Complex Emotional Needs (CEN) Services
Please note. this page is currently in development.
Complex Emotional Needs (CEN) services support people living in the community who experience ongoing emotional and relational difficulties. This includes people with a diagnosis of personality disorder, though a diagnosis is not required to access CEN services.
You may find our services helpful if you experience distress in areas such as:
- Intense or overwhelming emotions
- Mood changes
- Difficulties forming or maintaining relationships
- Challenges in social interactions
- Distressing memories of difficult life events
- Trauma-related experiences, including dissociation.
CEN services are designed to support good mental health and are based on the understanding that people are experts in their own experiences.
CEN interventions focus on building emotional awareness, understanding thoughts and beliefs, developing coping skills, and improving mental health and relationships.
Many interventions are delivered in groups, as evidence shows group therapy can be particularly effective for people with CEN. Groups offer opportunities to build support, share experiences, and practise new skills in a safe environment. We recognise that group settings can feel challenging and work to help people feel as comfortable as possible.
Most care is provided through Sussex Neighbourhood Mental Health Teams (NMHTs), which are multi-disciplinary teams across Sussex that include staff trained in best practice to support people with complex emotional needs. More information on these teams is available here.
These services aim to support people to learn skills to help manage emotions by examining their own thoughts and beliefs, make sense of them, and problem solve accordingly.
CEN services in Sussex have been designed with a clinical framework to support primary care services, including GP surgeries, when working with people who have complex emotional needs.
At the heart of CEN support is listening to your story and developing a shared understanding, known as a formulation. This helps identify the most appropriate support and interventions for you.
This will include thinking with you where you are in your life and how safe you feel to start working on difficulties. We may decide to start with some local support or education to get you to a place where you feel okay to explore further.
Download: Sussex complex emotional needs pathway document
Download: East Sussex complex emotional needs pathway document
Download: West Sussex complex emotional needs pathway document