Complex Emotional Needs Service Leaflet

Published: 10 Sep 2026

Publication Date: August 2025

Review Date: August 2027

Complex Emotional Needs Service

Supporting those with emotion dysreguation across Hull and East Yorkshire.

Who we are

The Complex Emotional Needs Service (CENS) is a psychology led, multidisciplinary team. The team includes Clinical Psychologists, Advanced Practitioners (from various registered professions), an Assistant Psychologist, and a Support Time & Recovery Worker. There are also Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Therapists, DBT Skills Trainers, Training Facilitators (Experts by Experience and Experts by Profession) who work within the wider functions of CENS.

Our aims

CENS aims to work people who may experience difficulties consistent within the construct of a 'Personality Disorder', to enable them to develop a life of value to them.

What we do

Most of our works in CENS is centred around supporting systems and services to work more effectively with individuals they support, maintaining access to mainstream services, minimising transitions in care, and utilising and developing the skills that already exist within teams.

This is accessible through:

Consultation offered by a qualified clinician within the team.
Supervision which is usually offered by a psychologist within the team.
Bespoke training for supported living providers to support understanding of formulated needs for care coordinated individuals within CENS.
Humber ‘Personality Disorder’ training on complex mental health needs associated with a ‘Personality Disorder’ for both internal staff and external agencies who support care coordinated individuals.

CENS will provide time limited keyworking to a small number of individuals who present with needs that are consistent with a diagnosis of a ‘personality disorder’ (with no formal diagnosis needed). Where there are formulated needs, these might be addressed by a more intensive, psychologically informed, and/or flexible approach to keyworking.

Other functions that within CENS include:

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Family Connections
Humber ‘Personality Disorder’ training
CAMHS transition consultations

How to access our services

Consultation (including CAMHS transitions) and supervision can be requested via completing the referral form: Complex Emotional Needs Service (CENS) referral form

Keyworking within CENS does not have a direct referral process. A 12 week assessment is only offered following accessing the consultation process if it is agreed, both during consultation and within the CENS MDT, that keyworking is likely to be beneficial.

For more information regarding DBT, including referral guidance and documents, please visit: https://intranet.humber.nhs.uk/dialectical-behaviour-therapy-service.htm

For more information regarding Family Connections, including how to refer, please visit: https://intranet.humber.nhs.uk/our-teams/clinical-teams/humber-family-connections/

For more information on Humber Personality Disorder Training, including how to book on, please visit: https://intranet.humber.nhs.uk/our-teams/clinical-teams/humber-personality-disorder-kuf-training/