ABSTRACT
When counsellors and psychotherapists work in primary care, problems commonly arise because of the different working styles and belief systems held by different professionals. For example, one concern to counsellors and therapists is that they may have difficulty in organizing a ‘secure frame’ for seeing their own patients, with strict time boundaries, use of the same room on every occasion, and so forth. This chapter provides an account of a model which has evolved in the practice where the author work as a general practice (GP) and has helped us to negotiate these issues and achieve satisfactory working arrangements. Where psychological work is offered both by GPs and by trained specialist within the same practice, particular conflicts and rivalries may arise, in addition to the ones usually identified. Most of the doctors, and some other members of the practice team, have had personal psychotherapy and many have attended training courses of varying lengths in counselling, psychosexual medicine or other therapeutic work.
