Time to Talk
It’s not easy to talk about your mental health. But not talking about mental health can make a person feel isolated and ashamed of the problem.
Thursday 1st February marks Time to Talk day, a national event founded by Time To Change, where we are all encouraged to take the time to talk about our mental health. Statistics show that around 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem this year, but many of those will suffer in silence and not seek help.
It’s no surprise that the problem of mental health is even more exaggerated for those suffering from homelessness. Homeless Link have found in their surveys that 80% of homeless service users reported some form of mental health issue, whilst 45% had been diagnosed with a mental health issue.
“At Your Place, we make sure residents receive the support they need, and actively encourage them to improve their wellbeing. We help them to understand more about their difficulties and signpost them on to appropriate specialist services.
“This February, we are going the extra mile and creating more awareness that it is okay, to not be okay”, says Elif, Mental Health Lead at Your Place.
We are using Time to Talk day to mark the beginning of a whole month focusing on the emotional and mental wellbeing of all our residents. Our keyworkers are always at hand and openly encourage residents to discuss mental health during their sessions. Where residents need additional support, we have strong links with specialist services including our in-house counselling services via Sarah Agnes Foundation, or Community Mental Health teams based in Newham.
We encourage everyone to find the time on #TimeToTalk day to open up and share any problems or worries they are experiencing, and hope that people will feel motivated to make this first step towards an improvement in their mental wellbeing.
