Critical Care Psychology Service
Who we do?
We understand that an admission to the Critical Care Unit (CCU) can be frightening, confusing and upsetting, for both patients and families.
The Critical Care Psychology service provides specialist support to patients and their families to help with the psychological impact of critical illness and ongoing recovery. We can offer you psychological support throughout your stay in hospital, and where appropriate psychological therapy after you have been discharged. This can be delivered either face to face or online.
Common challenges we can help with include:
- Ongoing distress
- Anxiety and low mood
- Upsetting memories of the Critical Care Unit
- Frightening nightmares
- Difficulty adjusting to life after critical illness
- Difficulties with thinking and memory
Therapy treatments offered
We use a variety of different evidence-based approaches in our work, including:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Compassion Focused Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Mindfulness
- Narrative Exposure Therapy
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy
We are keen to work collaboratively with you and tailor the pace of our work to your needs and circumstances.
Appointment sessions
Outpatient appointments for psychological therapy typically last 50 minutes and are usually held on a weekly or fortnightly basis. The first appointment is an assessment where you and the psychologist talk about your needs, whether therapy might help (or another service is more suitable) and possible goals.
How can I be referred?
The service is available to patients over the age of 18 and their families. We will consider those aged 17 on a case-by-case basis.
If you or a relative is currently, or has recently been in the Critical Care Unit, please speak to a nurse or doctor and ask to be referred to the psychologist.
We do not currently accept self-referrals.
Who we do not see
Occasionally, other services may be more appropriate to meet the needs of patients and their families, for example:
- Where the psychological problems are unrelated to the Critical Care admission
- Where urgent mental health crisis support is needed
- If the distressing experiences relate to a longstanding mental health, relationship difficulties or drug and alcohol issues that predate the Critical Care admission
- Where support is being provided by another service
Further information
Last updated21 Jul 2025