Need To Talk

Recent mental health scoping research has clearly shown that post pandemic accessibility and access to local mental health services is a major issue in the Forest of Dean.

Services are stretched to capacity and are often unavailable to access in a reasonable timeframe unless privately funded. We are working with the local community, social prescribers, and GP surgeries where, through collaboration we are forming a unique service to people who have become isolated and or lack mental health support. Overcoming a trilogy of barriers, financial, service accessibility and rural isolation preventing those in most need from accessing the support they need. Our project aims to work to help and support those struggling with the mental health and financial crises that is emerging from the ending of the pandemic.

Need to Talk is an innovative new pilot project supporting social housing tenants in six isolated rural villages in the Forest of Dean, Yorkley, Pillowell, Oldcroft, Viney Hill, Parkend and Whitecroft. Providing access to free confidential therapeutic counselling. This will be available via phone, video or in person, as when considering the very poor public transport links in these more rural areas, it is expected that the use of telepresence will considerably reduce the reliance on these links.

An experienced community connector will provide the additional wellbeing support and community inclusion necessary to address the social component that commonly occurs with early presentation of mental health challenges. The community connector will help with individual and community engagement to strengthen and empower existing communities, to enable and establish new inclusive activities in these communities. Reducing social isolation and improving people’s feelings of wellbeing and belonging.

We offer counsellors in training voluntary hours to become qualified, and we provide the required qualified supervision in this role. This is a pilot project, Two Rivers Housing have provided some post covid support to help pay the professional supervision and administration costs. This model provides an excellent, high quality and low cost, but most of all timely response to the developing post pandemic mental health crisis in the rural communities most affected by the recent added pressures from; the cost-of-living crisis, fuel costs and lack of supporting provision.

What is unique to this pilot, when the initial triage takes place, as well as the usual two psychological diagnostics, a social diagnostic is also completed. This component is a major part of the service and will inform the community connectors role, all three diagnostic tools will also be completed at the end of the treatment phase, and this will contribute to the evidence-based results, outcomes, and evaluations to understand the efficacy of the work we are doing. This reporting will also be used to provide feedback to the participating social prescribers and GP surgeries to assist with informed, ongoing and future support for participants.

Wye Dean Wellbeing

Need To Talk

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