The Hear Us Newsletter 'In Our Shoes' Spring 2016 Edition

HEAR US

Sping 2016

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I’m not a Jackass Honestly I do feel like a real jackass sometimes and all I want to do is stick out my hand out and inform them to just talk to it as I can’t listen to their mumberling rhetoric anymore – as they aren’t listening to me; it makes me feel like shouting at the top of my voice – “I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!” (ref: Howard Beale) and I bet I’m not alone either But sometimes I am listened to and that really feels good – all the hard work and effort we put in here at Hear Us sometimes we are listened to; and really being heard is really empowering. Calling on commissioners and Service Managers to help resolve an issue; and when they positively respond and they make mountains move; it really feels that Hear Us are making a difference.

I’m not saying its perfect, but mountains can be moved when service users, carers, service staff, commissioners the voluntary services and we work together and want them to.

Tim Oldham Coordinator Hear Us ↸ Orchard House, 15a Purley

Road South Croydon, CR2 6EZ

( 020 8681 6888  info@hear-us.org  www.hear-us.org

Company No. 6891337 Charity No. 1135535

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Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

Help In A Crisis 0800 731 2864 New 24-hour mental health helpline for south east London South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) have launched a 24-hour free telephone line to support anyone in Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Croydon experiencing mental distress.

The helpline is a significant step forward in helping people who are going through a mental health crisis and will be the first 24/7 telephone service for the trust.

HEAR US

The freephone helpline number is 0800 731 2864, which is the same number that takes patients through to our patient advice and liaison service (PALS). Callers can choose to speak to the helpline (operating 24 hours) or select a different option for PALS (operating from 9 am to 5 pm).

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The Hear Us Linkworking Project

strength, we have 25 Linkworkers, Data Inputters and Admin support to keep up with the workload generated.

We are now covering 12 wards/services and running 16 sessions per week, such as The Lishman Ward (neurology) at Bethlam and Psych Liaison Team at Croydon University Hospital (Mayday).

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the last year the haping Se OverLinkworking S : project has rv ct e i gone from strength to j

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Some of the Linkworkers also get involved in other areas of the service development for the South London and Maudsley Foundation Trust (SLaM), because they joined SLaM’s Involvement Register. This enables them to sit as a service user representative on interview panels for recruitment, ward inspections and codelivering training across the trust and beyond.

he H e a r Linkworkers go onto the wards and

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into the resource centres and talk with current service users listening to their comments raised and if they so chose report it back to the managers and service leads. This ensures that everyone is given the opportunity to be given a voice and to have input into making the services better for all.

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All Linkworkers have been in services themselves and draw on their own experiences that can empower others to see there is life during and after mental ill health. This helps service users open up with the Linkworker and hold some very meaningful conversations.

The Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), formally Primary Care Trust (PCT) are now commissioning us to run this service, as well as all health services in the borough, and we meet with them on a regular basis feeding back any trends; concerns or compliments raised with the intention of improving a person’s experience of the service.

If you would like to talk to me about becoming a Linkworker or would like to know a little more about the Involvement Register run by SLaM get in touch by email, the website or by phone and we arrange an informal meeting Barbra Davison; Project Lead 07749 156 828  www.hear-us.org/linkworking

 linkworking@hear-us.org

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This chart shows the main themes that are being raised through our Linkworkers . Inpatient verse Outpatient and positive against negative. Since the project started in 2007 the outcomes (Service User experiences) have grown more positive. Although Service Users, sadly, still endure a negative experience in services, positive experiences are much more common than in previous years, which is good as Service Users feel that they are becoming more supported by services. Being able to share and raise issues is having a real positive impact on the experiences of service users in Croydon and trhe services themselves.

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Feedback about our Liinkworking Project

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I received a call from a service user based at Tamworth Road today…

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Mark Yallop is deaf and used the services of ‘Text talk’ whereby he types what he says, the operator reads that to me and types my response and forwards that onto Mark.

“I often see your table when I go to Tamworth Road, I have just got my post and amongst it was a birthday card from Hear Us. Just to say it made me happy and also cry a little bit as I never get cards apart from my carer. I just wanted to say a great big thank you for the card as it has made my day and even though I have various head problems just for a couple of seconds I forgot my problems”.

I replied by saying I hope the tears were of some joy and not just sadness..

“Thank you and the tears were of immense joy, what more can I say as tears now feel normal – better go before I make a fool of myself”.

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“When I go to Tamworth Road to see my Coordinator and Doctor I always have an interpreter with me – so when I see your table I always stop for a chat, it is nice to talk to people who have an

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I said it was nice to hear that we could bring some joy into his life albeit for just a while and if he wanted to talk to the Linkworkers when he sees them next we could maybe organise a signer for him…

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understanding of mental health, it is nice to talk sometimes and they always have time to talk to me and I can see they are honest about issues of mental health. It makes me happy when my taxi arrives to take me home it makes me proud of myself. Even my Coordinator sees me chat to your staff and he knows it makes me happy and helps me in so many ways. One day when I get stable enough I would like to join your people with my interpreter and help other people that are deaf that go to Tamworth Road. That is a goal of mine, it may never happen but it gives me a goal, something to work towards, a bit of giving back”.

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I said it is good to have goals…

“Thanks maybe I will see you one day at your table or the people that work there. Barbra pass this call to those who work with you, make them realise the work they do is good for people like me. Show them how much just a little chat is so appreciated. Your work must be very rewarding so please pass on this call to those at Hear Us. My reply, whilst my eyes filled up was “I will Mark, would it be ok if I take your name out to print this in our next Newsletter, then others can see it too?”

You are more than welcome to and please use my name as I know many people from Tamworth Road and it may encourage them to join so please use my name.

Words out of our Linkworkers mouths Since coming back to the Linkworking project last year, I have been able to get back into what I experienced to be a rich and rewarding venture. This took a while to achieve as mentally I was not in a good place

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Whilst Working on the Triage Unit I have learned that everyone is different and an individual. I find the challenge is to bring out the best in them. Sometimes this is hard 8

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because the nature of the illness makes people wary, frightened and unsure. I found that having a good rapport with staff also helps to represent service users in a good light

ping S er vi Andy (Linkworker)

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I became a Linkworker 18 Months ago. I was a bit nervous to begin with but now I feel quite confident and really enjoy being involved in the project. My mental health has improved tremendously thanks to Linkworking, as I feel I’m doing something really worthwhile. If you do something that helps others, it helps you. I look forward to each session and I would recommend any service user who is well enough to have a go at it. I’m very grateful to have been given the opportunity, its great to be part of the team Tony (Linkworker)

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Since I started Linkworking it has given me the strength and motivation to wake up in the morning and look forward to going to my session with my co-worker, whom ever that is. It has made me a stronger person mentally. I now go places where I would never have imagined I would go and I have even got involved with the Reachout Challenge which requires me to travel across London on transport, in crowds, again something I didn’t think I could cope with. Without the support from the team at Hear Us I am sure I would still be at home doing what AR HE I was doing before NOTHING.

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CWi (Linkworker)

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Reachout Challenge The Reachout Challenge continues with more volunteers starting and discussions around providing more awareness sessions to local police and organisations happening is an exciting era we approach.

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After funding ceased in 2014 it was agreed to continue to run the project on a voluntary basis as winding it down would be a great loss to both those who are involved as volunteers and the benefits organisations gain from its delivery.

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We have provided the Metropolitan Police specialist Crisis and Hostage Negotiators with four sessions over last year they kindly give us a donation to run these and have agreed a further five sessions with the continuation of the ‘much needed’ donation for 2016.

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We have also delivered a scaled down version of the session to uniformed officers across the Metropolitan Police and of various ranks and roles, albeit we have not been gifted a donation but they are trying to find ways of securing some funds so we can go back and continue to be part of the mental health training officers receive. Those on the front lines of mental health crisis

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It is also their plan to include this in all new officers training when joining the force. The person in charge of such a momentous decision has come along to our sessions and reviewed the feedback from officers in attendance; They appreciate the knowledge and is well worth the money If successful it will be a big commitment from the team of volunteers but one we shall embrace and deliver with pride and professionalism. We know by providing these sessions it better equips front line services when coming

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into contact with us when we are in crisis and this is one of our main drivers to continue and manage the journey over to far North London.

We recently purchased some more stress balls with Reach Out money as these really go down well in the session and have our website address on them so promotes who we are and what we do within our own borough.

The steering group met to organise smaller working groups to take on specific tasks such as: Revising and updating the material we use; copy-writing our material; contacting local organisations such as the Job Centre, who in the past have asked us to run a session. Thinking about what agencies we can approach for future events and what this should look like; finances and promoting the Reachout Challenge.

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I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers past and present for their dedication, determination and time in making this project so successful and long may it continue. If YOU are interested in finding out more then please do not hesitate to contact me (see page 13 for contact details)

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Reachout Challenge volunteering Since joining the Reachout Challenge in 2012 I have attended various organisations and visited a wide variety of places including front-line services this has helped me gain self-confidence and reduce anxiety when Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

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visiting unfamiliar places over the past few years. Currently I attend sessions at the Police training college in Hendon helping train Crisis and Hostage Negotiators at first it was challenging just getting there; having to deal with travelling through central London at rush hour and the tube network was very difficult but my colleagues supported me and it was nice knowing that somebody was there to help me when things were difficult.

I took the opportunity while attending Hendon to say thank you and highlight how invaluable Negotiator training was in saving lives. Being able to talk about my personal story was a breath of fresh air and show how people with mental health problems are quite normal and can recover with the right support. It has also helped me gain a better understanding of other mental health issues and how people with the same diagnosis can have a different experience. The Reachout challenge has been a key element in my recovery and fundamental in improving my well-being and continues to do so.

By Reachout Challenge Volunteer I started volunteering for the Reachout Challenge in 2012 and very quickly felt welcome and more importantly safe to talk about my mental health amongst the other volunteers.

I got more and more involved and went along to the events they organised such as the London Ambulance Service, Transport Police and Fire Services and shared what it’s like to live with my mental health with them in small groups. Jane supported me to gain a voice I had lost after my breakdown and I took the lead on one of the presentations which was very empowering for me. Now I often get involved in other events where I tell my life story 12

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and although it is sometimes upsetting I have found it has helped my recovery and others gain from my honesty.

Thank you Hear Us and Reachout for helping me get my life back and being part of my ‘life-long’ recovery.

By Reachout Challenge Volunteer “THERE IS NO HEALTH WITHOUT MENTAL HEALTH” Our Reachout Challenge Project will; • Increase your understanding of mental health issues • and what life is like living with a mental health illness • Enable appropriate earlier intervention for your staff • Make you more effective in your vital role Mental health is an area of health that is important to us all.

It is crucial to our ability to lead a fulfilling life “Health is a state of complete physical mental and social well-being and is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Health is a resource for everyday life, not for the object of living. It is a positive concept emphasising social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities” World Health Organisation

If you and your organisation would be interested in increasing your staff’s understanding of mental health, please contact me

Barbra Davison; Project Lead

 07763 845 343 

reachout.challenge@hear-us.org

 www.hear-us.org/reach-out-challenge Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

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THE WAITING ROOM Back in the mental health system I sit in another sad and depressing waiting room. Drying and still wet hot chocolate spills on the grainy lino floors. That sand and sparkle finish, designed especially to hide the ever present muck that seems to walk its way in on the bottom of the lowest, saddest and worn feet of the part of society that visit this place.

The ever cliché receptionists, one over it foreign woman.

Overweight, over hair-sprayed and over make-up’d: complete with thin drawn on eyebrows and a bright pink pinched mouth, armed and ready to dispense with a disapproving twitch.

And the other one, the other receptionist who never quite got there. Hair brushed and nothing else, no make up at all, shoulders slumped and hunched over the keyboard, hand on mouse ready to look like she wants to be there; she flashes a smile. So small and fleeting it screams “PLEASE LIKE ME”.

I am late. The clock is loud, really really loud. The stuff of movies loud. It echoes off of the walls and bounces from each wax model person to the next, waiting, waiting, waiting. Waiting right along with me. I wonder, am I a wax model person too?

In the room, the psychiatrist has forgotten his script pad. I’m left alone with another clock. This time it is the tick tick tick of a plastic Argos clock, tick tick tick that bounces from wall to wall. I wonder if the clock will tick itself off of the picture it is hung on.

I would much prefer to watch a stain grow. The fall of a rusty drip from behind the face of a clock hung by a long forgotten man in blue overalls. From a time when this imposing building was first built perhaps?

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Instead I can already see the scene of the office ladies, fat over it lady with her pinched lips, searching in the bottom of a disorganized draw for batteries she knows full well haven’t worked since long before the draw was hers. The older lady, wearing no make up at all, always wishing, wondering, perhaps she should, at least just a little. Holding said Argos clock.

Poised. Ready. Waiting. Waiting for the batteries she also knows won’t work. While the visitor, the wax model, another just like me, watches on. Patiently impatiently waiting to be put into one of these very same rooms.

Tick tick tick.

He’s back. With his pad. Printed in black ink is my address and personal details. It’s my script, he has included the instructions of my new regime, blue Biro scrawls, I’m to follow them exactly.

Author: Edwin J Graham

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Are you a parent or sibling of someone with psychosis?

And are you interested in helping out in research?

Please consider participating in our study!

Who? Our project is called Decision Making and Context in Psychosis (DECOP), and we are looking for siblings of patients who have or have had a diagnosis of schizophrenia or related illness Why? The purpose of this study is to learn more about risk and resilience mechanisms in schizophrenia How? The study involves 2 sessions (about 1.5 hours each) of computer tasks and questionnaires, as well as completion of an electronic diary for 7 days during your daily life.

We reimburse you with £40 for your participation and your travel expenses will be paid.

Like to learn more?

Please contact us on  07599 005900  DECOP@kcl.ac.uk 16

Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

I N D E P E N D E N C E

Imagine Croydon User Led Groups Facilitated by Imagine staff, the User-Led groups, including the long established Kingfisher’s Association, are focused on participation, respect, choice and tolerance. Group members are supported to become involved in the running of their own group, from holding regular member’s meetings, making decisions on how the budget is spent to organising one-off events.

• Empowering individuals to access social activities they are interested in within their community.

• Promote wellbeing and recovery through choice, involvement, empowerment and responsibility.

• Promote social inclusion and increase the user’s confidence, motivation and social skills.



020 8253 7078



croydon@imaginementalhealth.org.uk



www.imagineindependence.org.uk



twitter.com/ImagineIndep01

↸

Imagine Mental Health CVA Resource Centre, 82 London Road Croydon, CR0 2TB

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Best Friends It is good for us to have friends. As well as human friends I have a couple of dogs as well! For all sorts of reasons I cannot own a dog at this moment so I looked for other ways to have some doggie companions in my life.

We always had a dog at home growing up and so my love for dogs goes back a long time. I have known about the charity called the Cinnamon trust, for quite a while. It works with people who have an illness or disability that prevents them from being able to walk their dogs (or look after other pets) and so asks others to volunteer to help out.

I joined well over a year ago. You need to complete an application and give three references and have a love of dogs and maybe some experience too.

The Trust then contacts you when there is a dog in the area; you then go to meet them and the owner. My first dog did not work out; it was too strong for me and took me for a walk/run rather than the other way round!

But the second dog I was offered, a Jack Russell, was perfect and I have been walking her once a week since. You build up a relationship with both the owner and the dog as you have a chat when you visit, which can help lessen the loneliness that often exists for those living on their own. Your travel expenses will be paid too‌ The other dog in my life has been more recent and came out of a desire to have a longer time

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with a dog, so I contacted Borrow My Doggy and looked for a small dog in my area. He is a Russell Terrier and much younger than my Cinnamon Dog. For this opportunity you apply on line and set up a profile with your availability. When you see a possible match you make contact with the owner via the website and arrange to meet in a public space.

On my second meeting I took the dog out on his own to see if it would work for me and all went very well. He always come back and loved chasing and retrieving the ball. I thought it would work for us both.

Since then he has been to stay twice for the whole day and we are now looking for a weekend visit which is very exciting, I feel it is much easier to build up the relationship with the longer contact.

I enjoying walking anyway but it's greater fun with a four legged companion and he keeps me even fitter as we go on two walks during the day as well as the ball throwing.

The service is of mutual benefit to the borrower and owner so there is no money involved. The owner supplies everything the dog might need if they come to stay and you have access to a vet line. As a borrower you pay £9.99 a year which is great value considering what you receive. So it is fun and wonderful for your health and I’m sure the dogs love the additional company too! Here are the details of both opportunities: The Cinnamon Trust

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 www.cinnamon.org.uk or

01736 757 900

and Borrow My Doggy

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www.borrowmydoggy.com

Good luck! Elaine Rawlins Linkworker Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

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Food Banks Available need for those in

MO ND AY

The well, Salvation Army, 11- 3pm (continue down Church Street, under flyover to Booth) 0208 680 9924 Hot Meal, Benefit and housing advice, referral, help for homeless, specialised PCT nurses and more

FOOD BAN

TUES DAY

WEDNESDAY

Norwood Food Bank St Luke’s Church, Knights Hill, West Norwood.

Purley Food Hub open for food collections, for those with a food ticket.

07722 121108

07546 635295

10-1 For those with a ticket

10am until 12pm Purley United Reformed Church.

Croydon Food Bank Unit 5, 46 Pilton Estate, Pitlake, Croydon.

020 8686 5664 12-2pm, for those with a ticket

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Croydon Community Food Sto 020 3643 8091 The Store, Ramsey Court, Church Street, CR0 1RF 11:30am - 2.30pm

Food, hot drinkyear Every night of the 20

THURSDAY East Croydon United Reformed Church 12:00 Noon Prompt (Addiscombe Grove - just past East Croydon Station) Hot Meal in friendly atmosphere.

Closed Schoo Summer Holidays

The Link, East Croydon United Reform Church.

7-9:30pm Drop-in, refreshments

at Queens Gardens

Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

Food Bank Tickets are available from Croydon Council, SLaM, Lantern Hall, Thames Reach, The Salvation Army and Some GP’s or call centres for more info

NKS FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Norwood Food Bank St Luke’s Church, Knights Hill, West Norwood.

07722 121108

Purley Food Hub open for food collections, for those with a food ticket.

Croydon Tabernacle, 38 - 40 Parsons Mead West Croydon.

8:00am to 9:00am 020 8688 8466 Full English Breakfast!!!!

07546 635295 10am until 12pm

10-2 For those with a ticket

Purley United Reformed Church.

Croydon Food Bank Unit 5, 46 Pilton Estate, Pitlake, Croydon.

020 8686 5664

12-2, for those with a ticket

9:15pm to 10:00pm

St Mildred’s Church, ng Bi ham Rd, Addiscombe 020 8655 1434 1 - 3pm Drop-in, hot food School ed os Cl Summer holidays

Nightwatch Soup Kitchen 020 8699 6718

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1

2

Puzzle 4

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5 6

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8

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Across

1. Prescription Drugs.

4. Health Anxiety.

7. A mental disorder characterised by abnormal thought processes and deregulated emotions 8. Type of treatment that involves talking 9. A technique in CBT that involves paying more attention to the present moment.

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Down

2. Difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep.

3. Croydon’s local psychiatric hospital.

5. Doctor of Mental Health.

6. Unpleasant state of inner turmoil often accompanied by nervous behaviour 7. South London and Maudsley.

Answers on page 33

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Cycling with Active Minds

Safe, off-road, escorted

Spring - Summer April 7th 2016 onwards

Venue: Croydon Arena, Albert Road, South Norwood SE25 4QL Day: Thursday Time: 11:00 – 1:00 Cost: Free To register or for further information please contact Active Minds 0208 253 8206—07754828053 activeminds@mindincroydon.org.uk Helmets, bikes and if needed, electric bikes provided.

Please dress suitably for the weather

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CIPTS (Croydon Integrated Psychological Therapy Service) A personal account Background - My name is John Harding and I am a Cognitive Analytic Therapist who has been working for CIPTS since its early beginnings. I was asked by Hear Us to write an account of the development of this service through my eyes.

The Early Days - In 2001 Croydon Mental Health Services took the decision to shake up their day care provision and it had been decided that the four day hospitals dotted around Croydon would have to go.

This was because that although they did offer a safe place, there was no real provision of psychological therapy which left us reliant on the medical model of medication which we know is often not enough on its own.

I have to say I had some mixed feelings about this change at the time, although day hospitals had become antiquated I had seen for myself how beneficial having a sense of belonging was for many service users who befriended and supported each other informally and this often combated feelings of loneliness, stigma and isolation but I was also aware of how the lack of talking therapies left many service users unable to progress. I was also going through something of period of change myself, having been nursing at that point for almost twenty years and after a period of introspection I realised I wanted to work in a way that gave me more meaning and personal satisfaction.

The restructuring of day care services offered me that opportunity when it was decided by the SLAM (South London & Maudsley NHS Trust) to develop a group therapy programme as groups were seen at the time to be a cost effective way to deliver therapy utilising the staff formerly employed in the day hospitals. The thirty or so staff were whittled down to just fifteen, myself being one of them. This new service was called TIS (Therapeutic Intervention Service). We started to develop CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) groups for anxiety, depression and anger but before we could get started another crisis had hit Croydon mental health services and all the staff were redeployed temporarily except for two of us. Those staff never returned and TIS under new management recruited two group analysts and a CBT therapist to start

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running a variety of groups.

We were very much left to our own devices in those early days to set up and run groups as we saw the need and this was my baptism into psychotherapy. Surrounded by very skilled and knowledgeable people had a profound effect on me and we became something of family with all that this brings and that sense of keeping each other in mind that still prevails today. Within a year I had started my own psychotherapy training as a Cognitive Analytic Therapist at St Thomas’ hospital and I both witnessed and experienced professionally and personally the effect that therapy can have on one’s life.

A few years passed by and TIS merged with the local psychotherapy department who had been seeing patients on an individual basis.

Another few years passed and it was decided that it would be beneficial to also merge psychologists with our team and so CIPTS was born.

So what does this all mean? Well putting all these therapists together from various sites and different schools of thought was not plain sailing at the beginning but once the dust settled, we started to see not just how much we actually had in common but also how much we could learn from each other and how much that enriched the work we did with service users. This formula became so successful that the rest of SLAM has now based all its psychological services in all its boroughs on this integrated model and I always like to think that it had its birthplace in Croydon!

CIPTS TEAM-Who and what are they now?

We are secondary care service (that means you have to be referred to us by a GP or other health care professional) We provide a whole range of therapies (CBT, CAT therapy, Psychodynamic, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and some groups for the population of Croydon who fall under the MAP CAG (Mood Anxiety & Personality Disorder) Clinical Academic Group. Therapies can last from six months to one year in duration.

We are made up of a combination of psychologists and psychotherapists from different schools numbering just twelve people in total. The reality is that we are small team having to fight ever increasing waiting times and growing waiting lists which can be a difficult reality to face both us and for the people who use our service. Despite these real Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

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difficulties the staff at CIPTS tend to stay for some years and I feel this is a reflection of not just peoples commitment to work but also feeling valued and cared for. On the flipside service users often express how unhelpful the long wait for therapy is but very few who complete this journey ever regret the experience.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS Since I first started writing this article in early 2015 CIPTS has continued to champion for sufficient funding to be provided for our service with commissioners. We used feedback from service users as well as service audits and national audits that showed that our service delivers a high standard of talking therapy for people with complex needs, but that our waiting times are far too long.

With the new commissioner, some positive steps have been taken.

CIPTS are excited to be recruiting to 3 new full time, or nearly full time, permanent therapist posts for; Cognitive Analytic Therapy, Psychologists providing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. Our team will now become fifteen therapists in total and these posts should halt the growth in waiting times for therapy as we should now be able to meet demand for talking therapy.

The challenge for us in the future is to go further and reduce treatment waiting times. It is hoped that the commissioner will stand behind the idea of temporarily offering more treatments in order to do this, by employing extra therapists.

MAP CAG (Mood Anxiety & Personality Disorder) Clinical Academic Group. Therapies can last from six months to one year in duration With the new commissioner, some positive steps have been taken.

CIPTS are excited to be recruiting to 3 new full time, or nearly full time, permanent therapist posts for; Cognitive Analytic Therapy, Psychologists providing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. Our team will now become fifteen therapists in total and these posts should halt the growth in waiting times for therapy as we should now be able to meet demand for talking therapy.

The challenge for us in the future is to go further and reduce treatment waiting times. It is hoped that the commissioner will stand behind the idea of temporarily offering more treatments in order to do this, by employing extra therapists.

John Harding; Cognitive Analytic Therapist CIPTS 26

Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

Status Employment Status work with people experiencing mental health problems to get into work or move closer to the 'job market’ through education, training, paid work or volunteering.

An allocated Employment Consultant will: • identify an individual’s current skills • look at an individuals aspirations • support an individual to gain and keep employment • work with individuals and employers to provide a supportive work environment Status Employment Football Training Course • improve mental health and employment prospects • improve coordination, teamwork, self-esteem and confidence • raise personal fitness levels • encourage social activities and improve life experiences • offer pre-vocational sessions to help people move towards work Status Employment football team is affiliated with a mental health league. Do I need to be referred? No, You can refer yourself or ask your GP or Care Co-ordinator or another member of your support team to refer you to see a Status Employment consultant or join the football scheme.

020 8655 3344  

info@statusemployment.org.uk

 www.statusemployment.org.uk ↸ 6 West Way Gardens, Shirley, Croydon, CR0 8RA Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

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RONA SAILING PROJECT Sailing For Mental Wellbeing

Rona Sailing Project is a sail training organisation Dates for The providing sailing opportunities for people of all ages 2016 and abilities. Every year the Project runs specialised for mental well-being. Experienced mental 13 - 15 voyages health professionals go on these voyages and with Project volunteers, ensure that everybody on the MAY the boat gets the opportunity to participate in all aspects £110 of the running of the boat, in a safe and enjoyable atmosphere.

3-5 aim of the voyages is to ensure that everybody has JUNE The a fun holiday, while being challenged. Everybody will £110 leave the boat having had a great holiday and will have

achieved something very worthwhile. The weekend voyages are suitable for beginners, and no experience of sailing or boating is required. You don’t need to be an athlete but you need to be able to move safely around the boat and get on and off in order to get ashore. The voyages are run on a 75-foot yacht and there will be up to 18 people on board for the trip. On each trip everybody is expected to take a full part in the sailing and domestic tasks as they are able, including cooking, washing up, steering, handling the sails, and if you want to, the navigation.

9 - 14 SEPT* £180

*The September trip is only suitable for those who have sailed before For more information Contact Adrian, Tel: 07816 904 291 or Email: Adrian_sailing@hotmail.co.uk The Rona Sailing Project, Universal Marina, Crableck Lane, Sarisbury Green, Southampton, SO31 7ZN 28

Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

Active Minds 2015 marked another milestone year for Active Minds.

We tried our collective hands at mixed martial arts and came out on top. Started working with a new tennis coach and smashed that out of the court. We danced, relaxed, swam, boxed, walked, cycled, we even yoga’d.

We planted things, cooked things, stopped smoking and waved various rackets and bats at an assortment of balls and shuttlecocks Our football team, The Croydon Eagles, marched onto a league and cup double and became National Football Therapy champions.

Our buddies and peer navigators buddied and navigated a whole host of people to a whole host of activities as well as getting another whole host of people into the gym, swimming pool, dojo and boxing ring.

So what does 2016 hold for us?

In summary, more of the same and more of something different.

Walking basketball has just started for a 10 week pilot at the end of which we have a friendly match lined up against the Brent Get Set to Go team – no team yet but a match lined up, that’s optimism in action.

We’ll have Community Golf in New Addington. We will kick and punch things (in the nicest possible way), dust off our dancing shoes for some ballroom, drag our bikes out of the shed and redeploy our tame tennis coach in time for dreams of Wimbledon We will continue with our ever popular activities but will be listening out for any suggestions of something new which our service users might fancy trying So watch this space.

Or contact us by Email: activeminds@mindincroydon.org.uk or by Tel: 0208 253 8205/6/8 Peter Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

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The Beyond Barriers Project works in the boroughs of Merton, Croydon, Sutton, Wandsworth and Lambeth specifically.

We are providing a service specifically for “hard to reach communities” such as, LGBT, BAME and refugee and asylum seekers, who are carers and former carers who are 18 & over.

Within these Communities there can sometimes be multiple people looking after sick or disabled relatives within an extended family, a high proportion of whom do not consider themselves carers and are not accessing support services.

“That’s what you do, you look after your family when they are old or unwell”?

Research has proven that when people look after someone long term certain aspects of their life are affected, such as; maybe having to go part time or give up working completely, they can become isolated, loose contact with friends and extended family, their own health can suffer from stress etc.

Overall their wellbeing and health can suffer.

We provide a volunteer mentoring service to address issues such as, isolation, community involvement, access to services, skills acquisition and an overall improvement in wellbeing for the service user.

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Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

We provide general mentors to support people in their caring role, maybe to meet and speak with someone about how they are affected, support them to become more involved in their local community, join a library and make appointments to address their own health or other issues, signpost to other support services.

Here is an example of the improvements felt by one carer before, during and after their mentoring after returning their questionnaires.

Questionnaire 1 is blue, Q2 is red & Q3 is green.

We can see the improvement in areas such as; 01 How the person feels about their caring role; 04 General health & wellbeing 05 Their sense of life satisfaction; 07 Making time for yourself 08 Involvement in Community events; 10 Feeing supported;

Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

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Feedback from some of our clients.

This client cares for his wife who has a degenerative condition which will get worse.

“Since I first met with you in August, I feel I have travelled quite a distance in dealing with matters. My sessions have further enabled me to recognise my situation and implement practical strategies such as smoke and carbon detectors, and be aware of what help is available. I have also joined a carers group and met other carers. I know that my wife’s condition will continue to deteriorate and cause me additional stress and difficulty. I am hoping now to be more able to respond to these challenges as they arise but would appreciate the possibility of a couple of future mentoring sessions if I find myself struggling�.

We also provide IT/Computer mentors for people who want to learn how to use a computer. Some of our service users wanted to stay in touch with family in their country of origin, so wanted to learn Skype or Facetime.

Some of our clients wanted to learn how to shop online so they could use their respite time for something else.

Some of our clients were looking at the possibility of going back to work, so wanted to learn or re learn some computer skills to get back into employment.

Our mentoring happens for one hour a week for six weeks, after a full matching process where we aim to find a volunteer who not only 32

Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

has the skills that the client wants, but also is close to their area and compatible in other ways.

We are also recruiting Volunteers to support our service.

We are recruiting; • Computer Mentors Mentors • Project support Volunteers in Outreach/Social Media support/Administration We have a full recruitment & selection process, Induction, training, supportive supervision and ongoing personal development opportunities.

For more information or an application pack please contact or visit our website:



andrew@souththamescrossroads.org

 www.beyondbarriersproject.org

The next edition of In Our Shoes Summer 2016 Sexual Health

Down: 2. Insomnia 3. Bethlem 5. Psychiatrist 6. Anxiety 7. SLaM Across: 1. Medication 4. Hypochondria 7. Schizoaffective 8. Therapy 9. Mindfulness Puzzle Answers Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

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Croydon APCMH Welfare Support Project • Are you experiencing difficulties accessing local mental health services?

• Do you need help with correspondence?

• Are you confused about your benefits or do you just need someone to talk to.

The Croydon APCMH can help on all counts. Our Welfare Support Project is a small service aimed at helping those from faith and non-faith groups in the Croydon area who are experiencing or recovering from mental health difficulties. We can carry out a benefits check, help fill out applications for PIP, Universal Credit and other benefits, write to the council, your GP or others on your behalf and accompany you to assessment interviews or other appointments. We can also signpost you to other services and generally provide a sympathetic, listening ear. Please call the office or email us in the first instance. To avoid disappointment please note we can only help those living in the borough of Croydon.

Volunteers

We’re always looking for volunteers to offer support to members at our Croydon-based Drop-ins and Creative Wellbeing Groups.

Our volunteers help people who often feel isolated, lonely and forgotten because of their mental health issues and our aim is to provide reliable, non-judgemental, sensitive support. If you think you could commit to offering just a couple of hours per month, you will receive on-going training and support and the satisfaction of knowing that by offering even a limited amount of time regularly you will be making a huge difference to the lives of our members. A new 5-week volunteers’ training course will 34

Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

be starting in April, so now is a great time to get in touch. Visit our website at or call 020 86544010.

Wellbeing course

A new 6-week wellbeing course will be starting in April. Topics to be covered include person-centred planning, assertiveness and stress management. If you would like to attend, please call the office or send us a message via our website or email us at admin@croydon-apcmh.co.uk.

Your thoughts needed!

We’d like to set up a project that will appeal to men suffering from long-term mental health difficulties and would like feedback as to what to offer. If you have any ideas for group activities, please email us at or send us a message via our website

Contact APCMH:

 020 8654 4010  twitter.com/APCMH1  admin@croydon-apcmh.co.uk  www.apcmhcroydon.co.uk

Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

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ASPERGEN COFFEE MORNING Come and meet like minded people in a relaxed and informal setting On the 1st & 3rd Wednesday of the month 10am to Noon.

Croydon Carers Centre, 12 Katherine Street, CR0 1NX (opposite Croydon Town Hall)

Aims

1. to improve the lives of adults who consider themselves to have an aspect of Aspergers 2. to improve the lives of those living with adults who have an aspect of Aspergers.

3. To promote awareness of Aspergers and Autism.

Come and be a part of a vibrant community of people who have an interest in, or are affected by Autism & Aspergers contact us

 inaspectrum@hotmail.com  07900990292  www.inaspectrum.com

 @inaspectrum

meetup.com/inaspectrum

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Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

Would you like some help and advice on making your money work for you?

Mind in Croydon has now launched Minding Money.

The aim of this project is to help you make the most of your money.

• We will be providing help with...

• finding out if you are entitled to additional money • getting the most out of your income • how your mood might affect your spending • learning about priority bills • opening and managing bank accounts • online banking skills.

Alongside all this helpful information you will have the chance to make new friends, learn new skills and build your confidence in an informative manner.

At the same time and just as important - have some fun!

To register your interest and be put on the waiting list please contact: Welfare Benefits Tel: 020 8253 8218 Email: mindingmoney@mindincroydon.org.uk

Registered Charity no: 1073880

A Voice for Croydon’s Mental Health Community

HEAR US OPEN FORUM

H LUNC IDED V O R P S I

�1pm on first Tuesday of Each Month ↸�CVA Resource Centre, 82 London Rd, CR0 2TB Hear Us Open Forum Date & Time Tuesday 3rd May 16 Time: 1pm – 4pm Tuesday 7th June 16 Time: 1pm – 4pm

Guests: Talking Therapies: CIPTS, IAPTS, Mind Counselling Off the Record Macius Kurowski SLaM’s Equality Reports 2016

Come along and hear about services and issues that affect the mental health community For More Infomation Contact david@hear-us.org or tim@hear-us.org or Tel: 020 8681 6888 hear-us.org 38

Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

Become a Hear Us Member Today Become a Hear Us Member and we’ll keep you up-to-date with all of the latest mental health news. We’ll let you know about Hear Us events and groups in your area. And we’ll support you to get your voice heard and Membership is free.

All members receive:

• Our quarterly ‘In Our Shoes’ Newsletter, with in-depth features on the big mental health issues, including hear Us members’ own stories • Our regular email newsletters, which include the latest Mind news and information about events near you • The chance to vote for our trustees and to become a trustee yourself • Your very own Mind membership card.

Opportunities for members

HE

AR

US

Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

HEAR US

As a member, you can get involved in the Hear Us’s work in all sorts of ways. There’s no pressure to do anything, but if you are keen to take action we’ll support you every step of the way. Potential options include: • Become a Linkworker and help other service users whilst helping to improve our mental health services • Become Reach Out Volunteer and help fight sigma and discrimination • Taking part in surveys, focus groups • Sharing personal experiences to show the truth about mental health • Joining our local campaigns • Fundraising to support Hear Us’s work 39

Hear Us Membership Application Form Resident in the Borough of Croydon Have a recognisable interest in mental health service user issues in Croydon Have had emotional psychological problems or some form of mental illness Name: Address:

Telephone: Email: Post How would you like to receive our Newsletters and invitations to the forum: Email Age & DOB: Gender: Sexuality: Ethnic Origin: Disabled:

AR

US

Signature:

HE

Please read the form thoroughly and check that the information you have provided is correct before signing.

HEAR US

Hear Us will not use the information you provide for anything other than the distribution of newsletters and invitations to our meetings.