Psychological therapies and interventions specification

What are Psychological Therapies and interventions?

Psychological Therapies and Interventions are evidence-based approaches (psychological treatments that have been proven to work well). They can improve your health by helping you make changes to your thinking, behaviour, and relationships, to reduce distress, treat mental health difficulties, improve your physical health, help manage emotions, and improve overall wellbeing.

The range of psychological care and practice delivered by the workforce in Scotland is described in detail in the Scottish Psychological Therapies Matrix – the Matrix – Home (nhs.scot). The Matrix outlines four categories of practice types. These are:

Psychologically Informed Care

Psychologically Skilled Care

Enhanced Psychological Practice

Specialist Psychological Practice

How the workforce deliver psychological care and practice

'Psychological Care' is psychological approaches that professionals use to recognise, listen, and help educate you in ways you can support your mental health. Examples of psychological care include the promotion of good psychological health, for example self-help advice for healthy sleep, or using trauma-informed conversations to help you manage distress.

This type of care is provided directly by professionals educated in informed and skilled psychological care (see Annex D for more information) or you can access this on your own through self-help. This type of care is designed to help you stay well, connect you with others, and give you skills to care for yourself. If you need help from others, your carers can also be given advice on how to help you.

Psychological care should be accessible across the whole population to improve public health and wellbeing (e.g., during the pandemic). Self-care psychological resources may also help you to begin to manage your wellbeing if you are waiting for more direct care. This is called 'waiting well'. All psychological care should be accessible and appropriate to your needs.

'Psychological Practice' is the evidence-based talking therapies and interventions provided to you when you have more complex mental health or psychological needs. Psychological practice can be delivered in person, in groups and remotely and/or digitally. Psychological practice might, for example, be psychological therapies such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, or acceptance and commitment therapy for someone with chronic pain.

This type of practice is provided by professionals trained in enhanced and specialist practice (see Annex D for more information), or digitally through specially designed evidence-based and self-directed interventions which you can be supported to access on your own. It may also be through interventions with your care team or carers if you need others to support and help you.

Psychological practice should be accessible for everyone that needs it and is usually accessed following an assessment and referral for psychological help. It is for more complex needs, so you can be supported to improve your quality of life.

See glossary for definitions of therapy, intervention, and assessment.

You may have different needs at different times in your life so the help you need should be available to you if your circumstances change. You should be supported to get help from the individual or team that is most appropriate to your needs. This should be thought of as phases of treatment, which recognises that different types of help may be more appropriate at different times. This is sometimes known as stepped and matched care. The following diagram sets out the delivery of Psychological Care and Practice.

How this specification can help you

The outcomes in this specification aim to support services to improve the quality and safety of psychological practice. New core mental health standards and other specifications have also been developed to make sure we improve mental health services (Annex E).

Although it is important to be aware of psychological care and how this can help you, the specification outcomes that follow focus only on psychological practice delivered by appropriately trained NHS employed professionals (who may deliver therapies and interventions through health and social care partnerships and hospitals).It is this practice that will be measured and monitored.