Publish date: 12 October 2023
On 10 October the Trust marked World Mental Health Day. Many of our teams were out and about across West London raising mental health awareness and shining a spotlight on the services we offer.
Ealing Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Mindfulness session
The day kicked off with the Ealing IAPT team setting up at Ealing Central library where they were based for the day speaking to members of the public about all things mental health.
The team hosted a mindfulness session at 3pm, which aimed to guide individuals with tips and techniques to support their mental health with simple exercises such as breathing and being present.
Hammersmith and Fulham IAPT
The Hammersmith and Fulham IAPT team also set up a stall at the Hammersmith Broadway shopping centre for the day.
Wellbeing and Recovery College open day
The Wellbeing and Recovery college hosted an open day to the public at the Brentford Football Club Community Sports Trust hub, which was aimed to promote the different courses that are on offer at the college to support mental health and wellbeing. The open day began at 11am with a great turnout from the public, staff and current students of the college.
First on the agenda was a drumming session for all the participants to take part in as a group. There were many percussion instruments along with the use of bongo drums and maracas, participants felt the musical session was therapeutic and encouraged a sense of team spirit.
Some of the courses on offer to the public during the Autumn session are; Understanding and managing depression, anxiety management and your physical wellbeing.
(Photo: Panellists and guests)
Later in the afternoon a panel discussion on this year's theme - 'Mental health is a universal human right,’ took place with esteemed panellists from across the mental health and community sector sharing their reflections. The panel was chaired by Dr Christopher Hilton, Chief Operating Officer for the Trust. There were also moving contributions from our expert by experience service users, who shared their experiences about their mental health recovery.
The discussions ranged from the interconnectivity between mental health and spirituality, compassion and support for the refugee community, health inequalities in the community and how to harness support to amplify the patient recovery experience in the development of care pathways.
Photo centre: Rajwinder Hira, Public Health Officer, Ealing council)
Patient voice
If you are struggling with your mental health, help is here. For more information about how we can help you and the services we provide click here.