I’M STRUGGLING A BIT

The Reading Well Programme helps people to understand and manage their mental health. The books (some of which are available in Cymraeg) provide useful information on mental health and dementia, and have been recommended by mental health professionals. The books are available at your local library, even if you are not a member.

Working with Powys Teaching Health Board, WAST has now put in place rapid access to the online Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) platform SilverCloud. This is an evidence-based programme that is likely to help with anxiety, depression, stress and other issues including sleep problems, grief and relationships. You will receive fortnightly reviews which will be scheduled with your Online CBT Coordinator to support you through the programme.

The guided time frame for completion is 12 weeks, but you will have access to the platform for a total of 12 months from the date of registration. One of the main benefits of this programme is that you can dip in and out as much or as little as you feel is suitable. The programme is very easy to use, and the use of interactive tools makes your experience interesting and motivational.

To access the platform, all you need to do is complete the registration form here, and send it on to the email address included on the form. You’ll will receive an email with your login details and can then start to use the platform.

You can also access online CBT via occupational health if you wish to.

For more information, click here

Complete the registration form here

Your mental health matters. We at Mind believe that anyone who is experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems should be able to get the help and support they need, when they need it. That’s why Mind are working with GPs, Local Health Boards, and the local Mind network to roll out Active Monitoring, their early intervention service, across Wales.

A Local Primary Mental Health Support Service is in place in each and every part of Wales. This is generally not part of the specialist mental health services in your area and is focused on helping people with common mental health problems like anxiety and depression. They will often offer face to face support and groups, though all services offer things designed for their local populations. Some examples are set out below:

Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan – http://www.stepiau.org/

Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire – http://www.iawn.wales.nhs.uk/home

Swansea Bay – http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/863/page/47545

Search online or contact your GP surgery for more information about how to access local primary mental health support services

Available Mon- Fri (excluding Bank holidays)

In house Occupational health remit undertaken in order to support both employees and managers when work might be affecting health. Mangers are able to refer to OH with employee consent and also employees can self-refer to OH.

Your Wellbeing Team can provide tailored and specialised, evidence-based information and support to meet your individual needs.  This can include signposting to resources and services for both mental and physical health, including physiotherapy service.

Your Wellbeing Team are available Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm.  No referral necessary, just pick up the phone or send us an email.  Wellbeing is strictly confidential.

Email:  Wellbeing.Support.Service@wales.nhs.uk

Call:  0300 321 4700

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommend trauma focused cognitive behaviour therapy or EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). An all-Wales traumatic stress service is currently under development, but services are available through the NHS at some locations. Please ask your GP for information about this. A list of CBT practitioners across the UK can be found in the link.

TASC can fund psychological support for any ambulance staff struggling with stress-related illness or struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Currently, TASC can also arrange residential psychological well-being support via The Police Treatment Centres.  This support provides access to various wellbeing therapies with opportunity for a few individual sessions with a counsellor.

For those who require more intensive counselling, TASC has commissioned ‘Rewind Treatment’ from the Red Poppy Company, a model of counselling support for those affected by trauma of any kind. You will be allocated a counsellor near-by so that you do not have to travel far or stay away from home to receive this treatment.

To access a 24/7 Ambulance Staff Crisis Line – Call 0300 373 0898

The Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) Programme is a peer support system designed to identify those at risk of developing a psychological illness as a result of a traumatic event.

TRiM Practitioners have undergone training to allow them to understand the effects that traumatic events can have upon people.

They’re not counsellors or therapists but are there to listen, offer practical advice and signpost to specialist support.

TRiM can be used 48-72 hours after a distressing incident, and participation is completely voluntary.

Email Trauma.Incident@wales.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 9211 for a referral form.

Together with 20 local Mind associations in Wales MIND Cymru is committed to improving mental health in this country. Your local MIND will have loads of useful information about local services and supports in your area.

Deaths at work, or in your personal life

9.00-17.00 Monday and Friday, 09.00-20.00 Tuesday to Thursday (except Bank Holidays).

The Cruse Bereavement Care Freephone National Helpline is staffed by trained bereavement volunteers, who offer emotional support to anyone affected by bereavement.

Witnessing death can make it hard to switch off, even when the shift is over. Emergency services staff are likely to be confronted with loss more regularly than many other professions and it’s not uncommon for these experiences to take a toll on mental and emotional wellbeing. That’s why ‘You Behind the Uniform’ is offering self-care and confidential support designed around your needs.

List of resources that can help you

Support for those affected by sudden death in young people

When a family loses a child or young adult the effects are devastating for all who knew and loved them.

Our mission is to ensure that all those affected by the sudden and traumatic death of a child or young adult aged 25 or under throughout Wales receive the bereavement support they deserve.

Men’s Sheds are community spaces for men to connect, converse and create. The activities are often similar to those of garden sheds, but for groups of men to enjoy together. They help reduce loneliness and isolation, but most importantly, they’re fun. There are lots of Men’s Sheds in Wales, to find one click here:

Here you can find details of all officially accredited CBT Therapists. All the practitioners listed here are accredited members of either the British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP), which is the lead organisation for CBT in the UK and Ireland, or the Association for Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (AREBT).

Woody’s focuses on support for WAST staff who are leaving the organisation or have already left (as well as armed forces veterans). The can offer expert advice and support on housing, benefits, NHS referrals, as well as socialising and family days

There are two lodges in Wales, one in Barry and the other in Colwyn Bay. To find out more about them, visit their website

The Hub of Hope is a first of its kind, national mental health database which brings together organisations and charities, large and small, from across the country who offer mental health advice and support, together in one place.

A resource for people bereaved by suicide and other sudden, traumatic death in England and Wales.

SOBS seeks to meet the needs and overcome the isolation experienced by people over 18 who have been bereaved by suicide.

Self-help guides available in both English and Welsh, including a guided programme on Activate your Life and Support Plus from Aneurin Bevan University Health Board

MoneyHelper is here to help, so you can move on with life. They provide clear money and pension guidance online and over the phone. They can also point you to trusted services, if you need more support. Money help all in one place, that’s free to use.

Everyday money – Savings – Work & benefits – Homes – Money troubles – Family & care – Pensions & retirement

The Arts Council of Wales has developed a new website that aims to use the restorative power of the arts to support the wellbeing of healthcare workers in Wales.

The Cultural Cwtsh is full of creative ideas and fun activities and is designed  to lift spirits and boost the wellbeing of staff working across the NHS and the Social Care sectors in Wales.

Through short, accessible videos, in Welsh and English, professional artists from across Wales bring alive a whole range of different creative activities that include craft, painting, writing, drawing, dancing, singing, film and photography.

Click here for a short video introduction: Cwtsh Creadigol | Cultural Cwtsh – YouTube

Canopi is a free, confidential service providing access to mental health and wellbeing support to social care and NHS staff in Wales.

Support can be provided for conditions such as feeling overwhelmed and distressed, anxiety and depression & post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Through Canopi you can access:

Self-help – Guided self-help – Peer support – Virtual face-to-face consultations – Alcohol support service

Visit the web site or call:  0800 058 2738

We want you and your community to be able to live life to the full. That’s why finding ways to prevent mental health problems is at the heart of what we do.