Using eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) with patients with acute mental health difficulties Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Aims to alleviate trauma symptoms in patients with a high level of clinical risk, helping them to resolve a traumatic experience and be safely discharged

Timely intervention for an individual experiencing a mental health crisis is imperative to help prevent death by suicide and to facilitate positive mental health. Many people who are discharged from acute wards or Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams (CRHTTs) are left on waiting lists for further psychological treatment – with waiting times that can range from three months to over a year. If the person has a trauma-based problem, this can lead to repeated crisis and continued destabilisation.

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has a strong evidence base as a trauma-focused psychological treatment, particularly for post-traumatic stress disorder, and the evidence base for treating other psychological distress is rapidly growing. By focusing on an event that the patient perceives as traumatic, EMDR can quickly and effectively reduce the symptoms causing distress.

This project at Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust will involve using EMDR therapy to treat individuals who are on the acute ward or who are under the care of the CRHTT in Berkshire in order to alleviate their trauma symptoms. EMDR has not previously been used in an acute setting.

Through this project, patients who present with a high level of clinical risk will be provided with psychological therapy in a safe and supportive environment. By offering immediate access to specialised treatment, the project will also look to reduce costs by reducing inpatient stays, and further psychological and pharmacological treatments in the community.

The intervention will also ensure continuity of care, from the ward to the community – which may reduce patient suicides and increase positive patient outcomes.

Contact details

For more information about this project, please contact Simon Proudlock, Principal Psychologist at Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.