Blog

Touchstone's involvement in the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act

The review was set up to look at how the legislation in the Mental Health Act 1983 is used and how practice can improve. The purpose of the review is to understand the reasons for: rising rates of detention under the Act the disproportionate number of people from black and minority ethnic groups detained under the Act processes that are out of step with a modern mental health care system

2018-09-13T16:13:31+01:0013th September 2018|Blog|

World Mindfulness Day and Eating Raisins

Ok, so you’re reading a blog about mindfulness, maybe you already have an app or two on your phone for mindfulness and maybe you are already using mindfulness on a regular basis. Or maybe not, you could be a complete beginner and wondering what all the fuss is about. Either way, there are loads of mindfulness activities and exercises out there to try so whether you are a seasoned mindfulness

2020-04-17T10:58:59+01:0012th September 2018|Blog, Stress|

My experience working with Hamari Yaadain Dementia Cafe

As my time working for Touchstone comes to an end, I have been reflecting on my experience here and the things I have learnt. When I first started here last year, I had just finished university and this was my first paid experience working in a charity organisation. I remember being nervous and excited about all the aspects of my new job, but I was particularly wondering how I might

2020-04-17T10:58:57+01:0031st August 2018|Blog, Dementia|

Hamari Yaadain Dementia Café Health and Wellbeing Workshops with Phoenix

In April this year Touchstone BME Dementia Service partnered with Phoenix Health and Wellbeing to provide a year of massage therapy sessions for our Dementia Café members. Once a month, we have two therapists from Phoenix join us for an hour at the Café, and they provide a variety of different workshops for our group. Phoenix’s Health and Wellbeing sessions at our Dementia Café have been absolutely brilliant and the

2020-04-17T10:58:49+01:0015th August 2018|Blog, Dementia|

Depression Recovery Class – new dates for September!

Learn skills to protect from and overcome depression with a unique Islamic perspective! Our latest Depression Recovery Class is a free 6 week course which starts on Monday 17th September at Leeds Grand Mosque from 5.15-7.15pm. On the course you can learn to: Look after and improve your well-being Understand the common signs of low mood including common thoughts and feelings Learn techniques to improve how you feel Manage and

2019-12-17T12:21:53+00:006th August 2018|Blog, CBT, Events|

International Forgiveness Day: 5th August

When I think about forgiveness, I automatically think about it in terms of something you do to someone else. It is an idea that is closely entwined with compassion and kindness and is an active decision to let go of the anger you hold towards someone for something you believe they have done wrong. The ‘Unforgiveness Hook’ metaphor by Stephen Hayes is a great illustration of forgiving others and proposes

2018-08-05T08:00:29+01:005th August 2018|Blog, CBT|

Interwoven Histories – Animation and poetry workshops with Leeds Irish CHIME Group

As part of our Celebrating Age ‘Interwoven Histories’ project, Pavilion and Touchstone's BME Dementia Service partnered with Leeds Irish Health and Homes’ CHIME Art Group to deliver a three part workshop focusing on the groups ‘first impressions’ of Leeds when many of them migrated to England from Ireland. Prior to the workshops, Teresa who runs the CHIME group had encouraged everyone to write about, draw and collect photos and objects

2020-04-17T10:58:41+01:0025th July 2018|Art, Blog, Celebrating Age, Dementia, Partnership|

Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside!

Hamari Yaadain Dementia Café visited Hornsea for a day of relaxation, delicious food and time to enjoy the beach. We arrived just before lunchtime and stopped at a little café, where we shared food prepared by some of our group members. A feast of samosas, chapattis, curry and an array of homemade chutneys! Members of the group shared their homemade recipes and discussed different ways of cooking from their varied

2020-04-17T10:58:53+01:0025th July 2018|Blog, Dementia|

Malala Day

Malala Yousafzai turned 21 on the 12th of July.   A few months ago I popped into my local library at the Reginald Centre and walked out with a copy of a now 5-year-old book: “I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban”.   You may have read it yourself – a vibrant story of a father and his daughter and their

2018-07-17T13:26:50+01:0017th July 2018|Blog|

Leeds IAPT Diversity Audit Findings

Dear colleagues Some of you  are aware that over the past 6 -8 months, I have been working alongside Richard, Steve, Arfan and our consortium partners to audit and review the workforce diversity profile of Leeds IAPT. This piece of work is now complete and I’d like to share some of our findings with you. You might be wondering, why you? Well, from a personal perspective I had always been

2019-12-17T12:22:43+00:0017th July 2018|Blog, Diversity, Equality and Diversity|