MENTAL HEALTH FEATURE
therapy colleagues to develop a rota of staff to support me in the monthly cafés . Jointly , we used many of the resources from Recovery Through Activity , as well as recovery focused activities and psychoeducation .
Some activities we have used in the group have included a gratitude journal , spiritual journey cards , sleep hygiene information and activities surrounding diet and exercise . We have also undertaken some craft and mindful colouring , and at other times simply talked and shared positives from our week .
The ethos of the café was always meant to be about ‘ recovery ’ and so I was keen to let it be service user led , as they are the experts on themselves . I often offered an activity suggestion , but let the group take the lead and decide whether they wanted to do that or spend time catching up and chatting .
The benefits of having a qualified member of staff , as well as support workers and students , meant that one-to-one sessions could be offered if requested by an attendee , or if staff noticed that someone was distressed or not their usual self .
This meant that swift action could be taken to prevent deterioration in mental health , which may not have been recognised if the person was not due to be seen at home .
Following the creation of the drop in café , we had a regular attendee list of around 10 to 12 current and past service users .
Feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive and suggests that the benefit of attending the café has impacted upon their everyday lives : ‘ Having these discussions has given me a lot more confidence and helpful in getting me to think more positively ’; ‘ The cafe as a whole is very valuable , helping me to integrate back into normal life ’.
One attendee , who had recently been discharged from the service following a vast improvement in his mental health , had expressed an interest in volunteering during his attendance at the Recovery Through Activity group .
His attempts to do this in his local community had been largely unsuccessful , so I suggested that we look into the trust ’ s involvement peer process as a method of co-production . He was extremely interested in this and so completed the relevant paperwork to become an involvement peer / co-facilitator in the Recovery Café .
Unfortunately , he had not started this role prior to the COVID-19 pandemic beginning , but plans to do so in the future , as he felt attending the café was fundamental in his recovery from mental ill health , and he wanted to share his experiences and provide ongoing support to others .
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The ethos of the café was always meant to be about ‘ recovery ’ and so I was keen to let it be service user led , as they are the experts on themselves .
During the pandemic , the Recovery Café has not been able to meet face-to-face , however the resource has been transferred to supporting regular wellbeing calls to attendees and they all hope to return once restrictions are lifted . In order to prevent dependence upon the service , and to focus more upon supporting attendees to form longterm community networks , I have already started liaising with mental health charities and local community groups to either provide a follow-on group in the community or to move the café into a community setting , with joint community responsibility . Hopefully , in the future we will have a clear pathway for functional patients who want to continue building upon their recovery postsecondary mental health service involvement .
References
Bejerholm U ( 2010 ) Occupational balance in people with schizophrenia , Occupational Therapy in Mental Health , 26 ( 1 ): 1-17
Shimitras L , Fossey E and Harvey C ( 2003 ). Time use of people living with schizophrenia in a North London catchment area , British Journal of Occupational Therapy , 66 ( 2 ): 46-54
Parkinson S ( 2014 ) Recovery through activity : increasing participation in everyday life . Routledge : Oxon
Stephanie Foster , specialist occupational therapist , Mental Health Services for Older People , Tees , Esk and Wear Valley ’ s NHS Foundation Trust . Email :
Stephanie . foster2 @ nhs . net
OTnews December 2021 33