Mental Health Outreach Workers in Conversation

Introducing Mental Health Outreach Workers

Sarah O Connor and Emily Snowden are Mental Health Outreach Workers employed by both Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust and Age UK Islington.

You can hear them in conversation as part of an upcoming online Health & Wellbeing Event hosted by Voluntary Action Islington on Thurs 20 October, 11.30am – 12 (event starts at 10.30am). Book your place here.

What do we do?

As Community Health Outreach Workers we are the bridge between the voluntary sector and the NHS Mental Health team, helping clients to untangle and tackle some of the things that are going on in their lives and also to help them access the rich variety of support that is available in the community provided by voluntary sector organisations.

It can be a challenge to talk about mental health when feelings and emotions are difficult to describe and life is rarely simple. We are learning that mental health issues arise out of a complex interrelationship of our surroundings, environment, lifestyle and relationships. We know that mental health is often entwined with so much else and it is important to consider the whole picture of someone’s life when talking about mental health.

The combined effect of financial issues and other day-to-day problems can express itself differently in different people, from heightened anxiety and depression in some, to compounding more deep rooted mental health issues in others.  Other people will experience stress, but find their way through the situation. It’s all very personal and a result of so many factors to do with who we are and our previous experiences.

The good news is that when someone is finding things too much and feeling that they’re not able to cope, in our capacity of Mental Health Outreach Workers, we are able to give time to understand what a client is going through.  We provide a listening ear and work together with the person, suitable community partners and NHS mental health services to help clients start to see some light at the end of a tunnel.  This is with the aid of tools and support in place to help them in their current circumstances and in the longer term.  The idea is to treat the whole of the person and their circumstances rather than tackle things piecemeal.

What are the advantages of working between the NHS and Age UK Islington?

Clients don’t have to struggle alone with these issues and that is where the new model of mental health care can help. As Community Mental Health Outreach Workers can work with a client to unpick the complexity of feelings and of a situation.  Because we are based in the community we have access to community knowledge and organisations out in the community and the flexibility to meet a client in their own home or nearby venue.

Working closely with members of the NHS mental health teams, means that it is easier for clients to access support e.g. talking therapies or psychological support, together with help to overcome the issues of day-to-day living that can otherwise really impact on mental health – making ends meet, not being isolated, or having the right support to live independently at home.

When is a client referred to us?

It might be from GP, from Core Mental Health Team or by colleagues within Age UK Islington.

The NHS Mental Health Team can provide psychological support including talking therapies and / or coaching through a time of crisis alongside psychological therapy from a peer worker – someone who can use their own experiences to help someone else. The team also have Doctors, Social Workers, Nurses and an Occupational Therapist.

Examples of clients we have helped

We’ve shared some examples of the ways in which we’ve been able to help clients recently. For reasons of confidentiality, we’ve changed details so that our clients are not recognisable.

Fatima and her Mum find financial, mobility and support with social isolation

Unpaid Carer, Fatima and her Mum, who had mobility issues were both socially isolated, with Fatima feeling overwhelmed, stressed and highly anxious about her financial situation and very much on her own.  Mental Health Outreach Worker, Sarah was able to work together with Islington Carers Hub, a service provided by Age UK Islington, and local organisations able to provide support with benefits and debt.  An Occupational Therapist from the NHS Mental Health Services was able to help Fatima’s Mum overcome her fear of tripping and falling with the help of home adaptations and a walking aid. She received emotional support from Emily, the means of finding some paid-caring support to give Fatima short breaks from caring 24/7 during the week and a referral into talking therapy with a local mental health charity.  Sarah worked with Fatima to find social groups that would be of interest to Fatima and befriending support for her.

Lucy finds support with negative intrusive thoughts and her housing situation

Lucy was exhausted and overwhelmed and couldn’t continue any more. She was looking after small children and sleep deprived because her neighbours were playing music for many nights. Despite the adverse circumstances, she didn’t want to tell anyone she was struggling as she already felt like a failure. Her flat and surroundings were in need or urgent repair and maintenance.  Emily was able to help organise support from a local organisation that could help with mediation with the neighbours and to put in place a remedial plan for her housing situation together with her housing association and other suppliers.  Emily also worked with colleagues in NHS Mental Health Services to arrange a type of therapy for Lucy to help with feelings of failure and to develop some tools to manage intrusive thoughts.

Our backgrounds

We both come from very different backgrounds – Sarah from an Occupational Therapy background and Emily from more of a Psychological background.  This makes a great team as our skills complement one another.

Emily, “I used to live and work in Papua New Guinea, as a Volunteer Manager for Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO).  I have worked in the area of health research for over 6 years and my last role was coordinating a vaccination trial for London School of Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). I have a Masters in ethics and human rights and I am interested in how we can live happy and content lives individually but also together as a society. This led me to complete my Masters in Psychology where I researched positivity and wellbeing from a physiological perspective. Now, as a mental health worker, I am in the privileged position of working with people to find their own way to happiness and wellbeing.”

Sarah, “I have worked over 30 years in mental health service in various setting, 16 years working in occupational therapy on different acute mental health wards, in service users’ homes and in the community. I have served on the Board of Governors of the East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) for the City of London. I then took a role across two London boroughs for the NHS Trust, establishing service user and carer involvement in strategic and local service delivery.  Missing front line service user contact, I moved to a community mental health team, providing occupational therapy interventions. I volunteer in my spare time as a Community Mediator.

How can I find out more?

Conversation Between Mental Health Outreach Workers 

To hear more from Sarah and Emily and the support that they’re able to provide, you can hear them “in conversation” for the last half hour of an upcoming online Health & Wellbeing Event hosted by Voluntary Action Islington on Thurs 20 October, 10.30 – 12.  Click below to see the Eventbrite page to reserve your place.

Reserve your place

How you access support (for a client or how clients can self-refer)?

Clients can be referred to us by their GPs or via Age UK Islington’s Helpline: 020 7281 6018.