Psychological therapies and interventions specification

Glossary

A carer is someone of any age who looks after or supports a family member, partner, friend, or neighbour in need of help because they are ill, frail, have a disability, or are vulnerable in some way. A carer does not have to live with the person being cared for and can be unpaid.

Evidence-based therapy is about combining the professional's skills and judgements with the available research to provide a tailored treatment plan. The effectiveness of treatment is based on scientific evidence with the goal of providing people with interventions that have solid research base for their effectiveness.

Formulation is a joint effort between the person accessing care and the professional delivering treatment to summarise the person's difficulties, to explain why they may be happening and to make sense of them. It may include past difficulties and experiences if these are relevant to the present. It acknowledges the person's strengths and resources. It is based on psychological concepts and theory. It also helps the professional to decide how to support the person to feel better and recover.

Human rights are based on the principle of respect for the individual and they are the rights and freedoms that belong to every person, at every age. They are set out in international human rights treaties and are enshrined in UK law by the Human Rights Act 1998.

A psychological assessment is the specific tools that are used by appropriately trained staff to assess someone's mental, cognitive, and psychological health (e.g., a cognitive assessment of someone with a learning disability using formal assessment tools).

Psychological interventions is the term used for the application of psychological techniques thathelp people to improve their health by helping them understand their strengths and difficulties, make changes to their thinking, behaviour, and relationships to reduce distress, treat mental health difficulties, and improve wellbeing (e.g., a neuropsychological assessment following brain injury which helps guide a treatment plan).

Psychological treatment is the term used for evidence-based therapies and techniques used to help people with their psychological health and wellbeing.

Quality Improvement is about giving the people closest to issues affecting care and quality, the time, permission, skills, and resources they need to solve them. It involves a systematic and coordinated approach to solving a problem using specific methods and tools with the aim of bringing about a measurable improvement.

Trauma-informed practice is a model that is grounded in and directed by a complete understanding of how trauma exposure affects people's neurological, biological, psychological, and social development. It involves understanding the prevalence and impacts of trauma, recognising when someone may be affected, and responding in ways that does no harm and supports recovery and resilience. Five key principles underlie trauma-informed practice. These are: safety, trust, choice, collaboration, and empowerment. Further information and training support for trauma-informed practice is available via the National Trauma Training Programme website: https://transformingpsychologicaltrauma.scot/