I am putting my health first.”
“When I accepted the offer of therapy with clinical psychology I was expecting you to be helpful but aloof. However right from the moment me met, your friendly approach made me feel safe.”
“I am incredibly grateful to you, your department and the health authority for the time and care you’ve given me”
“Just to share that one of our patients has made massive improvements to her diabetes management and she put it down to the support she received from psychology. As always thanks for the incredible support that you all offer”
Received via patient feedback
Friends and Family Test Results
- Accessing the Service
We are able to accept referrals from people in the following specialty areas:
- Burns & Plastics
- Cancer
- Pain Management Programme for patients with a Knowsley GP
- Dermatology
- Diabetes
- HIV
- IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease)
- ICU (Intensive Care Unit)
- MRI (Medical Resonance Imaging) anxiety
- Stroke
- Urology
Please Note: The above specialities may have differing catchment areas and /or referral criteria
We are unable to accept self-referrals.
If you feel you would benefit from Clinical Health Psychology – please discuss this with a member of your hospital medical team or your GP and ask them to contact us.
If at any point you feel you are struggling to cope or you feel in crisis with your mental health please contact your GP for an urgent appointment. If you need urgent support outside of GP hours, please call 111. In an emergency you can call 999 or go to your local Accident and Emergency department.
- About the Clinical Psychology Team
(Consultant Clinical Psychologist / Clinical and Professional Lead for Clinical Health Psychology)
Team Members
Dr Helen Burns (Principal Clinical Psychologist)
Dr Gillian Hunt (Principal Clinical Psychologist)
Dr Sharon Cook (Health Psychologist)
Dr Rachel Dodd (Clinical Psychologist)
Dr Sean Harris (Clinical Psychologist)
Dr Katherine Macey (Clinical Psychologist)
Dr Sangeetha Senthinathan (Clinical Psychologist)
Dr Jade Spinosa (Clinical Psychologist)
- Location and Contact details
The Clinical Psychology Department is based in the Orange Zone on the Lower Ground Floor of St Helens Hospital. Outpatient Clinics are held Monday to Friday generally within the department, or in Specialist Clinics at Whiston Hospital.
We also offer a limited service to inpatients on the wards at Whiston Hospital.
We are based at:
The Clinical Psychology Department
Lower Ground Floor, Orange Zone,
St Helens Hospital,
Marshalls Cross Road,
St Helens
Merseyside WA9 3DATelephone: 01744 646 864
- Our Friends and Family Feedback
Feedback for March 2022
- Patient Information Leaflets
Title - Accessing Psychological Support for People with Cancer
Description - Being diagnosed with cancer can be an extremely difficult and stressful time. Almost everyone will feel shocked and upset at first. For many people these feelings improve over time with support from their healthcare team, family and friends.Title - Help with big feelings about your health Information for children - primary school
Description - Having a health condition can be really hard work. Sometimes you find it easy to do all of the things you need to do to look after your health. Other times, it might make you feel really sad, angry, worried or fed up. Sometimes you have other things going on in your life that makes you feel stressed or sad, like problems at school, with friends or family.Title - Psychological Support after a Stroke
Description - Having a stroke can be a shocking and difficult experience. It can impact on different things like walking, talking, eating, drinking and moving. It can also have more “hidden” effects on thinking, planning, memory, solving problems, relationships and emotions.Title - Psychological support for people who have experienced a traumatic event
Description - After a traumatic experience, the brain must work very hard to process the memories of the event. This is incredibly difficult especially if there is any threat to our survival. In order to do this, the mind replays the event in the days to weeks following.
Page last updated on 12th December 2022
