The CFS/ME Service supports people who have a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), also referred to as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). You might also have had your difficulties labelled as Fibromyalgia, or Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome.
What is CFS?
The cause of the condition is as yet unknown. What we do know is that it is a condition consisting of various signs and symptoms, the main one being persistent and excessive tiredness or fatigue made worse by activity, and not alleviated by rest.
Other symptoms may include:
- Sore throats
- Tender lymph glands
- Headaches
- Disturbed sleep
- Memory & concentration problems
- Dizziness & poor balance
- Digestive disturbances
- Fatigue that feels very different from ordinary tiredness
- More sensitive to light, sound and smells
What keeps CFS going?
An individual’s CFS symptoms are likely to be exacerbated by unhelpful patterns of ‘boom-bust’ activity or by high levels of stress or emotional distress.
We know that physical, psychological, social and emotional factors can all be associated with CFS and can interact in a complex way which serves to maintain your symptoms. Exploring these factors with a therapist can be helpful for recovery.
Who is the CFS team?
There is a multidisciplinary team based here at Salford Royal that includes:
- Counselling Psychologist
- Clinical Psychologist
- Assistant Psychologist
- Specialist Medical Consultants
- Physiotherapists
Once you have been referred to the CFS Clinical Health Service we will invite you to attend for a comprehensive assessment looking at all biological, psychological and social aspects. This will usually be over two 45 minute sessions, normally one session with a psychologist and one session with an assistant psychologist. After the assessment we will discuss further treatment options with you.
Treatment
The team offers an outpatient service Monday to Friday, and you will typically be offered (as a first step) a place on one of our group programmes which will take place here at Salford Royal. However, individual therapy can also be offered depending on an individual’s needs.
- Group Cognitive Behavioural Therapy combined with Graded Exercise Therapy
These 6-week courses are designed to help people to understand the main strategies for managing the condition. Each week a new topic is covered, including;
- Pacing
- The effects of stress
- Sleep patterns
- Goal setting
- Managing your mood
- Planning for setbacks
- Gentle stretching and movement
- Relaxation/meditation practices are also part of the programme.
The groups are interactive and allow members to meet other people with CFS/ME. This can be a validating experience as people with CFS/ME can often report feeling isolated and misunderstood.
The course also requires you to complete supplementary ‘home practises’ between sessions, or doing gentle stretch and movement exercise.
Although there is currently no cure for CFS/ME, there is evidence that self-management programmes informed by Gradual Exercise Therapy (GET) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) have been effective at helping people to better manage their symptoms and feel better physically and emotionally.
- Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy [link to mindfulness group description]
- Individual Therapy
Our team are experienced in delivering a wide range of therapeutic approaches. These include:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
- Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT)
These approaches look at relationships between our thoughts, behaviours and mood. CFS/ME, like many other conditions, is commonly accompanied by low mood and/or stress, which can make the condition worse. These approaches may help us adopt techniques to manage these symptoms as well as adopting helpful behavioural changes, such as pacing.
Helpful resources
There are lots of different resources that can be helpful in supporting you to make changes with regards to CFS. Here are a few of those that you might find useful. You can also find some resources that can be helpful for aspects of mental health and wellbeing such as mood, anxiety and sleep, on our Useful Resources page.
