The value of lived experience and peer support is integral to all of our work at Touchstone. Martin, a former Service User at Touchstone, has kindly shared his journey to becoming a Peer Support Worker at Touchstone below... Where to begin with this rollercoaster (in a positive way) of a journey through Touchstone? So here goes! I came through the service in 2022 with CST (Community Support Team) after
Our Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service's (LMWS) Inclusion Team have released impact reports on their last year of coproduction and peer support work. Drawing on all their work with volunteers, service users and members of the public, their reports highlight their achievements in improving mental health systems across Leeds and their vision for continuing this positive work in the upcoming year. Click the links below to find out more about
It’s been a tough year, trying to build a network of peer supporters - and encourage them to work together and share their skills - during a global pandemic where we were literally told we couldn’t meet each other! Never-the-less, a little over a year on and the Leeds Perinatal Mental Health Peer Supporter Alliance has achieved things that I’m really proud of. Soon it will be let loose on
Perinatal Mental Health Peer Supporter Alliance is a group made up of individuals and organisations. We have an interest in continuing and improving Peer Support around perinatal mental health, in Leeds, by bringing everyone together and working in partnership. Peer supporters have lived experiences, making them an invaluable source of support for all parents in the perinatal period. We want to ensure parents can find accessible, safe and consistent, peer
I would like to pass my sincere thanks on to everybody at Forward Leeds, 5ways, Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service and Touchstone. I have been trying to reduce my drinking for approximately 10 years and the last 5 years have been particularly difficult as my consumption increased and seriously affected both my mental and physical health. My first contact at Forward Leeds was with a worker that himself had had an
Best Start Peer Support Project If you are pregnant or a carer of an under 2 yr old and live in South or East Leeds, why not get involved? Improve your self-esteem, learn new skills and help others in your community. What can we offer? The Best Start Peer Support Programme is offering a free course to help people manage better when pregnant or if they are a parents/carer for a
In an ideal world, we'd all feel free to speak about our mental health, without any fear of how other people might react. But in the real world, sometimes we need encouragement and reassurance to feel safe to talk. That's a big part of what Touchstone's services provide, and it's also a big part of the reason behind Time To Talk day. Each year on 1st February, people are encouraged
To help us assess the course offered by the Best Start peer support project, we asked participants to give some comments on each week’s content. Week 1 – Dealing with Stress Because now I can recognise when my stress starts, I can practice these exercises to cool down. Useful ways to recognise my stress levels and useful resources to help clam the stress levels down. I think maybe more skills
The Best Start peer support project offers a six week course to support expectant parents and the parents or carers of children under 2 years. To help us evaluate the course and to keep improving it, we always ask participants for their feedback. Here are some recent comments: What did you think of the course content? It taught me so much about myself and my emotional wellbeing. The subjects were
What do I need to become a WY-FI Peer Mentor? To become a WY-FI Peer Mentor you must have: previous experience of volunteering or peer mentoring (supporting people) lived experience of at least two of the following: homelessness addiction to drugs, substances and/or alcohol re-offending behaviour mental ill health How do I become a WY-FI Peer Mentor? The next WY-FI peer mentor course will begin in August 2017. Closing dates