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Best person to give a diagnosis


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Hi, after making a self referral on IAPT, I have today received a litter for an appointment with a Senior Mental Health Practitioner.

Is a SMHP like a phycologists? Are they be able to diagnose? I'm really greatful for any help but am conscious about wasting time, as I'm really struggling to compose myself at the moment.

Thanks

Vicki

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Hi Vickii,

I imagine that the fact that the practitioner is being referred to as a 'senior mental health practitioner' rather than a 'clinical psychologist' means that the person is not a psychologist however they might well be a Mental health nurse or someone trained in Cognitive Behaviour therapy and will probably have quite a lot of experience. They may not be able to diagnose but might well be able to refer you to someone who can. 

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I think they come from a nursing, social work or occupational therapy background (their first degree) and then they do a postgraduate course which makes them into a mental health practitioner and then something else (like years of experience I guess) must make them into a senior one.  They can do "joint" assessments for NHS care (health) and social care (social services...) but the problem I found is that they are not necessarily a specialist OCD practitioner, so the assessment may not ask you the right questions for them to be able to understand the problems you have and the care you need.

If your diagnosis is unclear / you don't have a specific diagnosis then this person could refer you directly to a psychiatrist if necessary.  You may need to directly ask for this / be clear with them about the type of assessment you need them to provide. 

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