“Empowering and supporting individuals with disabilities has been at the very heart of my work since I first began working as an assistant psychologist just over 25 years ago.”
Dr Abi Cheeseman, clinical psychologist, shares how her passion within the industry began before leading the Mental Capacity Assessment service at Circle Case Management. The service has grown rapidly within the last two years, offering assessments and can complete COP3 documentation and provide full written reports of the assessment and outcome, across England and Wales, thanks heavily to the experience, expertise, and passion for the client’s rights from Abi and her multi-skilled, experienced team.
But where did it all begin? We asked Abi to share her journey of clinical psychologist to MCA Service Lead.
“Starting out in a physical and neurological disabilities service, I very quickly developed a fascination for understanding the interplay between neurological illness or injury and cognition and behaviour. From then on, I knew I wanted to work in the field of clinical neuropsychology and the rest, so they say, is history.”
What drew you to Mental Capacity?
“My training in clinical psychology and later clinical neuropsychology has equipped me with a skillset that is ideally suited to assessing mental capacity. This work has featured heavily throughout my career in working with adults with complex disabilities following brain injury.
I’m drawn to the work for so many reasons. First and foremost, it is about people. It’s about upholding the rights that we all have to be able to choose, decide and act for ourselves and to ensure that the voice of the client is not drowned out in the noise that often surrounds them. It’s about treating everyone in the same way that you’d wish for yourself, or a loved one, to be treated.”
You must meet a lot of different people in your role, is every assessment different?
“The diversity is never-ending, and I’ve met so many people, from the clients themselves to their families and the professionals that work alongside to support them. The nature of the decisions to be assessed also brings huge variety and a chance to apply skills to changing situations. One of my most often-used phrases is, ‘No two capacity assessments are ever the same’.
“The assessment process itself requires a systematic and methodical approach to gathering and collecting information, coupled with a curious and analytical mind. I often liken the role of a mental capacity assessor to that of a detective. There’s also a strong educational component and with that comes the need for creativity and a passion for supporting people to be the best they can be.”
You must have been excited to develop your own department?
“Being given an opportunity to create and build a service focussing solely on all-things MCA was something I grabbed with both hands! The experience has been challenging, rewarding and enjoyable and has certainly not disappointed.
“The service is now approaching its second birthday and the last two years have seen us grow from strength to strength. We now have a team of ten assessors scattered across England from disciplines of clinical psychology, social work, occupational therapy and mental health nursing. “
To find out more about the Mental Capacity Assessment service at Circle Case Management please visit Mental Capacity Assessments | Brain Injury Specialists | Circle Case Management
To contact Dr. Abi Cheeseman or to make an enquiry regarding a mental capacity assessment please email MCA@circlecm.com or call 0129724145.
