Included in this profile are:
Dr Anna Smith – Lead Bariatric Clinical Psychologist
Dr Lucy Tweedlie – Bariatric Clinical Psychologist
Alice Pace – Bariatric Assistant Psychologist
Amelia Beveridge – Bariatric Assistant Psychologist
Clinical psychologists work with people on their mental wellbeing and play a crucial part in the bariatric surgical pathway. Their role is to prepare patients from a psychological perspective to ensure the surgery is as effective as possible.
This may involve discussing, understanding and working on particular eating behaviours with patients (such as night eating or emotional eating), whilst identifying challenges that they may face following the surgery (such as changing body image or excess skin) and develop skills and strategies to manage these.
Identifying and addressing unhelpful behaviours/triggers/challenges when it comes to eating is particularly important because although the surgery can change the physiology of someone it requires significant changes to behaviours and diet to be effective long-term.
Bariatric Psychologists work alongside other professionals including dieticians, clinical nurse specialists, physiotherapists, endocrinologists and surgeons as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
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