A few years ago, I worked free-lance in central London as a sort of facilitator on behalf of the local mental health services. I had been trained as a social worker and for decades previously had worked as a manager of community centres for people with long term mental health diagnoses.
But nowadays, I was more often on a bike,… continue reading
Category Mental Health Practice
Live Music Sweeps the Board
Dignity and Light
Two new poem collections are about to be uploaded on the website of the project I run, called “Poems for…“.
One of them is on Learning Disability and is called “Poems for… Bridges to Learning Disability” The other is on mental ill-health and is called “Poems for…Self at Sea“.
The poems in both collections bring… continue reading
Poems for United Response
United Response is a registered charity which supports people who have disabilities. It aims to help them fulfill themselves and be less isolated in our community. It seeks to ensure they receive their basic human rights. In mentioning this particular organisation here, I am not seeking to advertise it at the possible expense of others in the same field, all… continue reading
The sky is cloudy, the coast is nothing clear. Is there anything we should be doing ?
I was contacted recently by a friend and colleague now retired. She was an NHS mental health worker, who gave her all for years flat out, feelingly and wisely. Now she paces and grieves. Here is a slightly abridged version of what she wrote : “I have met with several ex-colleagues recently. On Saturday I bumped into [one] who said… continue reading
Mental Health Witness – how to consult with people who have turned to you for help
Here is a version of a message just written to a mental health manager who recently sent me a draft-“user involvement strategy” being put together for the service where she works. I am soon to retire from a part-time post as free-lance consultant to a group of mental health service users. My task has been to facilitate the process by… continue reading