ABSTRACT
In the present chapter, the provision of primary care mental health services (PCMHS) in the UK, and the characteristics of a typical primary care mental health service will be described. The nature of the presenting problems of patients referred to PCMHS, recommended treatments, and the relevance of experiential dynamic therapies (EDT) will be outlined. In particular, the relevance of experiential dynamic approaches in treating the more complex presentations of common mental health problems will be discussed. The process involved in developing EDT formulations and the contribution of supervision will be emphasised. The chapter will include a case which was less suitable for the other therapies provided within PCMHS, for example, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Person-Centred Counselling (PCC), but was amenable to EDT formulation. Pre- and post-therapy data will be presented, indicating clinical improvement as well as significant improvement in quality of life. The patient described herein completed therapy within six sessions (including Trial Therapy and one-month follow-up) after which they felt ready for the therapy to end.
