“I don’t wanna be mad and sad”: Using individual systemic therapy to help manage anger and low mood in an adult with a learning disability

People with learning disabilities have historically been overlooked in research investigating the efficacy of therapeutic interventions, despite the increased prevalence of mental health difficulties among this population. As it is not uncommon for individuals with learning disabilities to be part of different relational systems (including access to a range of services), it seems logical to consider wider systems when seeking to understand difficulties that individuals may experience. While it is encouraging that there is growing interest in the use of systemic interventions for people with learning disabilities, there is limited peer-reviewed research exploring psychological difficulties from a systemic lens. This paper seeks to address the gap in literature by presenting a case where individual systemic therapy is used to help an adult with a learning disability to manage low mood and anger. The paper documents the therapist's clinical decision-making and learning from this case, with the hope that it encourages others to consider systemic interventions for people with learning disabilities in future