We assist people who experience mental distress, mental illness and / or substance addiction through their choice of services towards recovery.
We offer a warm welcome and comfortable place where people are accepted and listened to.
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Services Offered
Individual Support
There are many forms of support available to you if you are struggling with a mental health or addictions issue.
People often make a start with individual support from a peer support worker. This is usually an easy relationship to start because all support workers have their own lived experience of a mental health or addictions issue. Straight away you are likely to feel less alone and better understood.
Depending on your needs talking with or meeting a peer support worker may be a just single contact or one of a series. Our focus is on helping you towards whatever your definition of living well is and often this work involves problem solving and thinking creatively.
Here are a number of ways in which this support can be provided.
*Advocacy
Advocacy is essentially helping another person to obtain something from someone in power.
We can support you to have your voice heard at appointments, inform you of your rights, and help if you want to make a complaint and many other tasks that negatively impact on recovery. They can assist you in situations including ACC, Accommodation referrals, Child Youth and Family, Counselling referrals, Employment issues, Landlords, Lawyer referrals, Medical professionals, Social Services, Tribunals, Work & Income and anyone similar whom you may need support with.
Advocates will only ever act on your issues, with your permission.
All our advocates have had personal experience of mental health services, and can assist you in a great many situations where you may be struggling to speak for yourself. The help you want may be just someone to talk to and plan with or you may need one of our advocates to accompany you to a meeting and even to speak on your behalf.
*Peer Support
For people with anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder, peer support offers a truly mutual experience.
Peer support workers who have their own experience of a particular mental health issue and so can be matched with clients who are struggling with the same issue and wanting information or support to help their recovery. Peer support is both a philosophy and a conscious practice that arises from people with their own lived experience providing support and services to others.
MHAPS works with people as individuals using a model known as Intentional Peer Support. Here the emphasis is on 'being with' and 'doing with' rather than doing for or doing to. In this way the 'power' in the relationship is shared.
Our shared experience and role modelling of recovery can assist people to regain hope in their ability to live well despite any mental health issue. Our peer support workers also use the Te Whare Tapa Wha model of wellbeing that represents a holistic approach to wellbeing and recovery. Peer support is well accepted and known to be effective.
*Youth Support Services
Finding that young people would benefit from having youthful Peer Support workers - young people with their own personal experiences of depression, anxiety and other aspects of mental distress MHAPS launched ps.Youth in February 2016.
ps.Youth is specially for teenagers and young adults who experience mental illness, mental distress and/or addictions. It has been established thanks to the generosity of the Todd Foundation, ANZ Foundation, Canterbury District Health Board and the Ministry of Social Development (Ministry of Youth Development).
MHAPS provides ps.Youth as one-to-one peer support and employs three Youth Peer Support People, who work alongside MHAPS' adult services. The programme will eventually explore the development and use of group support for young people.
If you or someone you know is interested in accessing ps.Youth please contact us for further information or phone: 366 5815 or simply pop into our offices anytime Monday to Friday from 10pm till 2:00pm.
*Addictions Advocacy and Peer Support
An addictions advocate can serve as a 'navigator' through the Alcohol and Other Drugs treatment services. We can support you to have your voice heard at appointments, inform you of your rights, and help if you want to make a complaint and many other tasks that negatively impact on recovery.
All our advocates have had personal experience with alcohol and addictions and can assist you in a great many situations where you may be struggling to speak for yourself. As people who have used alcohol and drug services, we will listen and treat you with respect.
Our service is free and confidential and we will only ever act on your issues with your permission.
Fees and Payment
At present most of our services are completely free. We do however make a small charge for Workshops for the evening Mindfulness and Breathing and Relaxation programmes.
Most of our services are funded by the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB). In addition we have grants from a range of other organisations, however donations are also increasingly vital to our being able to continue to offer a full range of services.
Services Offered To: Adults
Payment: Pro-bono
If You Call, Please Let Us Know How it Went:
Were You Able to Make an Appointment?
One quick last question. Who was seeking counseling today?
Do you know the reason they are not accepting clients?
A community counseling agency is a group therapy practice that offers affordable mental health services. Most are independent non-profit agencies, state agencies, or publicly-funded agencies. A few may restrict who is eligible for services, so it is a good idea to check when you call.
Community counseling agencies are generally more affordable than other therapy providers, but how much more affordable they are will depend on whether you qualify for a discount or sliding scale fee (or if they accept your insurance). Many, but not all, have a policy that they won't turn away anyone due to inability to pay. You should ask about their fees when you first call.
Expect to talk to kind people who want to help you find the care you need. Most community agencies strive to connect you with a live person within 24 hours, if not immediately. If you're asked to hold or leave a message, don't give up; just leave a message and wait. You should hear back pretty quickly.
Most agencies try to set up an initial assessment appointment within a week (some do within 24 hours), though the waitlist to start therapy is usually longer—about a few weeks on average. If you're not eligible or if the agency is not right for you, it's usually still worth it to call or drop in, because staff are knowledgeable about local options and can often refer you to one.
