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Creative Therapeutic Service C/O Murray Hall Community Trust
Murray Hall Community Trust (MHCT) is an established, grass roots based charity which has been delivering bespoke British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) approved counselling, wellbeing, mentoring and creative therapeutic services to disadvantaged and socially excluded children/young people (CYP) and adults of all ethnicities, abilities and characteristics including those identified as falling within the NEET category for over 25 years.
As a member of BACP, MHCT adheres to all appropriate ethical frameworks. We have clear clinical governance structures, robust safeguarding processes, GDPR policy, flow chart and statement including a procedure should there be a breach; health and safety, equality and diversity and risk assessment polices and protocols in place.
We have a highly skilled and diverse pool of qualified counsellors and therapists, including dance/drama/play/art/music and sport; all registered and accredited to the relevant professional body. This means we are able to respond to requests for support in a responsive and flexible manner to meet to individual needs.
How does your organisation contribute to preventing suicide and supporting those affected by it?
CTS is currently funded to support local CYP between the ages of 7-18yrs of age and their families.
CTS is unique it that it supports CYP with a wide range of self-harming behaviours.
CTS is currently participating on the NHS Suicide Prevention board
What are your current priorities?
The Breaking Silence project provides personalised Counselling & Creative Therapeutic Support to children, young people aged 7 – 18 years of age and their families affected by self-harm in Sandwell and aims to promote recovery and encourage safe alternative methods for coping. Breaking Silence is primarily a self-referral service, although we take referrals from other organisations and agencies where the young person has given their consent to be referred. The project offers self-harm awareness workshops for parents, carers and professionals. These workshops help to improve parents/carers/professionals understanding and knowledge of self-harm and provides them with positive ways to help support their children and young people.
Since the outbreak of COVID 19 during late March 2020, the way we undertake assessments has had to be adapted from face to face to a blended approach inclusive of ‘distance intervention’ (telephone/ video calling). Similarly, our 1 to 1 therapeutic intervention and Creative empowerment groups, were adapted, in addition too, supportive positive coping mechanism videos which are available to stream/ download inclusive of mindfulness techniques.
Breaking Silence group intervention: Creative Empowerment Workshops: Are designed to enable individuals to reflect upon and manage their emotions and feelings. The sessions support to build relationships, improve communication, boost confidence and self-esteem whilst developing the ability to implement coping strategies and balance feelings and behaviours. Focus is on the CYP’s coping strategies which encompass a wide variety of strategies which can be tailored to each CYP’s unique requirements. Overarching within each session there is the opportunity to engage in Mindfulness techniques which reinforce the CYP’s ability to sustain any future coping strategies. Paying attention to the present moment enables CYP to improve their overall mental health. The sessions include a variety of different arts, music and performance, all designed as ways in which to help individuals to reflect upon and manage their emotions, feelings, while developing effective coping strategies.
Our Creative Empowerment programme is designed to enable young people to:
– Evaluate their coping strategies
– Sustain ‘positive’ coping mechanisms
– Acknowledge their ability to influence their life experiences
Number of beneficiaries for 2019-2020
The current numbers for the period of 1st April 19 – 31st March 20 are as follows:
192 Referrals
82 clients received 121 intervention
40 clients received group intervention
464 individuals whom received support through awareness sessions
CTS Breaking Silence Project (funded by CIN):
The project provides personalised Counselling & Creative Therapeutic Support to children, young people and their families affected by self-harm in Sandwell and aims to promote recovery and encourage safe alternative methods for coping. Breaking Silence is primarily a self-referral service, although we take referrals from other organisations and agencies where the young person has given their consent to be referred. The project offers self-harm awareness workshops for parents, carers and professionals. These workshops help to improve parents/carers/professionals understanding and knowledge of self-harm and provides them with positive ways to help support their children and young people.
– Referrals are still being received and triaged.
– Where appropriate assessments are being undertaken through a blended approach inclusive of face to face and ‘distance intervention’ (telephone/ video calling).
– 121 therapeutic intervention is continued to be undertaken.
– Creative empowerment groups are being facilitated via a blended approach.
– Supportive positive coping mechanism videos are available to stream/ download inclusive of mindfulness techniques.
What challenges are you currently facing?
COVID is a national challenge at present with access to beneficiaries. CTS has continued to adapt and embed its service delivery to a blended approach, thus being able to support more CYP. However, in the initial stages of lockdown there was a decrease in referrals.
CTS is advertising its support project to local commission groups and at multi agency meetings to showcase that our support is going.