A very modern sort of party

A colleague called Merryn called me a couple of years ago. She is a TC-friendly psychotherapist with a social work background, working in the hottest spot of British psychiatry - London SE5 - where there be dragons, living in the dungeons of the Maudsley Hospital, the Institute of Psychiatry and Kings College.

A quiet and leafy SE5 street

But there is a heavenly and leafy street nearby called Windsor Walk, and behind the shiny black door of number 10 there is a magical place where the dragons are slain, thinking is possible and there are no happy fluffy CBT bunnies (see previous).

Merryn - with a team of several experts - has produced and delivered a mental health podcast called 'Making Sense of the Madness', which was a formidable task, as she and her partner-in-crime Rob Thorman described at the party. That call - in the days of covid - was asking me to be one of the people waffling on about mental health (though a lot less waffling after the editing, I expect)

So their excellent podcast was launched tonight, in this leafy home of thoughtful mental health - a very modern type of event, the like of which I have never been to before. A bit like a book launch, but much more on-trend - you can listen to it in the car. 

But it was a lovely do.

Rob and Merryn at the launch

I will let it speak for itself...

Making Sense of the Madness is an 8 episode audio series that explores what’s going on and what’s going wrong with the provision of mental health treatment in the UK today.

Hosted by professional psychotherapist Merryn Jones and her therapy-curious son-in-law Rob Thorman, the series takes a holistic look at what we mean by mental health and how it’s treated.  As they interview a range of leading experts, academics and professional practitioners, join Merryn and Rob on a journey that takes their listeners from hospitals to prisons to universities and everyday life.

Ultimately, MSOTM argues that the current proliferation of more manualised, short-term treatments such as CBT, often neglects the role that wider societal factors play in contributing to poor mental health. This reductionist one-size-fits-all approach is leading to longer-term, psychotherapeutic, relational treatments being cut within our NHS. As a result, we’re not providing the most effective help to some of the people in our society who need it the most.

Episode Guide

Episode 1: The Closure of the Three Boroughs Personality Disorder Service with Merryn Jones

Rob interviews Merryn about the service in the Maudesley hospital that she was clinical lead for, unpacking what the service offered, what we mean by personality disorders, why they are often such a challenge for the NHS to treat and why the service’s closure is indicative of wider patterns across the UK.

Episode 2: The Battle of the Psychs with Rex Haigh and Vanessa Jones

Merryn breaks down for Rob the differences between psychiatry, psychology and psychotherapy. Rex Haigh and Vanessa Jones speak about the evolution of Therapeutic Communities and why it is that they now find themselves under threat.

Episode 3: The Cognitive Behavioural Tsunami with Farad Dalal

Farhad Dalal talks to Rob and Merryn about his highly influential and polemic book on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), providing compelling evidence that suggests the treatment is nowhere near as effective as its own statistics and research claims.

Episode 4: The Politics of Managerialism with Dick Blackwell

Dick Blackwell breaks down how the forces of managerialism, neo-liberalism and the triumph of the statistical over recent decades have created the conditions which allow CBT to be over-prescribed within our NHS today.

Episode Guide

Episode 5: Treating People in Crisis with Sophie Jones and Sophie Butler

Psychotherapist Sophie Jones describes her job as an art therapist in a mens’ prison; Sophie Butler explains her role as a liaison psychiatrist in an A&E. Rob and Merryn reflect on the support available for people in crisis and how a person’s environment contributes to their mental wellbeing.  

Episode 6: The Need for Actively Anti-racist Public Health Policy with Professor James Nazroo

Professor James Nazroo talks to Rob and Merryn about his research into how race interacts with mental health within the UK and what can be done to improve mental health outcomes for people of colour and people from minority ethnic backgrounds.

Episode 7: Psychotherapeutic Solutions with Philippa Marx, Sophie Jones, Janine Turkier and Jennifer Clegg

Rob and Merryn take a deep dive into psychotherapy and explore a range of different disciplines within the field, from pyschodrama to art therapy to couples therapy, group therapy and more!

Episode 8: Reflections with Merryn Jones and Rob Thorman

In the final episode of the series, Rob and Merryn reflect on their journey and explore what the world might look like if some of the principles advocated in their podcast were taken up more widely in our society.

 

About the hosts

 

Merryn Jones is a psychotherapist who worked for many decades as a social worker and within the NHS and other public services as a group psychotherapist and clinical lead. She is now semi-retired and has a small private practice. merrynjonestherapy@gmail.com

Rob Thorman is a freelance screenwriter and lecturer at the Met Film School. He is also Merryn’s son-in-law! He is passionate about the healing powers of both stories and therapy. He is represented by Rowena Wallace at Peach House. rchthorman@gmail.com

 

Merryn and Rob would like to thank you so much for coming to support the launch of Making Sense of the Madness.

We hope that you enjoy the podcast… and tell all your friends!

 

You can listen to Making Sense of the Madness by searching for it on Spotify or wherever else you get your podcasts. The eight episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays from 19^th July.