MENTAL
HEALTH SUPPORT
As a church, we recognise that mental health challenges can affect many people at different times in their lives. We seek to create a culture of empathy, prayer, and support. A community where people feel listened to, are treated with care and compassion and feel safe to share and seek help.
While we support one another through our church community, we also understand our limitations, that we do not have all the answers and cannot fix every situation. The church cannot provide the same level of care as specialist mental health services. We encourage and assist people to access professional help from agencies and charitable organisations who offer specialist support and resources.
As Pastors we are here to support the church pastorally, but are not equipped to provide the support that specialist services can. If you are really struggling or feeling suicidal, the numbers below are a great starting point to get help.
WHERE TO FIND HELP...
Urgent OR IN crisis
SWINDON INTENSIVE SERVICE
If you experience a severe mental health crisis, the Intensive team can provide acute care at home. A team member will contact you within four hours of receiving a referral.
01793 836820 (24-hour service)
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NHS
24/7 – crisis mental health support urgent support and advice with a trained mental health professional.​
111 - Press option 2
SHOUT CRISIS TEXT LINE
Shout is the UK's first and only free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging service for anyone who is struggling to cope. Trained volunteers provide people with empathetic support and techniques to handle future problems, as well as directing them towards longer-term support and/or therapy for their particular concerns.
non-urgent
INITIAL CONTACT FOR MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
9AM-5PM MON-FRI​
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GP
First contact can begin first line medication and signpost to other agency for support and refer onto other mental health service where a referral is required.
PRIMARY CARE LIAISON SERVICE
You can accept self-referral. Non-emergency Support, brief interventions, advice and signposting for; service users and their carers and relatives.
01793 836800
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Counselling support services in Swindon
NHS SWINDON TALKING THERAPIES
NHS Swindon Talking Therapies - previously known as Swindon LIFT Psychology - aims to help people access support for a range of common mental health problems and provides a service for people registered with a GP in Swindon.
Talking Therapies offers one-to-one therapy and online or in-person courses.
WILLOWS COUNSELLING SERVICE
Willows can help you if you are feeling overwhelmed by life issues, anxious, depressed, confused, stressed, hopeless, isolated or experiencing other difficult thoughts and emotions. Our counsellors are trained in a range of therapies and specialisms so you can be partnered with a counsellor with specific knowledge around the issues you are facing.
SWINDON MIND
​Their services include personalised advice, guidance, one-on-one support, counselling, group support, and referrals to appropriate resources. They are open 365 days a year from 9am – 11pm.
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It's a dedicated support line for people living in Swindon who are experiencing a mental health issue or concerns, including for carers, friends, family and professionals. This confidential listening service provides a safe space to talk if you or someone you know requires mental health support. Alongside emotional and practical assistance, our dedicated team can guide you towards appropriate mental health services.
IPSUM
They are a Mental Health and Wellbeing Charity supporting Swindon and the surrounding area. Their aims are to help address issues such as mental, psychological and emotional health: loneliness and isolation: increase self-esteem, encourage an active lifestyle: and to help promote positive change. They offer a range of therapeutic interventions including talking therapies, Music and Art.
THE KELLY FOUNDATION
Counselling and practical support for adults in the Swindon area who are experiencing mental health issues.
Suicide prevention numbers
STAY ALIVE APP
This app is a pocket suicide prevention resource packed full of useful information and tools to help you stay safe in crisis. You can use it if you are having thoughts of suicide or if you are concerned about someone else who may be considering suicide.
SAMARITANS
Provides confidential, non-judgmental emotional support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those that could lead to suicide. You can phone, email, write a letter or in most cases talk to someone face to face. Online chat and letter writing also available: details on website.
​UK NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION HELPLINE
The National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK is a compassionate and understanding lifeline for those grappling with their mental well-being or thoughts of suicide. Our lines are open every day from 6 pm until midnight, offering a safe haven for anyone who needs someone to talk to.
​​​​STAYING SAFE
Online resource to complete a safety plan: If you’re struggling and you’re not sure if you want to live or die, can you, just for now hold off making this decision and keep reading and watching the videos for some ideas about how to get through. There may be things that you - and other people - can do to make things better.​​
Swindon addiction service
​​THE RECOVERY COURSE
The Recovery Course is a free fifteen-week Christ-centred course for adults, based on the 12 steps. It provides practical insight and support to help anyone on the path to freedom from the grip of any addiction, secret habit or compulsive behaviour. Each session includes a meal and a short presentation, followed by small group discussion.​​​​
CHANGE GROW LIVE (CGL)
We are dedicated to promoting wellbeing and recovery from addiction when you feel ready to take those steps.
01793 328150
4 Temple Chambers, Temple Street, Swindon, SN1 1SQ.
www.changegrowlive.org/drug-and-alcohol-service-swindon/info
SELF HARM
SWINDON MIND SELF-HARMONY COUNSELLING SERVICE
Our counselling services offer either generalised counselling or specialised self-harm and self-injury counselling. The service uses a person-centred trauma-informed approach, providing a one-to-one confidential and non-judgemental safe space for people who require counselling. We work with individuals to understand their own needs as well as offer a specialised service for those who self-harm and/or self-injure to understand their self-harm and/or self-injury.
BLUEICE APP
Available for iOS and Android.
BlueIce is a prescribed evidence-based app to help young people manage their emotions and to reduce urges to self-harm. It includes a mood diary, toolbox of evidence based techniques to reduce distress and automatic routing to emergency numbers if urges to harm continue.
CALM HARM APP
Available for iOS and Android.
The Calm Harm app provides some immediate activities and techniques to help you break the cycle of self-harm behaviour and explore underlying trigger factors; the app supports you in building a ‘safety net’ of helpful thoughts, behaviours, and access to supportive people, as well as providing the opportunity to journal and self-reflect. The Calm Harm app also signposts to help.
OTHER RESOURCES
​RESTORED
Restored is a Christian charity with a vision of a world where women live free from the fear of violence.
Women: Call on the freephone, 24-hour, National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247​​
THE SURVIVORS TRUST
Runs a free, national helpline 7 days a week for people aged 16+.
We welcome and encourage all survivors of rape or sexual abuse and violence to call our helpline. We are a fully inclusive service, providing safe, non-judgemental support to survivors, their supporters and professionals.
RETHINK
Rethink Mental Illness is a leading provider of mental health services in England, and with over 200 services and groups, we have the experience and record of success that makes commissioning us straightforward and effective. As experts in mental illness, we know that with the right support and information people severely affected by mental illness can have a good quality of life. That’s why our aim is to meet each person’s individual needs and make sure everyone living with a mental illness is treated with dignity and respect.
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We support tens of thousands of people every year through our diverse range of mental health services and life-changing support groups. These are vital in helping people get through crises, live independently and recognise that they don’t have to face mental illness alone.
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​​THE BEREAVEMENT JOURNEY
NATIONAL
The Bereavement Journey is owned by the Christian charity AtaLoss, which offers UK wide signposting for bereavement and equips churches to provide community bereavement support through The Bereavement Journey. The programme is run by Christians as it uniquely offers a final Session on faith questions that arise in bereavement, provided from a Christian perspective. This follows the main Sessions and is clearly optional for those who attend, making The Bereavement Journey suitable for everyone.
LOCALLY RUN AT CITIFAITH
The Bereavement Journey is a 7-Session series of films and discussion groups, offered in person, that gently guides people through the most common aspects of grief and bereavement to help them process the death of someone important to them, whether recent or long ago.
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Facilitated by experienced volunteers and accompanied by a Participant Manual, any person bereaved at any time is helped to consider for themselves the implications of their bereavement and to discern next steps. For most people The Bereavement Journey provides the tools they need, either to process their loss without one-to-one professional assistance or to identify where further support might help.
​​TRAUMA RECOVERY UK
At the TRC we are trauma recovery focused rather than just trauma informed, because we believe that recovery from trauma is possible.
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From single incident trauma to complex trauma and dissociation, Trauma Recovery UK are passionate about recovery. We are proud to be the first pioneers using the TRFM® model, uniquely providing:
1:1 Creative Psychotherapy and Play Therapy for children and young people from age 3 years to 24 years.
They provide Therapeutic Mentoring to help create a sense of safety and stability for the child or young person, as well as helping empower them with psychoeducation.
They support Parents and Carers with therapeutic support groups as well as guiding them through the TRFM® Parenting Course.
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​​SWINDON SAFEGUARDING PARTNERSHIP
Children and adults do not die in the arms of professionals.
Tragedy comes in the gap between them. As long as we see partnerships as an "add on" to the day job, this will continue to be the case.
We need to strengthen partnerships by putting both children and adults at the centre of good practice.
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Adult Safeguarding Team, Swindon Borough Council
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01793 463555 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.00pm)
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Child Safeguarding Team, Swindon Borough Council
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01793 464646 (8.30am to 4.40pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 4.00pm Friday)
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The Emergency Duty Service (EDS) is available outside office hours on 01793 436699
​​THIRTY ONE EIGHT
For almost 50 years we've worked together with likeminded individuals, organisations and governments to safeguard vulnerable people. For us impact looks like being able to equip, empower and encourage society to create places and communities that are truly safer for all.
Independent and thought-leading, we equip organisations, churches, other faith groups, individuals and government with the safeguarding tools they need to protect vulnerable people.
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