What We Offer

We offer mental health, wellbeing and recovery services to those needing support in County Durham. The type of support available will include the following:

The Durham Mental Wellbeing Alliance services are unable to support with Medication reviews, Secondary Services, Occupational health, Crisis support, emergency housing, domiciliary care needs, support needs requiring interventions from a social care provider or transport. We can offer advice/signposting where possible.

Services provide support around low level/low need mental health and wellbeing and are not mental health professionals.

Supported Accommodation

Supporting people to reach their full potential and take control over their own lives to enable them in their recovery, lessening the impact of mental health issues to live independently.

Physical Activities

Promoting health and wellbeing through participation in physical activity. This can be walking, gardening, swimming and bike riding. All activities are devised in coproduction with our service users.

Support with Employment

Employment support to enable retention of employment for people struggling with their mental health, support to look into volunteering opportunities and finding vocational training, delivered on a 1-1 basis or in small groups.

Befriending

One-to-one and peer support to reduce isolation and support links to activities within the community. To increase confidence and build self-esteem. This is recovery focused goals to help individuals become independent, this would not be a check in service, it is a more practical approach to reaching recovery goals that is provided by a volunteer who has lived experiences. – Please note this is currently closed to new referrals due to capacity and wait times.

Vocational & Educational Activities

Training and Educational Programmes: A variety of courses provided in community venues or provider subcontractor buildings. Courses range from leisure, vocational, credited and non-accredited.

Mental Health Hospital Discharge Service

To reduce hospital readmission whilst enabling tenancy sustainment alongside good mental health, this service is available to all patients who have a housing related support need and are an inpatient on the Acute Mental Health wards in County Durham. Referrals taken direct by the team working in the hospitals, if an individual presents in West Park, UHND and Lanchester road with support needs, they would pick this up.

Suicide Postvention Support

Person centred, practical and emotional one-to-one support for those bereaved or affected by suicide (face to face in community venues and home visits/ virtual, dependent on needs).

Peer Support

Group based support services for service users, using their own experiences to help each other.

Drop-in Service

Group support offered across County Durham in a variety of local community venues or provider buildings. Groups offer courses and activities that reduce social isolation, promote wellbeing and encourage participation.

Relationship Support

Counselling for adult relationships (couples), adult individual Service Users, families, children, and young people. Support including but not limited to, Psychosexual Therapy Reducing Parental Conflict interventions, Mentalisation, Parenting When Separated.

Bereavement

Bereavement support via specialist trained bereavement volunteers. The Service includes, but is not limited to advice, support, information and leaflets as well as telephone/zoom support, face-to-face support (where possible) and drop in dependent on Service User’s needs.

Women Only Activities

Welcoming safe space to learn, socialise and gain confidence. Courses, support and wellbeing services both online and from a women-only centre.

Floating support (in the community)

Floating Support: Providing structured and outcome focused support, with person centred goals developed with each individual on a one-to-one basis. Including help to manage mental health conditions and develop techniques to support recovery, and support to attend appointments. Providing guidance and emotional support, promoting confidence and improved self-esteem.


Groups and activities

Health & wellbeing activities

We run a wide range of activities such as woodwork, joinery, arts and crafts, and gardening in social group environments that provide people with a space to be around others who might understand what they’re going through, while learning a wide range of new skills.

Lost someone to suicide?

This service is provided by professionals who have personal experience with suicide, offering a safe environment in which to discuss your bereavement. We can’t take away pain, anger or sorrow. However, we can share our own experiences of losing a loved one to suicide.

Music Session

Our music groups offer the opportunity to play music with other people, make new friends and learn from scratch how to play an instrument.

What is co-production?

Co-production is an equal relationship between people who use the services and the people responsible for the services.