Jen Nash - Diabetes Expert Profile
Dr. Jen Nash is a Clinical Psychologist who has been living with diabetes for more than 20 years.
She is a NHS trained Clinical Psychologist, is registered with the British Psychological Society and the Health Professionals and holds a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology.
She runs PositiveDiabetes.com, a therapy and education service that supports people with type 1 and 2 to manage the emotional and psychological impact of life with diabetes.
Jen is a Speaker and Writer for national diabetes charities including the Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation. She is a Speaker at diabetes healthcare professional conferences and has had her work published in several diabetes journals.
She is an Expert Columnist for numerous internet based diabetes websites. She is an Independent Training Consultant to the NHS, delivering workshops to diabetes clinicians about the psychology of diabetes and providing training on psychological techniques to support emotionally-struggling patients.
- Read Dr Nash's articles on Diabetes and Emotions
Jen provides psychological therapy, phone consultation and educational workshops for individuals with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. She publishes a free email newsletter full of tips and strategies about how to manage the psychological impact of diabetes.
As both a clinician and a person living with diabetes, Jen understands, at first hand, the ongoing demands of managing a chronic health problem. She is passionate about providing both those living with diabetes and those involved in their care, the knowledge and information they need to bring about improvements in their psychological life and personal wellbeing.
Jen recognises that in the busy setting of the medical clinic, discussions about the emotional impact of a chronic condition that requires 24-hour self-management can often be overlooked. Recent national guidance has prioritised the psychological care of people with diabetes - depression is twice as common in people with diabetes as the general population.
Whilst the impact of diabetes diagnosis, the ongoing behavioural demands of managing the condition and possible metabolic disturbance may be risk factors for individuals with diabetes developing depression; there is also growing evidence that depression itself may be a risk factor for developing diabetes.
But for everyone with diabetes, experiencing negative emotions such as anger, frustration, hopelessness, fear, guilt and shame is very common. Some of the psychological challenges of diabetes may be particularly relevant when an individual is first diagnosed, but with time and experience of living with the condition they become less problematic. Some stressors may emerge after many weeks, months or years following diagnosis.
Alternatively, there may be difficulties that arise upon initial diagnosis and continue without being resolved.
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