About Reach
Out Camden
What we offer
Through Reach Out Camden, you will have access to a range of support and
opportunities across the borough. We know that there’s no one-size-fits-all model when it comes to wellbeing, so we work with each person as an individual to discover what matters most to them. Once we get to know you, we will make suggestions about what kind of support could work well, and help you to access it.
Here are a few examples of what we offer:
One-to-one support
Sometimes we just need someone to talk with who is kind, compassionate and on our side – someone who is curious about our experience and can provide practical and emotional support to suit our needs…
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We offer a range of options for one-to-one support, including talking with a key worker or a peer mentor (someone with lived experience, who may have gone through something similar to you). This support is time limited – you will work with someone consistently so that you have a familiar face by your side during the time you have together.
You can explore anything you want in your sessions, it all depends on what’s a priority for you. For example, you could choose to spend time:
- Practicing and developing existing skills, to help you feel better able to manage day-to-day life, or cope in more challenging times.
- Connecting, or reconnecting, with interests or hobbies, as a way to express yourself and meet like minded people.
- Attending community events, increasing confidence when it comes to meeting new people and going to new places.
- Getting some help with practical tasks, such as completing PIP forms, addressing housing issues and managing household bills.
Or you could simply choose to spend time together talking about life and enjoying some company.
Activity groups
Coming together in a group can help us all with our motivation, self-esteem and confidence. It can help us build connections with other people and develop new skills, all while having some fun too…
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Our activity-based wellbeing groups aim to bring together people who share skills and interests, as well as offering opportunities to try new things in an encouraging, supportive environment.
We provide a varied programme of short and long-term activity groups. These change and develop as we go, reflecting the seasons and new ideas people bring, but here are a few examples of what you can expect:
- Adult education courses
- Museum visits
- Arts and crafts
- Wood working
- Gardening
- Nature walks
- Exercise classes
- Comedy improvisation
Or you could simply choose to spend time together talking about life and enjoying some company.
Peer support groups
It’s really important that we all have spaces where we can totally be ourselves, free from any feelings of shame or judgement. For lots of us, coming together with people who have shared life experiences can be a great way to find this sense of safety and freedom…
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We run peer support groups – these are ongoing, drop-in spaces for people who share a common experience.
Service user involvement
Service offers are stronger and more effective when they’ve been shaped by the people that use them and many of you may want to participate more directly in influencing the future of mental health support in Camden…
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Throughout your time working with Reach Out Camden, you will have the chance to do just this through service user involvement projects.
These opportunities offer a chance to come together with other people to share your opinions, feedback and ideas, and advocate for positive change.
Current projects include the Camden Borough User Group (CBUG), which aims to coordinate and organise the voice of service users in Camden.
You may not know at this stage which option is right for you – that’s not a problem! After you make a referral, the Reach Out Camden navigators will help you explore what’s available and support you to think about what could be a good match for you
What you can expect
We know that each person contacting Reach Out Camden will bring with them a unique story. We work with everyone in a person-centred way throughout their time with us and your preferences, hopes and goals will
define your experience with us.
This means everyone’s journey will be slightly different, but here is how you can expect your time with Reach Out Camden to begin.
Getting to know you
You, or someone you know such as a friend or GP, makes a referral to Reach Out Camden. This can be done online, over the phone, by post, or in-person at one of our drop in events.
A Reach Out Camden Navigator will contact you to arrange an initial ‘Get To Know You’ meeting.
A Reach Out Camden Navigator will contact you to arrange an initial ‘Get To Know You’ meeting.
When you meet, you’ll talk with your Navigator about what made you get in touch, what kind of support you’re looking for, and begin to explore together options that may be of interest to you.
If it’s really clear after this chat which of our support offers you’d like to try, then great! Once you’ve decided on a direction, we’ll help to make sure everything’s in place for you to get started as soon as possible.
If it’s not so clear, that’s also completely fine. You’ll have time to talk it through with your navigator and make a decision.
A little more about
Reach Out Camden
We are a collective of charities working closely
together to try and make it easier for people to
get the support they really want and need.
The charities that make up Reach Out Camden
are The Advocacy Project, Likewise, Mind in
Camden and Voiceability. All four have deep
roots in Camden and were brought together by
Camden Council to support people in the
borough access support that they may not have
found otherwise.
This means the people you’ll work with during
your time with us may be based in different
places and work for different organisations, but
when you refer to Reach Out Camden you’ll be a
part of our joint community and have access to
opportunities across all four charities.
What this means
Once you meet with your Navigator and
decide what kind of support you’d like, you’ll
look together at what the options could be
across all three charities and make a decision
together about what works best for you.
We want to make sure that you not only find
the right kind of support, but also help you to
consider where the support is and when it
takes place, to see if it’s a good fit for your
routine and schedule.
It may be that there isn’t a perfect match, but
we’ll work with you to explore your priorities
and find the option that best serves them.
Make a referral
If you’re a Camden resident (or registered with a Camden GP), over the age of 18, and
interested in exploring options near you, we’d love to hear from you.