Clinical Health Psychology helps people who are dealing with the emotional impact of a physical health condition.
Living with an illness or injury can be hard. It can change your daily life, your relationships and how you feel. Our team can support you as you adjust to your condition, make treatment decisions and find ways to cope.
How can we help you?
Our clinical health psychologists can help with:
- Coping with a new diagnosis
- Dealing with pain
- Managing long‑term health conditions
- Handling stress, worry, or low mood linked to illness
- Building healthy habits, like taking medication, eating well, or exercising
- Fear of medical procedures, hospitals, or treatment
- Adjusting to big lifestyle changes caused by illness
We use different types of therapy, such as:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) - to help you change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) - to help you accept difficult feelings and focus on what matters to you
- Relaxation and breathing techniques - to help with stress, pain, and anxiety
- Problem‑solving therapy - to help you manage day‑to‑day challenges
- Support with lifestyle changes - to help you set goals and build healthier routines
The treatments are always based on your needs and health condition.
Our team includes:
- psychologists
- occupational therapists
- physiotherapists
- specialist nurses.
We are trained to help you understand how your physical health can affect your mental wellbeing.
What services do we support?
We help if you need support with your emotional needs after weight loss surgery. You might need to talk about how to make changes for a healthier lifestyle.
If you have mental health problems that are not linked to weight loss surgery or anything else on this page, click here to find support: Mental Health Services
We help people who are cared for by the cardiac rehab team at Sunderland Royal Hospital. We offer psychological checks and therapy.
Our aim is to support patients with the feelings that can come after a heart problem. We work with the cardiology team, including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and exercise staff to give this support.
We can help with:
- Feeling low or depressed after a heart problem
- Worrying about symptoms
- Worrying that something bad will happen again
- Feeling panic
- Feeling upset after a heart problem or treatment
- Trouble sleeping
- Worries about the future
You will be referred by the cardiac rehabilitation team at Sunderland Royal Hospital.
If you have mental health problems that are not linked to a heart problem or anything else on this page, click here to find support: Mental Health Services
We help and support you if you are struggling with a diagnosis of with chronic fatigue syndrome.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a long‑term illness that makes people feel very tired and unwell. This tiredness is not like normal tiredness. It does not get better with rest, and it can make everyday tasks hard to do. It is also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).
If you have mental health problems that are not linked to chronic fatigue syndrome or anything else on this page, click here to find support: Mental Health Services
We offers psychological checks and therapy for people who are cared for by the diabetes team at Sunderland Royal Hospital.
We aim to help patients with the emotional impact of living with diabetes. We offer support to help people manage their condition. We work with the diabetes team, including doctors, nurses and dietitians.
We can help with:
- Coping with being diagnosed
- Coping with lifestyle changes
- Worrying about diabetes
- Worrying about long‑term effects
- Worrying about injecting
- Worrying about high or low blood sugar levels
- Low mood or depression
- Feeling angry
- Feeling worn out or frustrated with diabetes
- Coping with how diabetes affects family life, work, school, or hobbies
You will be referred by the diabetes team at Sunderland Royal Hospital.
If you have mental health problems that are not linked to diabetes or anything else on this page, click here to find support: Mental Health Services
Finding out you have head and neck cancer and having treatment can affect all parts of your life. We will support you and your family to cope and adjust.
If you have mental health problems that are not linked to head and neck cancer or anything else on this page, click here to find support: Mental Health Services
We support you if you have an illness that we cannot cure. Coping with serious illness can bring strong feelings like fear, sadness or worry, and we will help them manage these emotions.
You will be referred by our palliative care team.
If you have mental health problems that are not linked to palliative care or anything else on this page, click here to find support: Mental Health Services
There can be a big impact on all aspects of your life if you have chronic pain. If you are struggling, you will be referred by our pain management team.
If you have mental health problems that are not linked to pain or anything else on this page, click here to find support: Mental Health Services
We are here to support you with:
- a complex pregnancy
- birth anxiety
- complex birth trauma
- baby loss
We offer support before and after you have your baby. This might be 1-to-1 or group therapy. This might be in our hospitals or at a community location.
If you have mental health problems that are not linked to having a baby or anything else on this page, click here to find support: Mental Health Services
All families with a baby on the neonatal unit can get help from one of our psychologists. They are trained to help people understand how they feel, think and act. They use talking therapies to try and reduce distress and help people cope.
We can see mams, dads, siblings and other carers. Family members can choose whether to see the psychologist individually or together.
We will work with you up until your baby is discharged from the neonatal unit. If you think you might need ongoing support after you go home, we can help you to find the right service
If you have mental health problems that are not linked to your baby being in the neonatal unit or anything else on this page, click here to find support: Mental Health Services
Where can I find out more?
Our psychology team is based at Chester Lodge.
This on the Sunderland Royal Hospital site. It is the building on the right as you enter through Chester Road car park entrance.
We are on the 4th floor.
Some of our teams are also based on the units or wards we support.
Our senior team on Clinical Psychology
Divisional director - Caroline McGrath
Directorate manager - Gillian Rowe
Head of service - Sonia Wilson
