Psychotherapeutic Psychiatry for Relational Complexity

In 2025, a report was published by the Centre for Mental Health on Improving support for people with complex mental health difficulties which highlighted the needs of inpatients detained in hospital long term with a diagnosis of Personality Disorder. For this group of patients, admission may be unavoidable because of persistent high risk suicide attempts or other risks arising from their transdiagnostic presentations such as, eating disorders, medically unexplained physical symptoms, substance misuse and autistic spectrum conditions. However, following admission suicidality may increase, leading to increasing use of restraint to preserve life. This can retraumatise patients who have histories of adverse childhood experiences, with consequent potential for iatrogenic harm, burnout and moral injury for inpatient teams.

Managing and promoting recovery in people with these complex problems can be one of the greatest challenges for inpatient teams and psychiatrists. This one-day event addresses a gap in training for psychiatrists working in inpatient settings, or those whose roles regularly require decision making about the use of the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act for this patient group.

Dr Susan Mizen and Dr Jon Van Niekerk will offer a formulation-based understanding of the relational drivers for admission. This formulation provides a way of understanding and managing the relational dynamics arising between people who have experienced childhood adversity and trauma, and the nursing teams and psychiatrists who are working with them. This relational approach will be applied to two commonly occurring comorbidities, eating disorders (Dr Lisa Mucherjee) and autistic spectrum conditions (Dr Eleni Palioksta). Dr Jacinta Tan will discuss ethical consideration in using Mental Health Law including the complexities of assessing Mental Capacity. Dr Haroula Konstantinidou and Dr Dimitrios Chartonas will discuss relational prescribing in inpatient settings.

This event is aimed at consultant psychiatrists and resident doctors working with people diagnosed with severe and complex personality disorders in inpatient settings. It is likely to be most relevant to general adult psychiatrists, medical psychotherapists, eating disorder psychiatrists, liaison psychiatrists and forensic psychiatrists

After attending this event you will be able to:

• Understand the personal and economic cost of long-term hospitalisation of people with complex personality disorders, and why psychotherapeutically informed care is essential for both patients and staff in inpatient settings when admission is unavoidable.
• Understand how safety can be achieved through relational practice and a formulation based whole team approach in inpatient settings.
• Develop an ethical and psychotherapeutic understanding of the use of mental health law in people with the most complex relational disorders.
• Develop a relational approach to prescribing including safer prescribing in high-risk relational contexts with physical health co-morbidities.
• Develop a relational understanding of eating disorders and autistic spectrum disorder as likely co-morbidities in people diagnosed with personality disorder in inpatient settings.

• HLO 1.1 Professional relationships
• HLO 1.2 Professional standards
• HLO 2.1 Communication
• HLO 2.2 Clinical skills
• HLO 2.3 Complexity and uncertainty
• HLO 3 Legislative frameworks
• HLO 5.1 Teamworking
• HLO 5.2 Leadership
• HLO 6.1 Patient safety
• HLO 8.2 Supervision

• View a video of the speaker alongside any slides

• Ask your questions to the speakers and chat with other delegates via the discussion forum

To successfully join the event online you will need:

• Access to a reliable internet connection
• A PC, laptop, tablet or phone

• Event registrations are confirmed when payment is received in full.
• Joining instructions are sent approximately one week in advance.

Read our terms and conditions before making your booking, which covers:

• Event Cancellation Policy
• Privacy Policy
• Code of Conduct
• Parent and baby policy

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