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Tom and Melissa reflect on their roles as part of our Peer Recovery and Wellbeing service team, supporting people in Portsmouth with their mental health.
Shining a spotlight on our amazing Solent Mind staff, we caught up with Tom Collier and Melissa Moffat from our Portsmouth Peer Recovery and Wellbeing service.
Read on to find out their memorable moments and hear how their service is making a difference for people in Portsmouth.
At our Portsmouth Peer Recovery and Wellbeing service, we offer short-term, goal-focused mental health support.
Our staff, who all have lived experience of mental health, work with service users to help them identify their goals and walk alongside them in their recovery journey. We also offer a range of groups and drop-in sessions which you can access once you've been referred into our service. For more information regarding our groups, you can download our timetable.
We are also here to signpost people to other relevant local mental health services, should they need them.
As we are service-user led, the type of support we offer is wide to accommodate a range of needs.
Possible goals we can support you with include:
Our flexible approach means we're able to provide an inclusive service to people from a range of different backgrounds.
For you to be able to access our support, we will need a completed referral form. You can complete a self-referral form, or you can be referred through a professional (e.g. your GP) completing a referral form on your behalf.
Please find below links to our three referral forms:
Alternatively, people are welcome to visit our Portsmouth Wellbeing Centre (36-38 Arundel Street, PO1 1NL), and one of our practitioners can support you with your referral.
We can also complete referral forms over the phone - just call us on: 023 9282 4795
Please note: in order to access our support, you need to be registered to a GP within PO1-PO6. Our approach to mental health support is service user led and goal focused. We do not offer counselling.
As Administration Lead, I am often the first point of contact when people access our service. I therefore get the privilege of making service users feel heard, supporting them to access relevant services, and being a part of their mental health journey.
Seeing the continued growth of our Men’s Group. I remember at the first-ever session, we had one person in attendance. Now our Men's Group acts as a safe place for many of our service users. It provides a sense of belonging and empowerment for many men and has acted as a gateway into other mental health services and groups within the local community.
We offer a person-led service which is tailored to individual’s needs.
Our service is a safe place to open up, without being judged, where everything happens at your own speed.
I work primarily with people who are already accessing support through the NHS.
If you’re already working with the NHS Portsmouth Rehabilitation and Reablement Team, you can ask to be referred to our service for one-to-one rehabilitation support.
I love having the freedom to make my own schedule and using my own experiences to help others and make a difference.
There's been a few! Teaching someone how to ride a bike, which was a lifelong dream of theirs as they were not allowed to learn as a child. Helping someone re-learn how to cook for themselves again. And helping someone find ways to improve their memory and provide more coping strategies through video games.
For more information about our Portsmouth Peer Support and Wellbeing services, including opening times and contact details, please click here:
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Enrol in the school of life: Learn about yourself and your recovery through courses and short sessions, now available online.
Giving families of serving personnel the emotional wellbeing support they need and deserve.
If you'd like to join our passionate team and help make a difference in your local community, please see our current vacancies here:
