Abstract
The road to recovery from trauma cannot be seen in isolation. Isolation from self (self identity as well as self in the body) and from the world outside (family and society) is the tragedy of a survival system that kept hope and potential alive but extracts a heavy toll on living. In much the same way we, as facilitators on this journey of recovery, can no longer isolate ourselves as therapists from a world outside the consulting room. We have to take account of the real world outside, its particular culture as well as the reality of multi-professional involvement. Our clients/patients need encouragement to engage in the world of work, responsibilities and relationships alongside the therapeutic process. This piece examines the evolution of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy in the UK and the historic tensions between the National Health Service (NHS) and the private sector. It outlines a practice protocol that requires a diplomatic sensitivity to cultural differences within these two sectors. The approach mirrors the early dynamics between therapist and client/patient: developing a working alliance, recognising the power hierarchy, mapping the system. Thus, an audit (survey) of the acute wards in the locality was undertaken as a means of identifying levels of dissociative symptoms and potential for saving on unnecessary admissions. Finally the piece suggests that the Pottergate Model, as a practice protocol, aims to bridge the gap between these two vital sectors of the mental health system and at the same time keep the focus on the client/patient's need for both appropriate dependency and self responsibility throughout.
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