In this Episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr Edel Crehan.
Dr Crehan is the Co-Founder of SafeMindsAcademy and a Senior Clinical Psychologist at St Patrick’s Mental Health Services. Their mission is to support the GP in their role as the first point of contact for young people aged 15-25 presenting with Mental Health difficulties. Before or parallel with decisions being made about referral onwards to either CAMHS or private counseling they offer a support service to the GP and the young person. SafeMindsAcademy offer a tried and tested model of care called Coordinated Speciality Care.
“We train but more importantly, we support the GP in conducting short mental health consultations. These are effectively based on principles of empowerment, collaboration, and trust. We provide add-on services such as MDT consultation and brief assessment and treatment where needed.”
Mental Health is without a doubt going to be one of the biggest challenges facing Healthcare as a result of the COVID_19 Pandemic. This is why it’s important to put strategies in place to support GPs. GPs are the first point of contact for all patients who are seeking support and treatment for a variety of Mental Health issues.
