Abstract
Purpose: To gain a better understanding of clinical psychologists’ experiences of embedding team formulation meetings in multidisciplinary (MDT) settings and make recommendations for how best to conduct this work. Design: Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 11 clinical psychologists working in NHS adult mental health settings including community mental health teams (7), rehabilitation and recovery units (2) and outreach and recovery teams (2). One participant worked in a privately owned rehab and recovery unit. Findings: Two main themes were identified ‘Implementing team formulation can be challenging’ and ‘Team formulation creates space to broaden thinking’. Participants reported difficulties embedding team formulation in services and developing it as a shared practice, and made suggestions for how to overcome these. Facilitating was a complex task, which required training and supervision. The value of team formulation to teams included creating space to reflect and discuss different perspectives, as well as increasing the role of psychosocial perspectives within teams. These were thought to increase understanding and empathy, as well as spread psychological knowledge and improve care. Research limitations: Themes were based on a small sample and may not apply to other settings. Participants were self-selected and the author had an interest in this topic, which may have impacted on results. Practical implications: A number of recommendations were highlighted, many of which reinforce suggestions from theoretical literature and practice examples, as well as providing further points to consider. Value: Recommendations are offered based on clinical psychologists’ experiences of implementing team formulation meetings. Keywords: Team formulation, mental health, multidisciplinary Article Classification: Research