Our cardiac psychology team work closely with patients to help enhance recovery from cardiac conditions by supporting and helping them cope with the lifestyle and physical changes often associated with cardiac issues. For example, they can help patients pre and post-surgery, as well as dealing with emotional, behavioural and lifestyle changes.
Click on the names below to meet our colleagues in the Cardiac team:
Role: Senior Clinical Psychologist
About: Kate is registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) and British Psychological Society (BPS) and has extensive experience of providing psychological consultation, assessment, formulation and intervention working across the lifespan in the NHS. Within the Lancashire Cardiac Centre, Kate applies highly developed multi-systemic skills collaborating with staff, statutory, voluntary and independent agencies when working with patients/carers towards their individual therapeutic goals. Kate works with a range of complex presentations (including cardiac-related anxiety, depression, trauma, adjustment difficulties, challenges to quality of life, disfigurement, disease progression and concerns relating to life limiting illness/end of life). She adopts an integrative approach to therapeutic work drawing on a range of psychological theories/models (examples include multi-systemic, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Solihull Approach, Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and risk/safeguarding frameworks). Kate is particularly interested in the development of trauma-informed care as it is recognised both patients and staff can experience high levels of arousal and distress in the context of potentially life-threatening cardiac presentations.
Kate is passionate about improving cardiac patients’ access to timely, specialist psychological services both within the acute hospital setting and out-patients and believes in the potential for positive change at individual, service and system levels that accounts for feedback from people with personal experience of accessing services.
Kate co-ordinates the North-West Cardiac Special Interest Group (SIG, Cardiac Clinical Psychology) which has generated interest from other regions as a ‘model’ of a successful SIG and involves collaboration with the National Cardiac Special Interest Group. Teaching and training have always been important drivers for Kate. In addition to the National Trainer role for the Solihull Approach, she contributes to the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology teaching programme at Birmingham University and provides placements for trainees completing the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology courses within the North West.