Suicide prevention Archives - Richmond Fellowship | Mental Health Charity Making Recovery Reality

International Men’s Day 2022 – Karl’s Blog

November 19, 2022/in Campaigns, Domestic Abuse, International Men's Day, Suicide prevention /by rfadmin

As part of International Men’s Day 2022, we’re shining the spotlight on some of the issues affecting men and boys and showing that a career in the charity and care sector is something men can aspire to.

Karl began receiving support from Richmond Fellowship in 2016 after being out of work for many years.

Since 2019 he’s worked as a Peer Support Coordinator at our Kirklees Employment service in Yorkshire. Karl explains how taking up learning and development opportunities has helped him get where he is today.

“With the supportive guidance of my Employment Advisor, I began the ﬁrst tentative steps in my recovery journey. I attended several courses organized by Richmond Fellowship, speciﬁcally designed to help me rebuild my conﬁdence, remain well and develop the practical skills to help me attain either voluntary or paid employment.

Witnessing the inspirational ways in which volunteers co-facilitated these groups alongside full-time members of staﬀ, led me to enquire about the voluntary opportunities available at Richmond Fellowship. After completing the application process, I began my volunteer role, which involved assisting people we support with a basic IT course. I went on to volunteer on other courses and this culminated in my enrolment on the Level 2 accredited volunteer training course, where I developed a range of new skills and improved existing ones. I found this to be an extremely rewarding and eye-opening experience.

Not long after this, my Peer Support Coordinator told me that she was going on maternity leave and, with her encouragement, I was able to draw on my newly awakened sense of self-worth and my positive experiences as a volunteer to apply for her post. Much to my surprise and excitement, I was oﬀered the job.

I have found my role as Peer Support Coordinator to be a thoroughly enjoyable, enriching, and positive experience. I look forward to going to work every day and I also have the privilege of helping other people (both people using our services and volunteers) on their own individual recovery journeys.

Without meaning to sound overly dramatic, Richmond Fellowship and the services it provides has transformed my life completely and enabled me to leave my debilitating mental health issues in the past”.

Throughout his time as Peer Support Coordinator, Karl has completed several training and development courses including Train the Trainer, Recruitment and Selection, Suicide Intervention and the Deliver and Assessing course, which will enable him to run the accredited volunteer training.

As well as taking part in many of the courses himself, Karl also continues to work hard to look at new ways of involving the people we support, through improving existing training courses and creating new ones to meet people’s individual needs and goals.

Inspired to work for us? Check out our latest vacancies on our online jobs portal today.

If you’re a man struggling with your mental health or experiencing domestic abuse, please see our need urgent help page to signpost you to the correct services.

Richmond Fellowship is a national mental health charity and we welcome donations and fundraising to help support our frontline services. Click here to fundraise or donate to us today!

International Men’s Day 2022 – John’s Blog

November 19, 2022/in Campaigns, Domestic Abuse, International Men's Day, Suicide prevention /by rfadmin

As one of the largest mental health charities in England, people we support often come to work for us themselves. Lived experience is something we’re passionate about as an organisation.

John, an Employment Advisor at our Cambridgeshire Employment service tells us about his journey from a person we support, to his current role in our charity.

“Like everyone, we all have a story to tell, something that shapes us into who we are today. My story is a long one so I will try and make this as concise as possible.

I am a 48-year-old male. I would say I first experienced mental ill health in my early to mid-teens. I can say now that I didn’t fully acknowledge my wellbeing or respect the connection to my physical health as I was growing up but that was the attitude and culture of the day at the time.

I had a pessimistic attitude. I had a breakdown in February 2012 due to work and I made the decision to leave my employment the following month. My GP referred me to Richmond Fellowship straight away and I got to speak to an Employment Advisor quickly. I was receiving support from another mental health charity at the same time.

The support I received from Richmond Fellowship was exactly what I needed. That holistic approach to my recovery was key. I was also getting conflicting advice from the other charity regarding my employment situation, and I didn’t feel that they really helped with my mental health, not the way Richmond Fellowship did.

I noticed a vacancy for an Employment Advisor, while I was accessing the service and was supported to apply for the role I am doing today.

I was now embedded in a team where there were no issues between colleagues, and everyone wanted me to succeed and took the time to help me learn my job. I quickly realised that my attitude was changing from pessimistic to optimistic.

My job is to support individuals to find work or stay in their job but imbedded in that support is advice and guidance on maintaining and improving their mental health. I get to make their recovery a reality!

There are various figures out there. Basically men are three times more likely than women to take/end their life.

As a society we are slowly moving in the right direction, getting men to open up and talk about their mental health, moving away from the macho ‘men don’t cry’ and ‘man up’ culture. Having man caves, Men’s Sheds, Andy’s Man Club and other smaller charities are an excellent opportunity for men to talk”.

Inspired to work for us? Check out our latest vacancies on our online jobs portal today.

If you’re a man struggling with your mental health or experiencing domestic abuse, please see our need urgent help page to signpost you to the correct services.

Richmond Fellowship is a national mental health charity and we welcome donations and fundraising to help support our frontline services. Click here to fundraise or donate to us today!

International Men’s Day 2022 – How we’re recognising it

November 19, 2022/in Campaigns, Domestic Abuse, International Men's Day, Suicide prevention /by rfadmin

Today is International Men’s Day.

The day looks to highlight some of the issues affecting men and boys in the UK and around the world.

This includes:

The high rate of male suicide (suicide remains the biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK)
Male victims and survivors of domestic abuse and violence (1 in 6 to 7 men experience a form of domestic abuse in their lifetime)
Highlighting positive male role models

One of the areas the day also looks to shine the spotlight on is sectors and workplaces where men can be under-represented.

At Richmond Fellowship, less than 25% of those in our workforce are men. As one of the leading mental health charities in England we’re aware of how important it is to have a diverse workforce across our organisation and we must do more to ensure we reflect society as a whole.

A career in social care or the charity sector is something men can aspire to. Across today on our social media, we’ll be sharing stories from two men, Karl and John who used Richmond Fellowship services and now work in frontline roles to inspire others on their recovery journeys.

Robert Templeton, Director of Operations at Richmond Fellowship previously worked as a social worker himself. Robert says:

“I started my career as a social worker. It is one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve done. The fact you’re able to support some of the most vulnerable in society at the most challenging points in their lives is something that always stays with me. I’d urge any man who thinks a career in the mental health sector isn’t for them to read our inspiring staff blogs from today – as you too, can really make a difference.

We are aware of the alarming rate of men taking their own lives. Suicide in men remains the biggest killer under the age of 45. This is something that must be tackled as priority in society, and we must make sure mental health services are addressing this issue head on.

As an organisation, we are also aware of the impact domestic abuse has on male survivors and we have men with lived experience of this within our staff teams and the people we support. There are dedicated charities and partners we signpost to and work with, to ensure those men most at risk receive the tailored support they need.

International Men’s Day is a great platform for us to talk about these important issues”.

Inspired to work for us? Check out our latest vacancies on our online jobs portal today.

If you’re a man struggling with your mental health or experiencing domestic abuse, please see our need urgent help page to signpost you to the correct services.

Richmond Fellowship is a national mental health charity and we welcome donations and fundraising to help support our frontline services. Click here to fundraise or donate to us today!

World Suicide Prevention Day 2022: Kennedy’s blog

October 24, 2022/in Campaigns, Crisis, Suicide prevention /by rfadmin

Richmond Fellowship runs a number of crisis houses and Havens across England to provide immediate intervention for someone who is experiencing a mental health crisis.

Our services are warm, welcoming and provide respite when people need it the most. They also support the NHS, emergency services and other providers.

For World Suicide Prevention Day 2022, Kennedy, Senior Practitioner at our Central Lancashire Haven explains what her service does in supporting people with suicidal thoughts, and the steps they put in place to help people along their recovery journeys.

What is The Central Lancashire Haven?

The Haven is a short-term mental health service based in Preston, Lancashire. We run a drop-in service that individuals can attend when they are experiencing a mental health crisis. At the Haven, we support individuals from every walk of life, whether it be for managing anxiety or dealing with intrusive thoughts. We have support available for everyone.

One of the topics of support we offer is around suicidal ideation, and how to keep safe when experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Firstly, we want you to know that you are not alone in having these thoughts. Suicidal thoughts can be confusing and scary, especially if it is the first time you are dealing with them. Often you may feel hopeless or trapped, and sometimes people feel tempted to do risky or reckless things because they may not care what happens to them. We want you to know that if you are feeling this way, we can help.

How can the Haven help me if I’m experiencing suicidal thoughts?

Firstly, as we operate a drop-in service, this means we are easily accessible to anyone needing support of any kind. We are also open 12 hours a day, every day, 365 days a year. You do not need an appointment to access the Haven. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, you can drop in, or give us a call. One of our fantastic Crisis Recovery Workers will then be there to give support and guidance.

When you come into the Haven, you will be greeted by a member of our team and will be guided into our relaxing Welcome room. In here, you will be able to sit with the Crisis Recovery Worker and tell them what is happening in your mind. You can talk about what is impacting your mental health and come up with a support plan on how to cope with suicidal thoughts.

The Haven staff will provide you with coping skills and de-escalation techniques to use when you are experiencing a crisis. We will also schedule some support with the Haven and offer an assessment with our registered Mental Health Practitioner. If it is agreed that you may benefit from further support, we will provide signposting to other relevant services.

The Haven also runs many groups, so we often encourage people to join these as we find that reducing social isolation during a crisis can often result in a positive outcome.

If you are feeling suicidal and are unsure of who you can speak to our of service hours, you can call the Samaritans on freephone 116 123 or your local Crisis Team.

Grounding technique to help distract the mind when experiencing suicidal thoughts.

The 5-4-3-2-1 technique uses the five senses to distract the mind when in a moment of crisis. Doing this technique can help ground you in the moment and allow for your mind to have some time to free itself of negative thoughts.

What are 5 things you can see? Look for small details – the more details you can identify and focus on, the longer you remain distracted.
What are 4 things you can feel? Run your finger up and down your arm, pay attention to the feeling of this. Does it tickle? Is it relaxing? What else can you feel?
What are 3 things you can hear? Pay close attention to your surroundings. Can you hear cars? Is there music playing? If so, do you like the song that is playing?
What are 2 things you can smell? Try to recognise some of the smells in the air. Do you have a favourite perfume that you can spray that holds positive memories?
What is 1 thing you can taste? Using a strong mint or some chewing gum is a great technique for this step. The strength of the mint can help you to take in a deep breathe, which opens up your airways and sends signals to the body’s relaxation system indicating that you need to relax your mind and body.

Inspired by our work? Did you know Richmond Fellowship is a national mental health charity and your donations to services really help the people using our services by providing activities to support their recovery? To donate to The Central Lancashire Haven, click here.

World Suicide Prevention Day 2022: A person we’ve supported story

October 24, 2022/in Campaigns, Crisis, Suicide prevention /by rfadmin

At Richmond Fellowship, the people we support are at the heart of everything we do.

Our services up and down England provide support to people who are experiencing mental ill health . In recent years we have pioneered the provision of crisis services, designed with and in response to the needs of the people we support.

These early intervention services support to people who are experiencing suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis.

For World Suicide Prevention Day 2022, a person we’ve supported at Willow House in Chorley explains how the coping skills they learnt at the service have helped them on their recovery journey.

“Every day I felt empty and numb. There was no emotion and I forgot how to smile. Too often I would find myself in a bottomless dark pit. Honestly, I hated my own existence.

I looked at myself and saw nothing but flaws and failure. I believed people when they told me I was fat, ugly weird. A freak. In my mind I was all of those things. Useless and a burden.

Coming here, although challenging, was the break I needed. As humans we often forget to look after ourselves. We believe that we can take on way more than we can handle but, everybody needs a break at some point.

During my time here I’ve taken social media breaks, fell back in love with old hobbies such as art, colouring and being outside. Depression took my joy and motivation to anything I ever enjoyed away from me. I’ve missed them.

I’ve learnt a lot about myself. I can meet new people, I can do the things I enjoy, I’ve thought up great distractions that I will practice probably for the rest of my life when things get dark again. For me nothing makes me feel better than sitting under a warm cosy blanket watching my favourite movie. Self-care is so important.

I now feel as though I will be capable of using these to my advantage. I don’t need to give in to the dark thoughts. I will feel OK again”.

World Suicide Prevention Day 2021

September 10, 2021/in Campaigns, Crisis, Suicide prevention /by Zoe O'Kill

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day, an important day for us to recognise at Richmond Fellowship, especially as members of the National Suicide Prevention Alliance. According to the World Health Organisation, over 1 in every 100 deaths a year is the result of suicide, and an estimated 703,000 people die by suicide every year. These saddening statistics are why this day is so important and why we work to prevent suicide, raise awareness of mental ill health, and support people on their mental health recovery journeys.

This year’s theme for World Suicide Prevention Day is ‘Creating Hope Through Action’. We want to encourage understanding and remove the stigma surrounding seeking help, as well as prompting people to reach out and support the people around them.

Lived experience is a powerful tool for helping others understand suicide and encouraging people to seek support. Today we are sharing a personal story from John, a person we supported at Oak House, one of our Crisis Services. With John’s story we hope to show that recovery is possible, even when it doesn’t always feel like it.

“My week at Oak House in Burnley has exceeded in meeting my needs. Before I came to Oak House I was 100% convinced nobody could change my mind that taking my life was my best option. How wrong I was.

I can’t remember too much about my first day due to the negative mindset I was in when I arrived, but if there had been anything negative I know I would have remembered. I’ve found all the staff and volunteers in Oak House to be very welcoming, friendly, professional and supportive. 

Each member of staff who either spoke with me in groups or on a 1-2-1 basis was very clear in explaining advice and educating me on what I needed to teach myself to maintain my own safety. The staff turnaround was on a 24 hour basis, I found this to be a fantastic working and supportive model.  Everyone has their own presentation styles and by doing the staffing in this way it meant I received a broad range of advice based on different experiences. It also made me feel valued by each and every member of staff I spoke with. 

I have past experience of being in a secure unit having been sectioned following a previous failed suicide attempt. If someone had told me that my mind could be altered from the negative state it was in, make me feel life was worth living and actually something to look forward to, in just 7 days, I’d have told you you’re mad. But that’s exactly how I feel. The only way I can describe Oak House in a nutshell is ‘Intensive Care for my brain’. 

Thanks to all the staff for their help and support and, in the nicest possible way, I hope I never have to come here again.”

We hope John’s personal story brings hope to people that recovery is possible. If you would like to start your own recovery journey, you can find out more about our range of services here, as well as support in your area here.

Our Crisis Services provide short-stay interventions for people experiencing a mental health crisis. Working in partnership with the NHS, our discreet places of sanctuary provide a calm, comfortable and welcoming space for people to get away from the negative influences in their lives and better manage their mental health.

We recently focused our social media on our Crisis Services, hearing from staff and people we support. You can check it out here.

Mental Health Awareness Week – BBC News presenter Julian Worricker blog

May 13, 2021/in Blog, Campaigns, Media, Suicide prevention /by rfadmin

For Mental Health Awareness Week 2021, journalist Julian Worricker has penned a personal blog exclusively for Richmond Fellowship about his experience of a friend’s battle with mental ill health.

Julian is a presenter on the BBC News channel, Radio 4 and the BBC World Service.

“I have a photo on the window ledge of my study, and each time I look up from my computer keyboard it catches my eye. It’s a close-up of a dear friend of mine…she’s leaning forward, chin resting on her hands, smiling broadly, as she so often did. I look at her sometimes when I’m in need of a bit of wise advice – she was always very good at wise advice – and occasionally I look at her with a hint of envy because she remains ever youthful while I’ve added lots of grey hairs and a few kilos since we were last able to meet in person. You can probably guess where this story is going.

This dear friend – Sue – took her own life in 1998; a shattering blow to her partner, her family, and to all those of us who knew her. It was a horrible culmination of acute mental health issues that she wrestled with over a number of years, and it’s why shining a brighter spotlight on mental health has always been important to me.

I’ve been very fortunate, in that my experience of fragile mental health has been mostly seen through the travails of others. Like everyone I’ve had my ups and downs, my good days and bad, but none of those come close to the challenges faced by people like Sue. Her normally bright and bubbly personality could be transformed in a matter of hours by her illness. The shutters would come down, there’d be a blankness to her facial expression, and whatever you tried by way of casual conversation was met with a look of tiredness, indifference and confusion. I didn’t understand why, but you could tell she didn’t either.

I feel sure that if she were alive today, she’d be able to look back with pride at an increasingly successful broadcasting career…and still forwards, too, to more of the same. She’d still love a bit of gossip about the workplace, she’d never lose sight of some of the dafter aspects of what we do for a living, and she’d still be thinking of others before she thought of herself.

So I hope Mental Health Awareness Week can reduce the numbers of stories like hers.

The global pandemic has tested all of us, and it’s probably raised the issue of mental health in the minds of people who’ve not had to think about it a great deal before. The timing, therefore, could be serendipitous. Let’s make the push for greater awareness count, and ensure that our decision makers live up to their promises on this crucial issue”. – Julian Worricker.

You can watch Julian’s introductory video to Mental Health Awareness Week at Richmond Fellowship here and follow our social media channels across the week for more Mental Health Awareness Week stories.

World Suicide Prevention Day – A Personal Story

September 10, 2020/in Suicide prevention /by rfadmin

This World Suicide Prevention Day we hear from a member of our Life Links staff about their recovery journey, the support they got to overcome suicidal thoughts and their work now to support others.

My experience with mental health started long before I was a volunteer at Life Links. As a child, I grew up a witness to domestic violence in the family home. My Mum was a victim of domestic violence from her partner at the time for many years and growing up I lived in a very controlled environment. This hostile way of living continued into my early teens, when they eventually separated. This had more of an impact on me than I could understand as a thirteen year old girl still trying to understand herself.

At the time, I struggled with coming to terms with their separation and the adjustment to a life without being controlled. Painful memories plagued my mind daily and my emotions were difficult to manage. This led to very unhealthy coping mechanisms such a self harm. I also became an insomniac, sleeping for two or three hours a night. I ate very little, often only having one meal a day.

On November the 12^th 2010, I threatened to end my life.

On November the 12^th 2010, I threatened to end my life. I had a plan and I was certain I wasn’t going to be here anymore. Thankfully, for me my Mum found out and she got medical advice from my GP. It was then that it was best decided that I would go into a Mental Health Unit for adolescence as an inpatient for two weeks.

It was there where I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and in the hospital was the first time that I had felt safe in a long time. When I was discharged, I went to live with my Dad and my step Mum and begun the journey of healing. I have always been very fortunate to have an incredible support network of family and friends that empowered to believe that Mental Health Recovery is possible.

I spent a lot of time adjusting to life after my hospital admission. I went to school on a part time basis to allow me to adjust and focus on my recovery as at the time, I was attending weekly counselling sessions. It was in these sessions that I grew as a person, empowered and charged with the belief that life would get better and it did.

It was in those sessions and also reflecting on them afterwards that really helped me to understand the importance and impact the relationship between the Mental Health professional and the client can really change a persons life as it completely changed mine. For the first time in my life, I was in an environment where I felt safe in sharing my emotions. I developed a strong sense of trust and security in myself and others.

For the first time in my life, I was in an environment where I felt safe in sharing my emotions. I developed a strong sense of trust and security in myself and others.

After two years, my counselling came to an end but I was armed with all that I had learned about myself and I was finally able to move forward. I started attending school full time and by the time I finished school in year 11 I left with 6 GCSE’S and the world at my feet.

I was almost certain that I wanted to work in the Mental Health Field, but I was unsure of what exactly I wanted to do. I did a two year course in Health and Social Care which then led me to complete my dream degree in Psychology.

During my degree, it was then where I began to question whether I wanted to or would be able to work in the Mental Health field. I questioned whether it would be something I could manage emotionally due to my past experience, or whether it would be an asset in enabling me to help others.

That is when I found Life Links sat on a computer in the library at University. I was looking for volunteering experience as part of my degree and I thought that in order to see whether the Mental Health field would be right for me, I could volunteer and that way I would know.

So, that’s exactly what I did. I sent a copy of my CV and cover letter to Shannon and the next thing I knew I had and interview and then, I was a volunteer and a passionate one at that due my past experiences.

I grew in so many ways through my volunteering experience at Life Links, but mostly in confidence.

I grew in so many ways through my volunteering experience at Life Links, but mostly in confidence. At the beginning I wouldn’t answer the phones on the information line out of fear that I would say the wrong things and the idea of delivering workshops was absolutely petrifying.

It took some time, but with encouragement from Shannon, staff and the other volunteers I begun to build my confidence and before I knew it, I was answering the phone without even thinking and delivering a workshop begun to feel natural. I actually found that I really enjoy public speaking.

Life Links provided me with the environment to grow, trust in myself and my own abilities and rocket in confidence. I took every opportunity that was given to me, including delivering a series of recovery education workshops at Recovery College and taking part in an OCN accredited training course in which I received an accreditation for.

The more I learned about the job role from the Recovery Workers, the more it felt like the right route for me as Richmond Fellowships values are very much in line with my own. Volunteering with Life Links made the decision for me that the mental health field was right for me and that my own mental health experience would only be an asset in understanding and helping others.

So, once I finished my degree in which I obtained a 2:1 classification there was much to my delight a job opening as a Recovery Worker and here I am. I don’t think ever in my life I have felt like I fit in like I do with the team at life links.

I don’t think ever in my life I have felt like I fit in like I do with the team at life links.

The supportive and encouraging atmosphere shows me daily that this is the right place for me to be and the experience of working with my own clients and seeing their progress is rewarding, not just for me but in how I feel for them. As I hope to empower my own clients in the way that I felt in powered within my own Mental Health journey.

Throughout my journey with Life Links and a volunteer and now staff, I have seen the demand for the service continue to increase and I have seen first hand how beneficial the service is for those who use it. Today is a celebration of staff, volunteers and service users and I feel incredible humbled to be a part of Life Links.