• May 03, 2017

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• By aissagallie

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Mental Health has a high profile in the media currently and we are fast approaching Mental Health Awareness Week (8th May). Across Foundation teams are working with their customers to tackle stress and build in coping mechanisms.

Progress group – Harrogate

One of the activities at this week’s drop-in was to show customers how to make stress balls using a range of basic ingredients.  The aim of the practical session was to encourage the group (8 in total) to describe what stress meant to them and how it made them feel. Everyone present was able to talk openly on the topic and people provided very different examples.  The aim of the group was also to encourage positive discussion and group interaction, team building and respect for each other, all of which was observed during today’s group. The customers appeared to have enjoyed today’s practical session of how to make stress balls despite a couple of disasters with the ingredients!  Today’s group was also about raising awareness of stress and Mental Health Awareness Week commencing on 8-14 May where some of today’s group will be attending an Anxiety Self-Help group.

Poplar Villa

A student Social Worker at Poplar Villa put together a Coping Mechanisms workshop for customers. The workshop aimed to help customers build a toolbox – a place where they can put in an objects that represented for them the following ways to seek help in times of stress:

• Exercise
• Seeking professional help
• Positive thinking and constructive self-talk
• Humour
• Focus on solving the problem
• Relaxation
• Spiritual Support

The workshop was thoroughly enjoyed by those that took part and many open conversations were shared. the student wrote up the workshop exercise and shared it with others at Foundation as an example activity for Mental Health Awareness Week.