Learning Disability Awareness Week – 19-25 June 2023
As this week marks Learning Disability Awareness Week, we wanted to share with you some of the work carried out by the Specialist Psychological Therapies Service (SPTS) Learning Disability Psychology Team in Wigan.
A learning disability is characterised as a reduced ability to understand new or complex information, to learn new skills, and a reduced ability to cope independently, with difficulties being evident before adulthood. It is estimated that 2-2.5% of the population have a learning disability. People with learning disabilities can be more likely to experience poor mental health compared to the general population. The SPTS LD Psychology team offer specially adapted psychological therapies to people with learning disabilities. In addition to individual therapy, the team offer group approaches, diagnostic assessments and staff consultation and training, as well as working with the Trust and our experts by experience to promote learning disability awareness training (Levels 1 and 2 available via the Learning Hub) and reasonable adjustments to GMMH services, policies and documentation.
Hear from one of our Experts by Experience, Dominic Sharpe:
For Learning Disability Awareness week, I have written about my journey through Learning disability services, to becoming an Expert by Experience for the NHS.
I have been accessing services since I was a child. I started coming to the service 8 years ago. I first came for assessment and was diagnosed with Autism and learning disability at age 20. After this, I did different modules in the Dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) group. This helped me to cope with crises and changes in my life. The thing I found most helpful was the practical skills, like putting your head in ice water. This helps you to calm strong emotions quickly and safely. I also remember the 5-senses skill. This is helpful for when you are having sad thoughts and it helps to get your attention away from your thoughts and onto what’s happening right now.
It was always my aim to work in the NHS mental health services. This year, I started working as an Expert by Experience with Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH). I have worked across the trust, helping wards to adapt their environments for people with learning disabilities and/ or autism. I also work with the Specialist Psychological Therapies Service were I have helped to make easy read service leaflets. People with learning disabilities should have access to information and it is a reasonable adjustment to make everything easy-read.
In the future, I hope to be able to help GMMH teams with my expertise and help other people with learning disabilities and autism when they have mental health difficulties.
See Dominic talk through the DBT 5 Senses grounding technique:
