Boosting mood through reading
On 10 October we joined in the global celebration of World Mental Health Day. The day is all about getting people talking about mental health and raising awareness of the support on offer.
We thought this would be a great opportunity to talk about some of the exciting new projects our staff are working on to help local people recovering from mental ill health.
Recovery through reading
One such team is the Calderdale improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT) team.
Working in communities across the Calderdale area the IAPT team provide a range of support for people with problems such as depression, anxiety or phobias. To help support the recovery process the team teach vital self-help techniques and offer support sessions to help people cope – one of the most successful has been the stress control course.
Held in venues across the Calderdale area, sessions provide a supportive environment to learn about stress and how to take control of it. The stress control course has also formed an important part of the launch of HOPE – the Calderdale Recovery College.
“I am much happier than I have been for some time” Service user
“I’m really pleased I took the big leap to go on the course. It gave me a lot to think about and some invaluable tools to use when things start to get hard going. It was a big positive!” Service user
“The course was very enlightening and I didn’t think anything so simple could be so effective. I did find the course thought provoking, highly original and invaluable. It has most defiantly taught me to live in the moment. I now have the tools to keep me well, active and free from my anxiety in the future.” Service user
Some of the people attending the stress control course had been introduced to the IAPT service after attending a session run by Calderdale Libraries on using mood boosting books.
They told the IAPT team that they found the sessions really useful and that the library was a safe and comfortable place to be in.
Using this positive feedback the IAPT team are now working in collaboration with Calderdale Libraries to design a ‘recovery through reading’ group which will make use of mood boosting books. Due to launch in the New Year the course will also be available at the Calderdale Recovery College.
Lindsey Hancock is a psychological wellbeing practitioner in the team, she said, “The group has been designed with the mood boosting book scheme in mind – we want to help increase personal confidence, reduce social isolation and improve emotional and psychological wellbeing.”
“Being able to do this in the safety of a local library is such a great opportunity and we are really thankful to Calderdale Libraries for lending their support to such an important scheme.”
For more information on the recovery through reading group, or any other work being done by the Calderdale IAPT team please visit www.askforIAPT.co.ukor call 01422 222888.
Further information on courses held at HOPE – Calderdale Recovery College can be found by visiting www.calderdalerecoverycollege.co.uk.