News Archive February 2021

Suffolk Mind are offering free courses and counselling to support the mental wellbeing of Suffolk’s LGBTQ+ community during LGBTQ+ History Month.

The independent mental health charity has secured funding to offer free Your Needs Met and Sleep Well, Be Well courses as well as counselling sessions. Figures from Healthy Suffolk in 2018 shows that 88% of people who identified as transgender and non-binary have (had) depression [1]. During the pandemic, research from Suffolk Mind indicates that those who are non-binary were one of the worst affected groups for meeting their emotional needs.

Suffolk Mind’s Your Needs Met course explores how people can stay mentally well by looking after their emotional needs. Sleep Well, Be Well explains how important sleep is to an individual’s mental health. Insomnia and poor-quality sleep are linked to physical ill health as well as mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.

During the pandemic, research by Suffolk Mind shows that more than half of people in our county have struggled to get a good night’s sleep.

Suffolk Mind are offering the support over the telephone and Zoom to ensure it is accessible for everyone who needs it during this time.

Corrina Hanley from Suffolk Mind has Coordinated the project: “Anyone can experience a mental health problem, but those who identify as LGBTQ+ are more likely to develop problems like depression and anxiety. Reasons for this could be homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, stigma and discrimination or social isolation and exclusion.

“Suffolk Mind has always offered support to Suffolk’s LGBTQ+ community, but we want to make it more accessible by offering a tailored support service. We want to ensure people have somewhere to go when they are struggling with their mental health”.

People can self-refer for this support here.

Author: Kristina Brinkley
Posted on: 11th February 2021

Building on a relationship that has been growing over the last few years, the East of England Co-op and mental health charity Suffolk Mind, have come together in a collaboration that the two organisations believe will break new ground in retail sector wellbeing. 

Like all employers, the East of England Co-op want to provide the best support possible for their colleagues in the region’s largest independent retailer. The Coronavirus pandemic, subsequent lockdowns and the new ways we are all doing business have presented extra pressures and strains for everyone. 

The new collaboration will see Suffolk Mind embed an employee with the East of England Co-op team for two years, initially, to support colleague wellbeing and help develop a new, organisation-wide strategy to prevent mental ill health from occurring. 

Doug Field, Joint Chief Executive of the East of England Co-operative, said: “Colleague safety and wellbeing is our top priority.  We recognise we need to do more to help our colleagues and working with Suffolk Mind on this ground-breaking collaboration will be a great leap forward” 

Jon Neal, Chief Executive of Suffolk Mind, added: “The East of England Co-op has always been supportive of Suffolk Mind and our colleagues in other local Minds in the region. 

“This new collaboration will see a member of our team embedded within the organisation, ensuring colleagues know about the support available to them, as well as training teams to be able to look after themselves and those around them better. They will improve skills to ensure managers feel more confident, equipped and empowered to support mental health at work.” 

Suffolk Mind uses a particular approach to mental health called the Emotional Needs & Resources model. This approach encourages employers to create workplaces that enable people to meet emotional needs like Control, Security, Attention and Community. 

Jon Neal continued: “There is always more we can all do in enabling people to meet their emotional needs. Whether it’s creating space for people to get away from distractions, or encouraging teams to work together, the model we use can help identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.” 

For more details about the new role, click here.

Author: Kristina Brinkley
Posted on: 2nd February 2021