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Gloucestershire Wellbeing Helpline

 

 

About

The Gloucestershire Wellbeing Helpline are pleased to launch a new Wellbeing Helpline to support adults living in Gloucestershire who are experiencing mild to moderate wellbeing difficulties, such as anxiety, low mood or depression, including support for self-harm. We can also provide support and information to friends, family, carers and professionals.

The new Helpline provides anonymous and confidential person-centred wellbeing support through telephone, text or webchat. tThe team will listen to you and help you navigate the most useful support for you at that time – whether this be emotional and or practical support. The team can access a wide variety of online self-care tools and resources, which they can explore with you and if appropriate, signpost you to other sources of support both nationally and within Gloucestershire.The Helpline is available 365 days a year between the hours of 2 pm and 9 pm.

We are also launching a dedicated Gloucestershire-based Clic online peer support forum to support adults with their mental health.  Whether you have questions about mental health or want to share tips and advice, you are able to access this free online, fully moderated peer support forum 24 hours.


For more details about the service,please email us via gloucestershirewellbeing@rethink.org

The Gloucestershire Wellbeing Helpline provides a safe, supportive, non-judgemental and informative space for people who self harm, their friends, families and carers. The service can also provide information to professionals who learn more on the topic of about self harm.

 

Peer Support Online

Clic is a safe online community to support everyone with their mental health. Share your thoughts and experiences and get mutual support from others who understand.

Clic is for everyone over the age of 18 who needs it. It is open 24/7 and has already helped thousands of people feel less isolated, whilst signposting them to mental health information and local support. Clic provides a platform for mutual support so that everyone can chat and connect peer-to-peer online and thrive.

Whether you’re looking for information about mental health, support to manage your symptoms, or contact information for local services, you can find useful links and resources once logged into Clic. You can also access a mood tracker – helping you to identify, understand and manage your moods.

Click here to visit Clic

 

Factsheets & Resources

Anxiety
We all have feelings of anxiety, worry and fear sometimes. These can be normal responses to certain situations. For example, you might worry about a job interview or paying a bill on time. But if you have an anxiety disorder, these feelings of fear and danger can be ongoing and interrupt your daily routine long after the threat has gone. They can make you feel as though things are worse than they actually are. Read more on Rethink.org

Depression
Depression is a long-lasting low-mood disorder. Depression is when you feel persistently sad for weeks or months rather than just a few days. It affects your ability to do everyday things, feel pleasure or take an interest in activities.  Read more on Rethink.org

Self-Harm
Self-harm is intentionally harming yourself, such as by scratching, cutting, overdosing on medication, biting or burning. Self-harm isn’t a mental illness, but it is often linked to mental distress. You may self-harm because you find it difficult to cope with your moods or how you feel. Everyone has their own reasons for self-harming. Read more on Rethink.org

The service has developed a coping strategies booklet that offers support, guidance and ideas on different ways of managing your self harming urges. 

Physical activity and mental health
Getting enough exercise and being active can be important for both your mental and physical health. Some medications might make you feel more tired. But moderate exercise can help to improve your mood and general wellbeing and help you to feel better about yourself. Read more on Rethink.org

Stress 
Stress is the feeling of being under too much mental or emotional pressure. When you are stressed, your body releases stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. A small amount of stress can be useful. It can motivate you to take action and get tasks completed. It can also make you feel alive and excited. But too much stress can cause negative effects such as a change in your mood, your body and relationship issues. 

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
It is common for changing seasons, weather and temperatures to affect people’s comfort, mood, energy levels, sleeping patterns and appetite. If you experience a prolonged period of low mood returning at the same time of year, that is impacting on your daily life, then you might have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).  Read more on Mentalhealth-uk.org

Alcohol and our wellbeing
Alcohol is a depressant, meaning it slows down neural activity. It can interfere with our mood, thoughts and behaviour. There are close links between alcohol and mental health, including the use of alcohol to mask or reduce symptoms of mental-ill health, which can lead to dependency and cause further mental health problems. Understanding our relationship with alcohol can help us to monitor how it effects our mental health. Read more on Mentalhealth-uk.org

Body image and mental health
The term ‘body image’ relates to how we think or feel about our bodies. Many of us will experience a negative feeling towards our body at some point in our lives, and these prolonged feelings can cause symptoms of anxiety, depression and eating disorders. Read more on Mentalhealth-uk.org

Sleep and mental health
Problems with sleep can affect how you feel physically and mentally, and how you feel can also affect how you sleep. Find out how a lack of sleep can affect your mental health, and what you can do to improve it. Read more on Mentalhealth-uk.org

For more resources, please see the full list of advice topics on the Rethink Mental Illness website or the Mental Health UK website.

 

Training 

Gloucestershire Self Harm also deliver workshops on self harm awareness, aimed at professionals, family, friends and service users. They work with a range of agencies and partners to reduce the stigma and discrimination faced by those affected by self harm in Gloucestershire.

Email glosselfharm@rethink.org to find out more.

 

Gloucestershire Suicide Prevention Partnership (GSPP) also offers training to help people in the county to identify when someone is having suicidal thoughts or showing suicidal behaviour, to help them to speak out in a supportive way, and to feel able to point the person towards to the correct services or support. Their Zero Suicide Alliance online training course for anyone who wants to know more about how they can help someone who is suicidal. This takes around 20 minutes to complete and is completely free of charge. 

The training covers how to help a stranger, a co-worker or a loved one and is also provided in British Sign Language.

Access the ‘Suicide Lets Talk’ course here.  

 

  

Rethink Mental Illness 

Gloucestershire Self Harm Helpline is a partnership between Rethink Mental Illness and Gloucestershire County Council. Rethink Mental Illness is a registered charity in the UK. 
 

Visit the Gloucestershire Wellbeing Helpline website

Visit the Rethink Mental Illness site

Download a service flyer  

Download the Rethink Flyer

Download a printable contact card

 

 

Gloucestershire Support After Suicide Service 

A new NHS funded support service has been launched for over-18s bereaved by suicide.
 
The support offered to adults bereaved by suicide includes:
  • 1:1 emotional and practical support beginning with six personalised weekly sessions with a Suicide Bereavement Worker, followed by six fortnightly sessions, and an option to extend if needed; 

  • Practical support including help to navigate processes such as talking to police, funeral arrangements, Coroner's Court and inquests, responding to media and support to talk to employers;

  • Bereavement counselling with volunteer counsellors, beginning with six to eight weekly sessions;

  • Face to face and virtual bereavement peer support groups facilitated by a Suicide Bereavement Worker and a volunteer with lived experience of suicide. These will help people build connections, tackle the isolation they may be feeling and get support from others with similar experiences;

  • Signposting and referral to other bereavement services as appropriate.

 
All support is delivered through a mixture of face to face, virtual channels, phone, email and text to suit the individual’s needs.

 

Visit the website

Dowload the Support After Suicide poster

Download the Support After Suicide leaflet

Contact:  glossupportaftersuicide@rethink.org



Tagged under: suicide, helplines, support, services, rethink, mental illness

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