The attached photo is of Gillian Bowden, MBE, outside Buckingham Palace with her medal.

Gillian, a psychologist with Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, was presented with her medal by the Princess Royal during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on December 4th 2009.

“This has been a very happy day for me and my family,” said Gillian. “I’m absolutely thrilled. I feel enormously privileged to be doing the work I do, and working in such a good service with some brilliant people.”

Gillian has worked in Great Yarmouth since 2002. She is the primary care mental health lead for the Trust’s Great Yarmouth locality, which includes the Linkworker service and psychological services. The service has recently been running a pilot ‘Improving Access to Psychological Therapies’ service. This delivers treatment for common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Gillian has also been involved in several community mental health initiatives such as psychological input for ‘Sure-Start’, and assessing mental health needs for minority populations including migrant workers in Great Yarmouth.

“It is wonderful for the service and for my role in it to be recognised in this way,” said Gillian. “I am proud for the Trust, proud for clinical psychology, and proud for myself and the team I work in. I am proud for the people of Yarmouth. I hope people feel we have made a difference.”

She added: “I hope that over the coming months and years we can make our services more accessible and relevant to more people, and enable mental health well-being to become the business of us all.”