About this event

The containment of anxiety and suicidal states of mind: How a psychoanalytic informed risk panel can support staff and improve care - Dr Jo O'Reilly

A clinician’s capacity to contain anxiety and fully engage with distress is dependent on the containment offered by the organisation within which they work; The containers need to be contained to do their work, as Bion described.  In this presentation I will describe the impact of working with suicidal states of mind upon staff and clinical teams from over 20 years’ experience working as a psychoanalyst in an NHS Mental Health Trust. Overwhelming anxiety, and fear of blame can paralyse thought and, in this way, impair the capacity of clinical teams to process complex projections and truly engage with suicidal states.  Defensive practice, iatrogenic harm and vicarious trauma may follow.
So what can help? Having outlined the problem I will describe  an innovative psychoanalytically informed Risk Panel and how this can  function  as a powerful intervention within psychiatric services, strengthening clinical understanding and the
capacity of the organisation to contain anxiety when working with self-destructive, violent and suicidal urges and actions. The central aims of the panel, how it is set up and run will be brought to life with with clinical examples from a range of mental health teams within the NHS. When clinical teams are supported in this way, clinical care is enhanced and based more upon compassion and understanding.  The contributions of key psychoanalytic concepts in this work will be described, drawing upon the work of Winnicott, Bion and Klein.

Dr Jo O’Reilly is Chair of the Medical Psychotherapy Faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, She is a psychoanalyst and a Consultant Psychiatrist in Medical Psychotherapy. Dr O’Reilly has led national initiatives that place psychoanalysis and psychodynamic practice at the heart of psychiatric training and policy. She has been instrumental in ensuring the continued presence of psychodynamic work within the psychiatric curriculum, . Her leadership has contributed to national guidelines, such as NHS England’s Staying Safe from Suicide and Self-Harm, embedding psychoanalytic ideas in policy frameworks that shape everyday practice.

Dr Jo O'Reilly is also the co-editor with Rachel Gibbons of the RCPsych Text Book Seminars in the Psychotherapies. 

This lecture will be recorded and available for 7 days after the lecture takes place

© Image: Matthew Kolakowski, 'Storm Inside' 2010

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