Useful Links
Webpages:
- FND Australia https://fndaus.org.au/fnd-symptoms/
- FND Hope: https://fndhope.org/
- FND guide: https://www.neurosymptoms.org/en_US/
“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.”
John A. Shedd
A little about Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)
With a physical injury, we can understand what is broken, just like when you drop your iphone and the screen in cracked and battery is sticking out. But what if the iphone is intact and it’s just glitching?
That’s kind of how FND looks like in the human brain. We might not be able to see anything on the outside but then the body is producing some very interesting symptoms.
For some of my clients, it’s dissociative attacks, non-epileptic seizures, dizziness, numbness/weakness, heat sensitivity, sensory sensitivity, memory issues, involuntary movements, limited movements, pain, tics and the list goes on.
Often, investigations of the usual medical culprits have been ruled out and doctors are scratching their heads: it’s not coming up on scans, blood tests, etc.
The role of Psychology in the treatment of FND
FND and Persistent pain happens in the nervous system, which includes the brain. And just because it’s in the head, does not mean you are making it up.
FND requires a team of support including your medical professionals and allied health professionals (e.g. physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist).
The role of a psychologist within your treatment team is to help you understand what FND is, and develop personalised strategies to cope with the range of symptoms you may have.
More details here: https://fndaustralia.com.au/resources/FND_Psychology_Factsheet.pdf
Interested in FND treatment?
contact hello@drkarenli.com.au with the following details to get started:
- Full name
- FND symptoms and onset
- Any relevant referral and hospital discharge information
- Phone number and email address
Karen’s provision of treatment for FND clients/patients is usually short term with a focus on:
- Collaboratively understanding what FND is
- Understanding how FND developed and is maintained
- Develop appropriate self-management techniques specific to your care.
- If further individual counselling is required, Karen is happy to provide a clinical handover to your ongoing therapist.
The following free e-learning is highly recommended:http://fndaustralia.com.au/resources/resources/online-learning.html
Interested in supervision?
Are you a health care provider (especially psychologists and allied health workers) who is wanting to upskill in the treatment of FND? Karen provides individual supervision and is a board approved psychology supervisor.
Contact karen to find out more (hello@drkarenli.com.au).
