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Who is the counsellingservice for?

A free and confidential counsellingservice is available to all Royal Freecardiac rehabilitation patients and allpatients who are being treated undera Royal Free cardiology consultant.The service is also available topartners, family members and carers.You can contact the counsellingservice directly or can ask to bereferred by any member of thecardiac rehabilitation team, doctors ornursing staff.

How could counselling behelpful?

When someone has a serious healthproblem, such as coronary heartdisease, it can affect them in a varietyof ways. People can reportexperiences including: Shock and confusion Feeling overwhelmed Low mood and hopelessness

Concern about treatment,procedures or operations

Worry about the future Fear about ill health and dying Anger Loss Worry about personal

relationships

Worry about sexuality Isolation with difficult feelings

Sometimes having significant healthproblems can bring up otherdifficulties from a long time ago.

Often people close to the person whohas serious health problems canhave similarly challengingexperiences.

Sometimes people may struggle withtheir care under cardiology becauseof other difficulties in their life.

Sometimes it can be difficult forpeople to understand their

experiences. People can be reluctantto share them for fear of upsettingthose who are close to them. Equallytheir family and loved ones may beworried about upsetting them.

In these instances it can sometimesbe easier to talk to a professionalperson either by yourself or with yourfamily member or carer.

Counselling offers a non-judgemental space, focused onyour specific needs. You can talkabout and make sense of the wayyou are feeling and consider whatyou would like to be different andhow to make these changes.

What would happen if Imet with the counsellor

If you met with the counsellor youwould have a 50-minute appointmentin which you would discuss what is

troubling you. You can attend thisappointment alone or with yourpartner, family members or carer.

You and the counsellor would thendecide together on the best course ofaction. It might be that you arrange tomeet with the counsellor for moresessions to work towards goals thatare specifically tailored to your needs.

Alternatively it might be decided thatyou would benefit best from analternative source of help, to whichthe counsellor can refer you.

Is it a confidential

service?

Yes. Everything you discuss is strictlyconfidential within the cardiology

department. Information will only beshared with other members of thedepartment if it is deemed importantin relation to your cardiac care.

The Counsellor will discuss aspectsof confidentiality with you in moredetail when you first meet.

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How can I arrange acounselling appointment?

You can contact Fran Smith, thecounsellor, directly on any of thecontact details on the front of this

leaflet.

Alternatively you can ask anothermember of the cardiac rehabilitationteam to contact the counsellingservice for you. The counsellor willthen get in contact with you, bytelephone or letter, to arrange aconvenient appointment time.

The counselling clinic currently runs

on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.

If you need to see a counsellorurgently we will try to accommodatethis.

Further information

Finally, if you would like to discussanything contained in this informationleaflet or would like to know moreabout how the counselling serviceworks, please contact Fran Smith,whose details are on the front of theleaflet.

We welcome feedback about ourservice and we support the patientadvice and liaison service (PALS).PALS can be contacted if you have aproblem with any of our services,need advice or information aboutlocal services or suggestions forimprovements. You can call PALS on020 7472 6447.

For more information about talkingtherapies see Choosing TalkingTherapies booklet on Department ofHealth Website (www.dh.gov.uk).

For more information about living witha heart condition see British HeartFoundation Website (www.bhf.org.uk)

If you would like a large print oraudio version of this information,please ask a member of staff.

Cardiology / Patient informationprogramme 2010

[review date: October 2013]www.royalfree.nhs.uk

Information about the

Counselling service

in the cardiacrehabilitation team

Please contact

Fran SmithCardiac counsellor

Cardiac rehabilitation office10 West

Royal Free HospitalPond Street

London, NW3 2QG

Tel: 020 7794 0500extension 31060

E-mail: fran.smith1@nhs.net