On Monday 8th June, a BME Talkshop event was held at Touchstone House, organised by the West Yorkshire – Finding Independence (WY-FI). Poster Showing a ‘Perfect Service’ The West Yorkshire - Finding Independence (WY-FI) project is one of the 12 Big Lottery funded Fulfilling lives projects working with people with entrenched multiple and complex needs to engage and access appropriate services to achieve full recovery and independence. WY-FI has
The following case study, written by Morteza H, outlines the collaborative nature of the work taking place at Touchstone IAPT. Working with other organisations, and with the client, to provide a package of care tailored to their individual circumstances. Client name has been changed for confidentiality. X is a refugee originally from Pakistan. X had been subjected to physical violence from her previous partner for a long time, which eventually led her to flee
We can all feel down and fed up from time to time, which is a normal part of life. However when this gets too much, and we notice we are falling into the trap of dwelling and worrying, it can be useful to use certain coping strategies to help pick us back up! So what types of things may work? Let others help you When things get stressful,
Volunteers' Week (1st-7th June) is a celebration of the work that volunteers do and an encouragement to more of us to volunteer. Touchstone has a strong base of volunteers involved in our work and we offer support and training to make the volunteering experience as productive and enjoyable as possible. To celebrate Volunteers' Week, we're publishing stories of past and present volunteers. By SB Touchstone Volunteer I was at a
Another story for Volunteers' Week - this time from Amina, who went from volunteering with Touchstone to getting a job with Touchstone's Peer-Led Brokerage Service. You do not hear many people say this, but I am truly blessed as I love my job and the organisation I work within. Volunteering has enabled me to reach this point and I would like to share my experience with others to give hope. This
Volunteers' Week celebrates the work of volunteers across the country. To mark it, we're publishing the stories of some of our great volunteers past and present, starting with Nafeesa who volunteers with The Kirklees Advocacy Service and Peer-Led Brokerage Service. After working in the retail sector for 13 years. I felt the need for a new challenge. In 2011 I took on a voluntary role as a befriender in a women's
Ever wondered about the work being completed by our High Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapists here at IAPT? Or the great achievements and milestones reached by our service users? Well wait no longer, here we have a case study of one, of the many, such success stories from a member of our IAPT team Debbie and a very determined service user. Sally (name changed to maintain client anonymity), a young
‘Hamari Yaadain’ café members with ‘The Dearanged Marriage’ play cast at West Yorkshire Playhouse. This week is Dementia Awareness Week. In the last few years, there has been significant progress in terms of raising awareness, a crucial step towards tackling stigma around dementia. And according to Alzheimer’s Society, there are approximately 800,000 people living with dementia in the UK. 25,000 of these people are from BAME (Black, Asian
I originally wrote this blog in November 2014, 5 months after my dad had died. I was shocked at the level of despair I was experiencing and so felt unable to share my thoughts at that time. Now, on the eve of the anniversary of my dad’s death and to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week, I have decided to release this blog to help others who are feeling as I
Part of the service offered by Kirklees Advocacy Service is to support people who are detained in hospital because of their mental health to get clear answers about their treatment and to have their own opinions and concerns heard and acknowledged. Even for those with considerable confidence, the unfamiliar environment and routines of a hospital can be unsettling and patients may well need some additional support. Ward rounds are regular