MhIST, the Mental Health Independent Support Team, provides a friendly, safe and confidential service to support and voice the interests of mental health service and their carers.
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Services Offered
Talking Therapies
Many of us experience times in our lives when we feel under pressure and find it hard to cope, either as a person who experiences mental health problems or as a carer.
Sometimes we need the support and understanding of someone who can offer another perspective, helping us to get a fresh insight, and clearer view.
Talking Therapies are essentially a lively human and personal experience, because of this Talking Therapies are not always an easy process and can entail delving below the surface and talking about things that you may not be comfortable with and may never have spoken about.
It is however this process of self disclosure that may help you move toward greater personal awareness and growth and to move towards finding more effective ways of coping with life.
Talking Therapies, is not about solving problems for you, or about giving advice.
Talking Therapies can help you clarify your thoughts and your feelings so that you can arrive at your own decisions.
The MhIST Service can be accessed via the single point of access, ask for the 1point service. Mental Health Advocacy for Older People.
Advocacy is equally valuable for people suffering from dementia as it is for those with other mental health issues. We can be there to support anyone who has mental health issues, from depression, to schizophrenia and dementia. All older people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and to have their concerns addressed. Older people living in residential nursing homes or hospitals have the same rights as those who live in the community and sometimes you need someone there to help you make your voice heard. An advocate from MhIST may be able to help.
A MhIST advocate may be able to explore the options open to you; attend appointments with you such as Mental Health Review
Tribunals, Reviews, Ward Rounds, and assist you in making your wishes and opinions heard.
Art Therapy
Art therapy (also known as arts therapy) is a creative method of expression used as a therapeutic technique. Art therapy originated in the fields of art and psychotherapy and may vary in definition.
Art therapy may focus on the creative art-making process itself, as therapy, or on the analysis of expression gained through an exchange of patient and therapist interaction. The psychoanalytic approach was one of the earliest forms of art psychotherapy. This approach employs the transference process between the therapist and the client who makes art. The therapist interprets the client's symbolic self-expression as communicated in the art and elicits interpretations from the client. Analysis of transference is no longer always a component.
Current art therapy includes a vast number of other approaches such as person-centered, cognitive, behavior, Gestalt, narrative, Adlerian, and family. The tenets of art therapy involve humanism, creativity, reconciling emotional conflicts, fostering self-awareness, and personal growth.
Fees and Payment
This is a registered charity
Our services and groups are free to use, but you do need an appointment if you want to use our advocacy or counselling services.
Services Offered To: Adults Couples Teens Children
Payment: Sliding Scale 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.