Counselling for people with sight loss in the UK: the need for provision and the need for evidence

摘要

For adults of any age the diagnosis of a visual impairment can be traumatic, and timely referral to informal peer support and/or professional counselling may be both beneficial and appropriate. It is estimated that 45/113 (40%) of UK voluntary organisations for people with sight loss provide professional counselling (n=17) or 'informal support' (n=28), such as peer support groups, telephone helplines and befriending.1 However, what is the evidence that these services help people adjust emotionally to their acquired vision loss and the consequences that flow from this ?