Community partnership grant award for Wiltshire Mind in innovative GP referral trial

For many people living in Wiltshire, accessing mental health services can be frustrating, with lengthy waiting times. Self-referring to a local private therapeutic counselling service can mean a wait of up to 12 months.

Wiltshire Mind has recently been awarded a two-year Community Partnership Grant from NHS Charities Together and RUHX for an innovative pilot project aimed at providing a direct referral route from selected county GP surgeries to free counselling for adults and young people – reducing the waiting time and providing equity of access for those seeking support.

The pilot project will offer therapeutic counselling support to those who face anxiety, stress, mild depression, worry, low confidence, anger or grief. Between 12 and 24 sessions will be provided by an experienced counsellor.

The grant will cover the cost of the trial for two years, and Wiltshire Mind will work closely with 2 GP surgeries in the county to develop and test the trial. The project aims to reduce the burden on the local NHS, and improvement access to mental health services in our community. The trial is expected to start just before Christmas 2022.

Wiltshire Mind’s Head of Service Delivery, Philippa Collins commented.

“We are delighted to receive the grant from NHS Charities Together and RUHX. With funding agreed for two years, we can work in partnership with NHS Primary care to make a huge difference to those who need support with their mental health, particularly for those people experiencing low mood, anxiety, depression or grief for example”.

Wiltshire Mind is an independent charity and relies on the generosity of the community to help raise funds to pay for services. The charity has tried to secure funding in recent years to provide a sustainable future for the 300 people they support every year with their mental health.

CEO Paul Mills explained

“Since the pandemic, we have seen a substantial drop in our fundraising income, so investing in new services to meet the increasing demand for mental health support across our county has been challenging. This grant enables a joined-up approach between our charity and GP surgeries locally, designed for those seeking support“.

Wiltshire Mind will be approaching a small number of GP surgeries over the next few months to participate in the trial, which is expected to help between 30 and 40 people over the next two years. If the trial is successful, it is hoped that a full county-wide referral service will be rolled-out across the county in 2024-25, subject to further funding.

For more information contact Paul Mills, CEO, at paul.mills@wiltshiremind.co.uk

To find our more about Wiltshire Mind visit our website.

Your donation can make a difference for young people

In the last year we have helped over 200 people, supporting them with their mental health and wellbeing through low-cost counselling and peer support.

In the past, thanks to your generosity, we have been able to continue to deliver our services, including through the Covid-19 pandemic. We are now facing even greater challenges as global economic effects take hold.

We do not receive any statutory or government funding to help towards providing our mental health and wellbeing services locally, but we are working hard to secure future funding where we can. We now need to raise £465 a day, every day, to keep providing our much-needed services across Wiltshire.

The immediate threat is the increasing demand for mental health support, yet our fundraising income, which pays for services, is declining. In most cases our beneficiaries, our service users, have nowhere else to turn for support locally.

You can make a difference today by either donating or helping fundraise. Just £30 pays for a one-to-one counselling session for a child or young person. Our counselling for young people provides a safe space where highly specialist counsellors use a range of creative therapeutic methods to help young people connect to, and express, their emotions. Helping young people develop coping strategies can mean they are able to thrive rather than just survive.

If you can, please help today.

To donate today, please visit our Just-Giving page.

Or scan our QR code below to go directly to our donation page.

If you’d like to fundraise on behalf of Wiltshire Mind, please do email us fundraising@wiltshiremind.co.uk

Volunteer Counsellor Placements – Open to applications

Counselling Volunteers (Adult Service)

We offer placement opportunities for counsellors who are currently undertaking appropriate training. We also welcome applications from counsellors who have completed their training and may be working towards accreditation or looking for an opportunity to support people in our community.

We ask volunteers to commit to a minimum of three client sessions per week at a regular time slot, and for up to one year. Sessions are usually based at our office in Trowbridge.

We are an organisational member of the BACP. We offer fortnightly group supervision, with a maximum of four supervisees per group. We also provide management support from a qualified counsellor on a day-to-day basis.

This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check (including barred list).

The current round of applications close on 7th October 2022, so please contact us as soon as possible if you are interested. Counselling@wiltshiremind.co.uk

Interviews are expected to take place by the end of October, and placements commence in January 2023.

Volunteers needed to help with our Support Groups

Here at Wiltshire Mind we have a number of volunteer vacancies.

Volunteers are an essential part of our charity and we couldn’t operate without their dedication and hard work.

Choosing to volunteer for Wiltshire Mind not only means you can help us support the people in our community who need us but it can also help with your own wellbeing. Supporting and helping others can improve your happiness, give you a sense of purpose and improve your self-confidence. It can also help you further your skills and experience, and is a good addition to your CV.

We are looking for volunteers to help out at our Support Groups in Tidworth and Trowbridge.

The groups provide a friendly space for anyone experiencing mental health problems. They bring together people with shared experiences to support each other and provide a place where members can feel accepted and understood.

The volunteer supports our skilled Group Facilitators in creating a safe and open space for our service users. You do not need any particular experience for this role, just a willingness to participate. We welcome applications from people with lived experience of mental health. If you have previously attended one of our support groups as a member, you are welcome to apply but we ask that you are no longer attending the group.

If you’d like to find our more, email us today at counselling@wiltshiremind.co.uk

Monday 19th September – Bank Holiday

The government has announced that Monday 19th September will be a Bank Holiday, and we will not be providing our adult or children’s counselling or support group activities on this day.

For more information, please contact counselling@wiltshiremind.co.uk

Our information and support pages provide more resources on wellbeing and taking care of yourself. This also includes details of other organisations who provide free support any time. 

If you are in crisis, you can contact Samaritans on 116 123. This number is free from any phone. www.samaritans.org. 

Information on Coronavirus (COVID-19) is available from the NHS website

Ashford Homes – proud to support local charity Wiltshire Mind

Wiltshire Mind is an independent charity supporting people in Wiltshire who are experiencing mental health problems or emotional distress. The charity was founded in 1993 in Devizes, supporting those living in long-term care to live and work in the community – following the closure of many mental health residential units. At this time, the charity was fully funded by the governing local councils across Wiltshire.

Nearly 30 years on, Wiltshire Mind continues to support the community, however, the funding has completely changed. Now affiliated to National Mind, Wiltshire Mind remains an independent charity, but they must raise every penny through fundraising or voluntary donations. The charity does not receive any statutory or commissioned income, and they rely on the community to help raise much needed funds. To provide its counselling, support groups and training services Wiltshire Mind must raise £465 each day of the year.

Ashford Homes is proud to support Wiltshire Mind and we took a visit to the charity’s new office in Trowbridge to see the new furniture the charity bought from our donation. The furniture will used to provide its adult and children and young people’s counselling services. Wiltshire Mind helps over 250 people a year through its therapeutic counselling, offering between 12 and 24 sessions for their service users. All counselling is free for children and young people, and low-cost for adults (£10 a session).

Paul Mills, CEO Wiltshire Mind said, “Thank you, Ashford Homes, for the very generous donation. We have put the money towards new furniture for our low-cost counselling service. Our clients, adults and children, will benefit greatly, making a real difference to their mental health support”.

Mental health charities are needed now more than ever, and mental health is a particular issue that is dominant in the construction industry. According to Mates in Mind (2022) – men in the UK are three times more likely to die by suicide than women. However, in construction – a male dominated industry – men are three times more likely to die by suicide than the national average for men.

Stuart Morgan, MD Ashford Homes said, “The construction industry is suffering from a serious mental health crisis, and it’s imperative that we take major steps to change things. We are looking forward to Wiltshire Mind providing Ashford Homes with training on how to spot the signs and triggers of mental health problems and how to provide the best support to our team.”

For more information on Wiltshire Mind, visit their website.

Become a Volunteer Fundraiser

Help raise money for Wiltshire Mind in your community.

Wiltshire Mind provides mental health support to our communities across Wiltshire. We rely on the generosity of our supporters to raise money which pays for low-cost counselling for adults and children and young people, and support groups that are accessible to anyone locally.

We want to build a team of Volunteer Fundraisers to be the friendly face of Wiltshire Mind across Wiltshire, raising awareness of better mental health, and our services to help those who need support. Most Importantly, raising money to keep our services going into the future.

Becoming a Volunteer Fundraiser offers the chance to meet new people, make friends and have fun! By using your skills, you can help others by arranging and contributing to local events, talking to local businesses, shops, and other organisations and raising money for a cause that is close to your heart. You’ll gain experience in the charity sector too.

Our new Volunteer Fundraiser roles are flexible and rewarding, and can be shaped around your existing commitments. You will make a real difference for those needing support with their mental health. All monies raised through our fundraising activity go into improving lives for our beneficiaries – our service users.

The pandemic has had a real impact on our income, and with increased cost of living, its becoming harder to fund projects. The demand for mental health support has increased though. With your help, we can continue to raise awareness of the importance of good mental health too, and raise much needed income through local community engagement – which funds our services.

If you enjoy communicating with others, and have some time to spare to help, drop us an email for an information pack today.

Help us put the ‘fun’ in our fundraising, and make a real difference to our community.

Contact us today.

Email fundraising@wiltshiremind.co.uk

Mental health support – please help today

Last year, across Wiltshire, we held just over 1000 counselling sessions for children, young people and adults to support them with their mental health. This year, the demand is even greater.

There are an estimated 67,000 people struggling with a common mental health problem in our county. No one organisation or agency can meet this growing demand singularly, but together we can be there for everyone needing to access support.

Wiltshire Mind is an independent charity. We provide counselling and also offer peer support groups in the main towns countywide. Our services are lifelines to many, and offer a safe and confidential space to talk and share experiences.

 “Counselling has helped me realise that I am worthy, strong and deserve the same love, care and respect that I give others”. (Recent quote from an adult service user)

Sadly, the cost of providing services is increasing, yet the funding available for charities like our is in decline. We are facing an uncertain future if we cannot raise the funds to continue our work locally.

Government health and social care budgets prevent charities like ours being funded properly, and so the waiting list for support increases, and less people get the help they need.

We need to raise £465 a day.

Help us please if you can.

A £10 donation helps provide art materials for example for use in therapeutic support.

A £30 donation will fund an adult counselling session.

A £45 donation will fund a children or young person’s counselling session

A £75 donation will fund one of our peer support group meetings locally.

Your donation makes a huge difference to those needing support locally.

Our services are available to anyone living in Wiltshire, and you can find out more at www.wiltshiremind.co.uk

To make a donation now, please visit our Just Giving Page. Thank you.

If you, your friends or colleagues would like to help us fundraise, contact us today by email: fundraising@wiltshiremind.co.uk

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