FAQs

The Centre's location is:

Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy,
Woodlands, University of Kent,
Giles Lane,
Canterbury,
Kent,
CT2 7LR    

The Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy is owned and run by The University of Kent, Canterbury.  The Woodlands building is home to the PCIT Reception where members can visit to book and pay for sessions and prospective members can call to make enquiries and attend their initial and subsequent assessments.

Woodlands ground floor is also home to the following tree themed therapy spaces, Willow, Cedar, Aspen, Maple and Beech where physiotherapy, occupational therapy, counselling and variety of therapeutic therapies take place as well as assessments and research study sessions.

PCIT utilises a number of other spaces on campus, including the Sports Centre, Pavilion and Oasis Garden as well as various other outside spaces where fitness classes and wellbeing sessions may take place in good weather.

PCIT is now located at Woodlands on the campus of the University of Kent, Canterbury.    To contact us please complete the enquiry form (can we link to it here please Allen), email parkinsons@kent.ac.uk or call 01227 824775.

We aim to make the Centre as inclusive as possible.  Anyone with a Parkinson’s diagnosis is welcome to become a member.  Partners, family members and carers of members are granted automatic membership and are welcome to book to participate is relevant activities and sessions and also take part in sessions and activities created  specifically around the wellbeing of carers and which will be advertised according to availability.

You will meet with our Administration Team and if you are booked for an assessment on this occasion, you will have a relaxed, informal 90 minute assessment with one of the clinical team who will give you the opportunity to discuss how your symptoms affect you, tell your story and decide, with our clinical, which or our therapies and sessions may benefit you.  Our clinician will put together a person centred timetable based around information shared at your assessment.  You are welcome to bring a loved one or friend along for your assessment.

You will need to attend the Centre in person for your initial assessment and give informed consent and currently, all sessions and therapies do take place here at the Centre so it helps to live within a reasonable travelling distance.  We do have some longer distance members who manage this by coming to stay locally several times a year and booking their therapies accordingly.  In the future, we hope to be able to commence some online services and remote treatments which will make it easier for those who live further afield and still want to benefit from PCIT membership.

We apply two different types of non-invasive neurostimulation in our research. One delivers thermal stimulation (gradual heating and cooling) via a small metal probe embedded within a pair of headphones, the other delivers gentle electrical currents to the bony patch of skin behind your ear. 

The thermal stimulation device is very portable so is great for our research studies where people need to stimulate at home for several weeks. The electrical stimulation device has lots of parameters, which can be carefully controlled so lends itself to our experimental studies in our laboratories. 

Find out more about neurostimulation research.

Parkinson’s charities offer a variety of information on Parkinson’s, symptoms, prevention, how to improve life, and support resources on their websites.

Parkinson’s Care and Support,
UK, PO Box 3251,
Mitcham, CR4 9EN
enquiries@parkinsonscare.org.uk
Tel: 020 3380 2573
https://parkinsonscare.org.uk/

Parkinson’s UK
215 Vauxhall Bridge Road
London
SW1V 1EJ
Tel: 020 7931 8080
Homepage | Parkinson's UK 

If you would like to support our vital work by making a financial contribution of any level, please contact:

Anna Pollard, Philanthropy Manager, University of Kent 
A.J.Pollard@kent.ac.uk or 01227 824670

Alternatively you can make your gift online or take part in a fundraising event in aid of the Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy.