Brief Therapy Support Services, Ltd
106 Deepdale Road
Preston, Lancashire PR1 5AR
01772 – 200589
email: vicky@btss.org.uk
email: brief.therapyservices@nhs.net
Brief Therapy Support
Services, Ltd.
Diagnostic & Treatment
to the Commissioning Support Unit
requesting funding for our support.
Making the referral consists of completing:
1.
The AQ 10
2.
The BTSS referral form and
(BTSS) is a limited company set up in
3.
Sending these with a letter
2005 by E. Veronica (Vicky) Bliss, Clinical
requesting the specific services to:
Brief Therapy Support Services
Psychologist, to meet the diagnostic,
treatment and daily support needs of
Mental Health Commissioning
adults with Autistic Spectrum Condition
NHS Commissioning Support Unit
(ASC) within Lancashire. The company
Lancashire Business Park
Jubilee House
specialises in helping people who the form
of autism known as Asperger Syndrome
Leyland PR26 6TR
(AS)i.
The Commissioning Support Unit
If funding is agreed, the commissioners
(CSU) for Lancashire Clinical
will send the information to BTSS, who will
Commissioning Groups (CCG’s) have an
then contact the person to schedule the
agreement with BTSS to fund
first session.
diagnostic appointments usually with
five follow up appointments throughout
Lancashire, with the exclusion of the
Blackpool Unitary Authority. If a person
The diagnostic
assessment process involves
BTSS sending the person two
already has a diagnosis they can
questionnaires plus a third questionnaire
request funding for the five follow up
for a relative to complete. The results of
sessions. Occasionally special funding
these questionnaires are put into a
can be obtained for longer
computer and an interview form is
term
therapy for individuals who cannot get a
service from mainstream NHS services.
The referral
process to
obtain any of these services starts with
seeing your GP who can make a referral
generated. The Clinical Psychologist will
bring this interview form to the diagnostic
appointment, which lasts about 2 hours.
Usually the person will find out on the day
if the diagnosis is positive. The person
and the GP will receive a written
Registered in England Wales No 5540584
report, usually within 8 weeks of the
means the therapist listens to what is
assessment date.
important to the person, helps the
The five
follow up
appointments can be used however
the person wishes. For example, people
have used these sessions:
person set future goals, helps the
person identify existing strengths to
achieve the goals and helps the
person to identify how they will know

To get used to having a diagnosis
when they are moving in the right

To understand what a diagnosis
direction.
Whilst a person is involved with
means to them and/or to their
families (family members can
our service, we will do our best to
attend the sessions if the person
advocate for them as they make their
wants this)
way towards their preferred future.

For help accessing benefits

For help accessing a Social Care
Assessment

To identifying future goals

To set out small steps to achieve
their goals

For any other work that the person
Important Contact Information
for making a referral either for diagnosis or
for longer term therapy is given below.

on our website at:
might find useful that is within the
http://www.btss.org.uk/home/referr
remit of the company.
These appointments are usually
spaced about a month apart.
Longer Term Therapy is based
BTSS referral forma can be found
al-forms.html

NHS Commissioning Support Unit,
Jubilee House 01772-214038
on Solution Focused principles. This
i
The most recent edition of the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5) has
withdrawn the diagnostic category ‘Asperger
Syndrome’, though the other diagnostic manual,
the International Classification of Diseases 10th
edition (ICD 10) retains this category of diagnosis
for the time being. We still use it in our clinical
work to refer to people of average or above
average intelligence who generally started
speaking before 24 months of age OR started
speaking using formal language.