How Managing Time Boundaries can benefit Patients AND Therapists

Serving an ever-increasing number of patients without compromising the quality of care delivered is a challenge facing every therapist. Whilst there are no quick fixes or easy answers, there are a number of strategies you can use to help make the most of your time.

Earlier this year, our very own Josh delivered a webinar titled 'Managing Time Boundaries in NHS Talking Therapies'. With an extensive background in NHS Talking Therapies as both a PWP and Step-2 Clinical Lead, and later as a University Lecturer, Josh was the perfect person to take attendees through navigating the challenges associated with high workloads and maximising your time.

Managing time is not just a logistical necessity but a clinically effective approach that can improve outcomes. It can enhance patient focus, motivating patients to actively engage in therapy and make meaningful progress in addressing mental health issues.

By adhering to time boundaries, therapists can also manage their schedules more effectively, reducing the risk of burnout. This is vital for maintaining the well-being of therapists, who are the backbone of mental healthcare. Let's dive into some of the takeaways!

Managing Therapist Workload

With the demand for therapy far exceeding the supply of therapists, capacity is a real issue. In this clip, Josh contextualises the wider challenges facing therapists and why managing time is both better for you and the patient.

Managing your Session time

Looking at causes of overrunning session time, Josh looks at how both patients oversharing and undersharing can be mitigated and explored.

Engaging your Patients

Using concepts from Motivational Interviewing, Josh takes us through how to enhance motivation of patients with a matrix that segments patients based on their confidence and the importance they place on therapy. He also suggests ways we can enhance motivation for each patient segment, so you can get the most out of every session.

Cultivating Confidence

It’s difficult to protect your time without appearing or feeling rude. In this clip, Josh explains how we can explore why we might not be confident when asserting ourselves.

Utilising Core Therapy Skills

Josh shows us how the core skills we use in our day-to-day treatment can also be used to refocus time during sessions, to ensure that the patient is getting what they need.

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Limbic is an AI in Mental Health company with a mission to amplify and empower clinicians with best-in-class tools. Our product, Limbic Access, helps services improve access, lower barriers to care, and optimise triage with the safest and most validated clinical decision support tool. It’s the NHS’s most trusted mental health referral chatbot, and is used in over 25% of NHS Talking Therapies.

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