Counselling for CFS/ME patients 

Burrswood patients now have the chance to take part in a research project that is being funded by the Guild of Health (www.gohealth.co.uk).  The grant of £91,000 will contribute towards the cost of treatment and care at Burrswood Hospital for one ME / CFS patient each month over a two year period. The funding will be allocated via a means tested bursary which would cover up to 60% of the cost of a 14 night stay on a Care and Counselling package, providing the patient is prepared to be part of the research project being undertaken between the University of Kent and Burrswood.

With this project now well under way I thought you might be interested to hear a counsellor’s perspective on working with those affected by this condition. As a Christian, I acknowledge the power of God to heal and as a counsellor I believe I am called to play my part. Psychologically-orientated counselling is an integral part of Burrswood’s ‘Whole Person Care’ approach and healing ministry. It is offered to all patients alongside medical and spiritual input. However, counselling will not be taken up by all those suffering from such a debilitating illness as ME / CFS. Some people overwhelmed with this illness will see psychotherapy as one ‘treatment’ too far given their already limited ability to engage in any sort of conversation, let alone one that demands careful thought and recollection in response to probing questions. For others, counselling, with its psychological roots, may be deemed unnecessary and possibly at odds with their understanding that the condition is purely physical rather than psychological in its causes and contributing factors.

However, there is also a large population of people disabled by ME / CFS who are able to engage with the counselling process and in my experience in a highly productive way often leading to positive outcomes. I think it important to be clear about what I mean in this respect. There is currently no standard medical prescription for ME / CFS through conventional medicine and I have no evidence that counselling directly leads to recovery. But I do have plenty of anecdotal evidence that counselling, especially when utilised as part of an inter-disciplinary treatment plan, can be positive and helpful in a variety of ways. These include:

• Establishing a trusting relationship with a counsellor in a society where stigma, disbelief and misunderstanding  of ME / CFS is common 
  
• Gaining insight into the real impact of ME / CFS on the individual and their sense of self
• Understanding of possible contributory psychological factors leading to the onset and maintenance of the condition
• Improvement in ability to cope with the depression, stress and anxiety that often accompanies the illness
• Development of strategies to break ‘boom & bust’ cycles of over-exertion and over-resting
• Providing support for patients’ concurrent use of ‘self-help’ approaches such as bibliotherapy
• Managing relationships important to the patient which are inevitably affected
• Acknowledging and managing the reality of setbacks when dealing with long-term symptoms
  

I am also aware of another group of people whose presentation includes symptoms of both ME / CFS and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). My way of helping this group, involves a highly flexible way of working and a wide range of interventions drawn from an integrative counselling approach. Given the complexity that this combination of disorders creates, aims for the counselling episodes can shift over time. However, once a trusting relationship has been formed, these patients often exhibit a strong desire to recover.

As part of its commitment to working with CFS/ME patients, Burrswood Hospital is also working in conjunction with the ME Trust www.metrust.org.uk whose aim is to significantly change the lives of those suffering from CFS/ME.

If you would like to discuss this article further or if you would like more information, please contact me on 01892 865992 or stephen.talmage@burrswood.org.uk.

Steve Talmage MBACP (Accred)

Head of Counselling

Burrswood