Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Psychology

About us

Our service offers specialist psychological support to patients under the active care of a Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon and their families.

Who do we see?

Our service offers specialist psychological assessment, interventions, and signposting to adults (and their families) who are under the active care of a Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon. The impact of plastic and reconstructive surgery varies from person to person. Some people may feel okay and some have concerns about appearance, adjustment, or surgical treatment. Our psychology service is available to help you understand and manage your reactions.

We offer support at all stages of a patient’s plastic surgery journey, which means we may see you before your surgery, and on the ward. After discharge some patients might struggle with low mood, anxiety, or post-surgery adjustments. We can also offer outpatient support after discharge which is provided at Pinderfields Hospital or Dewsbury and District Hospital. We also offer appointments online via video consultation.

Who can be referred?

The service is available to:

Those who are under the active care of a Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon
Patients over the age of 18 and their families
Those who provide their consent to the referral.

We will consider those aged 16 and 17 years on a case-by-case basis and will liaise with our paediatric psychology colleagues.

Referral limitations

Occasionally other services may be more appropriate to meet the needs of patients and relatives.

Where the patient is under the age of 18
Where psychological problems are unrelated to your Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
If problems relate primarily to longstanding mental health or relationship difficulties and predate your Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
In the presence of severe mental health problems and risk concerns (e.g., active self-harming)
If the primary problem is current alcohol or drug misuse
Where severe antisocial/violent/criminal behaviour is an issue
Where support/counselling is being provided by another service
Where the primary needs are urgent mental health crisis support

Please note, this is not a crisis service for urgent mental health needs.

If you are feeling at risk to yourself, you are advised to contact your local community mental health crisis team, your GP or local Emergency Department.

Meet the team

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The Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Psychology Team consists of Clinical Psychologists, Trainees, Assistant Psychologists and Administrative staff.

What is an appointment with a psychologist like?

Your appointment may be on the ward if you are an inpatient or in clinic or online if you are an outpatient. This could be a short chat or a longer appointment (usually no longer than an hour). We will work together to understand your plastic and reconstructive surgery experience and difficulties and think through what input you would like from the psychologist. You are welcome to have someone there with you for your first appointment. To best meet your needs, we may also direct you to a specialist, community, or charity service if we think they could be of better help. Appointments may be one-off or part of a longer number of sessions.

We work closely with the rest of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery team (doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists). It can be helpful for us to keep them updated with how you are using the psychology service, but we will only share this information if you are okay with it. We may also need to share information about you to other services to support your safety and wellbeing but will always seek to discuss this with you first.