Please share your experience of having a CPN

[cloudberry]

Hi to all,

I am meeting my new CPN next week, a man, a psychotherapist I think. I've never had a CPN before and am naturally a bit (understatement!) anxious about it all. How does it work? I understand he might come to my house.

I saw a clinical psychologist for 18 months and it was horrendous. I went to her, sat in a bland NHS room and tried not to say anything that would precipitate me falling off the edge for two days after each appointment. Usually failed and would go a bit wierd afterwards with screwed up feelings all over the place.

I decided to stop seeing her in March.

Two weeks ago I took a major overdose and ended up in hospital. Was assessed (again) and the nurse was fantastic. She thought CBT not psychotherapy would help me. After speaking with my ex-therapist about me I was routed to more psychotherapy. I feel a bit cross about this but said nothing.

So, I meet Grahame next week.

What will happen next? And what exactly is his role / remit supposed to be?

Any help, advice, or personal experiences from others would be useful.

Thankyou!

 

[Michael]

My experience with a CPN to have CBT was not pleasant as he whilst listening to me had me revisit things that have happened in the past and thereby helped me to look again on what had happened and if my perception was still the same in hindsight.

Would I go back, probably

Would I worry about it before - definetly

Should I worry - absolutely not.

The only advice I could offer is to go with the intention of being honest, not holding back, it wasn't (for me) a cure, but did show me some of the ways my thinking lead me down paths which with a little bit of help I can now detour.

Best Wishes

Michael

 

[rollinat]

I found having a CPN was very useful - it felt like a safe place to offload things without pressure. This probably sounds quite strange but I didn't feel her role was to get me better, so it took some pressure off me - I also saw a psychologist and that was more based on goals, which I did find at times made me feel worse because I felt I was failing at getting better as well as having failed by being ill in the first place.

My CPN would also help in practical ways, such as helping with filling out forms, getting extra supporting letters written, arranging appointments with psychiatrist if she thought it was needed. But I didn't feel pushed or hurried into making decisions which helped me too.

I hope you get on well when you meet your CPN next week - let us know how you get on and take care.

 

[Twylight]

I've had a few CPN's over the years and they've all been brilliant.

 

[*Sapphire*]

Yes I have found all my CPNs brilliant too.

They wear many hats, offering practical help ie form filling or getting you out of the house, helping with decisions, fighting your corner with other professionals, referring you to other therapies etc. They are also great for emotional support, someone to sound off to, and sometimes someone to go out for coffee with for a chat.

 

[mad as a hatter]

yeah i,ve also got a good cpn she recently got me a quick app with my pdoc when i needed it and i had only just meet her once before so yes they can be really good 2 have around

 

[cloudberry]

Well all the replies have been so positive, I feel very re-assured. CPN's do seem to have a very wide remit - wear many hats, and I think that is what confused me a bit. But I can see the merit of it.

Both the psy nurse in A&E and a man at the CRS both said Grahame was brilliant, so I am feeling a lot more hopeful about it now. Maybe at last I am getting help that will actually help me. I found the rigid structure and strong yet silent hidden agenda of intense psychotherapy very disturbing.
This CPN thing sounds a lot more useful and light hearted.

So, thankyou all very much for your input! I am also really happy to hear how much you have been helped by your CPN's. Its good to hear of others getting help.

Hope we all have a good day

cloudberry

 

[chloety]

If you don't mind sharing. how did it go?

 

[ramboghettouk]

I had a cpn she came round when the problem kids were off school and asked me whether i'd asked them to clear off, i said i've heard them swearing at the oaps but you don't get involved, that night i asked them to clear off, soon developed into harrasssment

I shook one of the kids and got locked in the cells, when i saw the cpn she was passing the key to the room from hand to hand, i knew the keys were connected to an alarm system

She started telling me she had letters from 3 psychiatrists saying i wasn't schitzoprenic and used that idea to leave me without help, regardless of the harrassment i was experienicing

Remember it was the tory years and visited her and she was making her nhs pension a private pension, i like to think she regretted that later

 

[cloudberry]

If you don't mind sharing. how did it go?

I'm more than happy to share, I am meeting him next Wednesday...... hope everyone has a good weekend )

 

[Wendy]

Hi there,luckily I've got a really good cpn she's very supportive she's looked after my dog for me taken me out on my birthday just been there for me.
There are some goodones out there, My o/h wouldn't agree he can't bear his new cpn,he calls him Rambo due to the fact that he counselled Austrailian vetrans of Vietnam.
He didn't listen to my o/h whatsoever now he doesn't want to see the cpn again.But on the whole the cpns I've had have been lovely!
Hope you get a goodone
Wendy x

 

[schizolanza]

I have a CPN.I see her every 2 weeks.On the whole she is very nice.She doesn't like my pets.I have to put my dog outside because she's frightened of him.My dog is harmless,very soppy and friendly.She doesn't like my African Grey parrot either even though he adores her.
I had a couple of cans of lager before I saw her yesterday.Now she thinks I'm not depressed.Serves me right I suppose.

 

[Devon]

I don't have a CPN now nor would I accept one.

The entire mental health framework in Devon needs a severe shakeup.
They seemed to be more focused on budgets & targets and not at all interested in patient welfare.

I could tell some horror stories about the local in-patient units but I see no point.

They are doing a good enough job of wrecking themselves without any help from me.

 

[cloudberry]

Its not happening

Hi to all,

I saw the psy nurse today and asked her a bit more about this CPN I am meeting tomorrow. She knows I want to avoid psychiatrists at this point (see a previous thread of mine "This psychotherapy is making me worse"). I quit seeing one back in April, an NHS one.

Turns out this guy tomorrow USED to be a CPN, then did a few more quals including an MA in psychotherapy and has recently"been promoted" and is now a psychiatrist.

I am being bamboozled into psychotherapy again!!! It made me more ill. It made me more unhappy. I couldnt cope with it, it made me fearful.

I want a CPN and some CBT. I havnt got the time or inclination to go digging around in my childhood and what happened then. I want to concentrate and get help dealing with the here & now.

So now I really dont want to go tomorrow. My fiancee will go with me (the psychiatrist wont like that though, though they never actually say why). I'm wary and distrustful.

I just hope I can convince him to give me what might work for me, not more of what doesnt work for me. I'm sort of on the "high risk of suicide list" still at the moment. I dont want my ballast messing with, just the holes in my sails and the problems with my rudder!

Wish me luck please!

 

[Devon]

I wish you luck.

You have every right to take a friend or some one with you if you think that will help.

As for a CPN being promoted, as far as I am aware no matter what other qualifications some one may gain, there is only one way that some one can become and work as a psychiatrist and that is to do medical training and qualify as a doctor.

However , if this shrink really was once a CPN I would hope they have a much better insight into how patients feel and want to be treated.

Fingers crossed that this person might be able to really help out.