Mental Elf Monthly for August 2025 is now LIVE Catch August’s most-read blogs, from trauma to CBT harms, and book your free spot at our difficult-to-treat depression webinar. national-elf-service.kit.com/posts/mental...

In psychotherapy, there are principles and there are preferences. People tend to mistake their personal preferences for principles. We have 400+ therapeutic modalities because of preferences, not principles.

What if unknown male members of staff watching female survivors of sexual violence sleep wasn’t as therapeutic or reassuring as it sounds?

I’ve been asked to do some training on our wards to support psychological skills & compassionate care. But is this really about training? The wards are so stretched. Maybe to start with we need wards where care-givers feel meaningfully cared-for? Then compassionate care may flow more naturally?

As psychologists we can say things like "we're curious", "we try to understand what's going on" etc. It's not "just listening", there's a depth & skill- it's hard to articulate. But it's wise to resist getting drawn in to jargon or psychobabble. At its heart our work is about being real with people.

My #BIGSPD25 poster contribution, challenging the “BPD” diagnosis & current practice of using OOA placement. If you fancy a chuckle at my poor presentation skills give the central QR code a scan & I’ll talk at you for about 15 minutes 😉

Goodbye to another year #BIGSPD25 Hope everyone has a safe trip home 🥰 I’m on the train back & ready to do a few hours work when I get in (the downside of living so close to the venue 😂). However, I’m then off for the weekend as it’s my birthday tomorrow.

Date for your diary #BIGSPD25! The 2026 @bigspd.bsky.social conference will be in Blackpool #BIGSPD26 16-18 June 2026 Sign up later in the year on the BIGSPD website so you don't miss the announcements when they come later this year: bigspd.org.uk/conferences-...

Well deserved 🥳 congratulations @hoppypelican.bsky.social #BIGSPD25

#BIGSPD25 workshop parallel next with a showcase of a creative writing project by Nuala Cassidy, Marie Coyle, Susan Cull & Roisin Donnelly from Beyond Personality Differences Northern Ireland.

Day 3 #BIGSPD25 started with Professor Brin Grenyer speaking to us all the way from Australia 🐨🦘🇦🇺 (sorry 🤦🏻‍♀️) via the power of the internet. His talk was on the stepped care approach that has been introduced across New South Wales.

#BIGSPD25 day 2 done! 😴 Lots more catching up today with peers old & new, near & far 🥰 that’s some of the best parts of this conference for me. Keep up with the # to find other posts for #beyondtheroom Back again tomorrow for the final day 😊

Last up for the day is Jenifer Dylan who’s talk is Redefining expertise: exploring the synthesis between ‘patient’ & ‘professional’. She starts by saying she’s nervous, but nothing like what she experienced when in services & going into a ward round. Good perspective to share #BIGSPD25

Next are the plenary’s for the end of the day. First up is Michaela Swales talking about new developments in DBT #BIGSPD25

I jumped around for the parallels starting with @keirwales.bsky.social & @hoppypelican.bsky.social debating the for & against inpatient placements for ‘EUPD/BPD’. I thought it would be a clear cut ‘against’ for me….#BIGSPD25

First talk of the day was by the wonderful Peter Fonagy. He was talking about Epistemic Trust, Mentalizing & Trauma. This is an area of great interest for me & I was definitely hanging on every word he said (fan girling maybe?? 😂). Will post more on this talk later #BIGSPD25

Unless professionals are willing to mentalize and understand the perspectives of people with PD and trauma experiences, treatment will not be effective #BIGSPD25

Day 2 Liverpool…I love this city 🥰 ready for another day #BIGSPD25

Good morning! We hope you’re all bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready for kicking off Day 2 at 9:30 today! Today is a full and action packed day, keep up to date by following the hashtag #BIGSPD25

Tomorrow at #BIGSPD25 we debate: Private inpatient services have been a life line for those the nhs don’t want to work with If you want places with an enthusiasm for prescribing against NICE guidelines, you have to go to the private “specialist” units www.emerald.com/insight/cont...

#BIGSPD25 day 1 done! 😴 Keep up with the # to find other posts for #beyondtheroom Back again tomorrow for more 😊

Last part of the day I joined the ‘Leadership & Training’ parallel with 3 talks by: - Peter Cockersell - Leadership in Psychologically Informed Environments & Trauma Informed Care - Andrew Turner - Harnessing Leadership Skills While Working in Complex Emotional Needs & Trauma Settings #BIGSPD25

Sawubona - a Zulu word meaning ‘I see you, you are important to me and you are valued’. Maxine highlights how that ‘seeing’ or feeling seen is often missing for racialised communities #BIGSPD25

The lovely Mick McKeown gave me a shout out earlier at #BIGSPD25, for some activism around mental health nursing. Learn more about it through 2 hours of me ranting. #MHDeservesBetter youtu.be/iBblQygAizs?...

Race is a delusion, racism is an enactment of that delusion that upholds that delusion - a powerful message from Maxine Dennis #BIGSPD25

Read Mick McKeown's paper on the bullshitisation of mental health nursing #BIGSPD25 Thanks for sharing @mickmckeown24.bsky.social

Second was a talk from Maxine Dennis on Containing the Containers. So much to think about from this. “Race as a delusion” was a key phrase Maxine came back to. I’ll add more to this later #BIGSPD25

Great first talk by @mickmckeown24.bsky.social “Relational Practice: making hope possible rather than despair convincing” Most of my posts on this will be a quotes from Mick. My reflections are that it was very thought provoking. Relational practice and politics go hand in hand #BIGSPD25

Arrived at #BIGSPD25 ready for Day 1 of the conference. Saw lots of familiar faces already & can’t wait to catch up with everyone. Keep up with the # to find out what’s been happening 😊

Remember to follow and use the hashtag #BIGSPD25 to stay up to date with all live reporting and discussion covering conference this week!

Really excited for #BIGSPD25 starting tomorrow in Liverpool! Looking forward to meeting up with familiar faces & getting to know others ❤️

Heading off to Liverpool for #BIGSPD25? 🎧 Listen to our @bigspd.bsky.social podcast en route and get yourself in the right headspace. Great conversations and lots of learning from Maxine Dennis, Mick McKeown, Michaela Swales and Jenifer Dylan www.youtube.com/watch?v=03_r...

Great idea #BIGSPD25

Our crack team of #BeyondTheRoom correspondents will be helping me report live from #BIGSPD25 👏🏽 @hoppypelican.bsky.social @keirwales.bsky.social @sarahpsyc.bsky.social @elliewildbore.bsky.social ‬ @squarepegsuk.bsky.social @drarghyasarkhel.bsky.social @kellythepsych.bsky.social

I'm heading to Liverpool on 10-12 June for #BIGSPD25 The annual conference of @bigspd.bsky.social all about #PersonalityDisorders and #ComplexEmotionalNeeds Always a great mix of lived experience, clinical practice & research! Do you want to be added to our starter pack? 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽 go.bsky.app/GxyXyTX

Are you an NSUN user-led group member organising an online or in-person event before the end of 2025? NSUN has just one small grant of £300 remaining for BSL or palantypists for your event. Complete our easy application process by clicking below. www.nsun.org.uk/news/300-acc...

"Too often, people experiencing distress are seen through a lens of danger and deficit, rather than context, capacity for change, or support needs." Ben Ferry writes on Risk assessment in mental health, calling for a more thoughtful, compassionate model. www.nsun.org.uk/reimagining-...

Home to a growing portfolio of self-guided CPD-accredited short courses, workshops, online resources and networking opportunities, ShiftWorks is a vibrant learning environment for anyone working in health and care. Find out more: buff.ly/2xM7UGJ

Because recovery is possible, does not at all mean recovery is easy-- and you don't have to feel bad for struggling or stumbling. It happens. Grace over guilt. Realistic recovery is built on incremental improvements, adjustments, & comebacks.

“They referred to one of the consumers as a BPD c**t" Uncomfortable narratives of 'borderline personality disorder' buff.ly/hMiANTD 🧵 THREAD #BPD #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Stigma #Harm

First post on Bluesky 🦋 might take me a while to get into the swing of things, but…