Carolyn Barber of Portsmouth’s Good Mental Health Cooperative, and local researcher and social entrepreneur, shares advice and resources on how to manage your mental health in lockdown. This week, Carolyn explains what a ‘Trialogue’ is and why the GMH Coop use them to support good mental health in Portsmouth communities.
A ‘Trialogue’ group is a neutral space where communities can gather to develop their understanding of mental health issues, the challenges of maintaining mental health and to transform thinking on developing better services and healthy communities.
Trialogue meetings are welcoming and inclusive of all community members, including mental health service users, carers, families, friends, professionals and anyone with an interest in promoting good mental health in the community.
Within communities there is a huge diversity of knowledge and experience that can be used to transform our services, hence a ‘wealth’ of under-utilised resource. ‘Trialogue’ groups already exist in many places in Europe and can help communities to change the perception that only those who work in the field of mental health are the experts in mental health.
Mental health is everyone’s business, regardless of their background and experience.
The Good Mental Health Cooperative has been coordinating Trialogue discussions since 2015 in Portsmouth, Southampton and Gosport. The feedback we’ve received is that people find the events inspiring and a really positive experience.
The first Trialogue took place on 22nd July 2020, and you can join us for our second virtual Trialogue discussion on Zoom on 22nd August 2020. Click here to sign up for the Mental Wealth Trialogue
And if you want to know more:
Click here to see the interview with Dr.Sandy Walker talking about Trialogue events.
Click here to download the Mental Wealth Trialogue report about our previous Trialogues.
The Mental Wealth Academy
We recognise that this has been an incredibly challenging time, coping with sudden and dramatic changes in our lives, intense feelings, anxiety about the future, loss of contact with loved ones, experience of illness and bereavement.
At the Good Mental Health Cooperative, we believe that connecting with others, and informal arts and wellbeing learning activities, are really important ways to take care of our mental health, and build the emotional resilience we need to get though these difficult times.
The programme takes place mainly through July and August, and includes the following:
- Weekly livestreamed ChitChat Cafe meetings on Facebook
- Twice weekly 30 minute live mindfulness sessions
- Journal writing course – 5 weekly sessions
- Live arts and wellbeing workshops – 5 weekly sessions
- Live Embodiment Through Movement workshops – 5 weekly sessions
- Discover Yourself – self development course – 7 weekly sessions
- Working Through Worry – 7 weekly sessions
- Two Mental Wealth Trialogue live discussion events
Full details about the programme and registering your interest are available here.
Additional resources
Each week we share a range of strategies and resources to help you build mental and emotional resilience during the Covid19 crisis. This is just as important as our physical strength if we were planning to run a marathon! And just like our physical health, taking care of our mental health is about establishing good habits as part of our regular routine.
We’ve been hard at work updating the Resources section of the Good Mental Health Coop website – these are resources you can use to build your mental and emotional resilience during these testing times. The Resources are divided under 4 themes – Meet, Relax, Learn, Create – please take some time to browse and check them out.
You can also find information about local support and services available if you’re feeling emotionally or psychologically distressed. Click here for Resources for Resilience.
This article was originally published as a newsletter. Check out the Good Mental Health Coop website, where you can sign up to receive Carolyn’s weekly mental health updates by email, and find out more about the amazing work the Coop do. You can also follow the Coop on Twitter and Facebook, and you can read all of Carolyn’s articles for S&C here.
