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Help people recover their lives with the Mental Health Foundation

Woman in garden

 

Mental health problems can often send our relationships into turmoil and take away opportunities for living a fulfilled life, as well as our sense of purpose.  

 

Yet crucially these are the things needed to help the recovery process.

 

 

In one survey:

 

  • 1 in 4 people using mental health services said they had no contact with their family
  • 1 in 3 had no contact with friends
  • More than half said they had ‘little control’ over their lives

 

One hugely neglected area we are working in is developing the support and services to help people explore their ambitions and build their own recovery paths through access to the work and leisure opportunities that the wider community enjoys. 

 

By giving a gift online today you will be helping people to realise their ambitions. Donate Now.

 

Your donation can help design schemes that open up the opportunities for people to live full and independent lives. 

 

For example, our Recovery in Action project helps people with mental health problems to take control of their own recovery.  This involves building action plans around their aspirations for the future.

 

More information about recovery.

Man playing saxophone
David’s story:

 

50 year old David gave up work 10 years ago because of worsening mental health.  Going to a day centre quickly became the sole focus of his life. 

 

‘You can easily become institutionalised and not really aware there’s anything else,’ he says.

 

Privately, he had always wanted to get back to work, but now believed this would never happen.  But a new local scheme to help people in David’s situation return to employment was set to change his expectation and the whole direction of his life.

 

David met with an employment support worker in a local café.  By talking about his aspirations to work again, he was able to discuss the support he needed to achieve his aims.

 

He tentatively agreed that work experience would be a good place to start.  So the support worker helped him volunteer with a local charity three days a week.

‘The opportunity to contribute, mix with new people, and rediscover my skills, has been a tremendous boost to my self esteem,’ says David.

 

A keen musician, David gradually built the confidence to join the local orchestra and is now performing in public – something he would never have dreamed of doing a few short months ago. 

 

He adds ‘I feel I’m back in control of my life, and on the way to achieving my goals.  For the first time in years I believe I have a future I want.’

 

There are thousands of other people in David’s situation who need the right support to regain hope in their future. 
 
Please show your support for the vital work we are doing on recovery by making an online donation now.
Your gift could help give back hope, control and opportunities to people recovering from mental health problems

 

  • £25 can help produce information for people recovering from mental illness to help them build and maintain relationships.

  • £50 can help target information to professionals and volunteers about how they can help people make the most of their opportunities to lead fuller lives.

  • £100 can help develop a training module for workers in voluntary organisations to help them involve people in planning their own recovery.

  • £500 can help develop further research into ways of supporting the recovery of people with mental health problems.

 

Donate Now

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Some names, details and photographs have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals concerned.