These re-sources are listed in four sections. The first section holds links to support for immediate crisis or need. The projects in this section may not necessarily be aligned with radical approaches and social justice but can provide a listening ear, immediate support and connection. All of these are UK based. Some of the resources in the following sections also offer suggestions for immediate crisis or need. The following three sections hold links to some solidarity & support, also UK based councelling and therapy resources, then links to sites about psycho-emotional health & social justice, and radical ‘mental health’, finally there is information relating to trauma and various ways we might respond to and heal trauma
Support for immediate crisis or need. (UK based)
Samaritans Listening and support service for times of need/struggle. 0845 7909090
Childline Free 24 hour helpline for kids. “You can talk to us about anything. No problem is too big or too small. Call us on 0800 1111 or chat to us online.”
SHOUT. Shout 85258 is a free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope
Maytree. Support for suicidal feelings. Helpline and residential respite centre.
MIND Mental Health Charity offering support, advice and helplines.
Rape Crisis Helpline and support for girls and women who have experienced/survived rape or sexual violence. There are some services for male sexual violence survivors and/or for men who are supporting a survivor.
Solace Solace Womens Aid, for survivors of domestic or sexual abuse, offers free advice and support to women and children in London to build safe and strong lives and futures free from abuse and violence
The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) Supporting recovery from child abuse.
MOSAC. Mosac provides supportive services in a safe & non-judgemental environment for non-abusing parents and carers whose children have been sexually abused
LGBT Foundation. Advice Support & Information. Helpline: 0345 3 30 30 30. Website also holds other support and helplines.
Solidarity & Support, also UK based Councelling & therapy
T-MAPS. ” Transformative Mutual Aid Practices (T-MAPs) are a set of tools that provide space for building a personal “map” of wellness strategies, resilience practices, unique stories, and community resources.”
Intentional Peer Support. Workbook about “building a healthier world – one in which people aren’t labeled but rather understood through the lens of their experience. It is about helping each other examine the lens we look through and decide whether this perspective has been useful to us. And finally, it is about helping each other move towards the lives we want”.
Friends Make the Best Medicine. Icarus Project Zine. “A guide to creating community mental health support networks”.
Healing Justice London “Healing Justice London creates safe spaces for healing for communities that are marginalised. We are inspired by social, disability and health justice, embodiment, creative-arts therapy and trauma-informed practice, involving deep listening and authentic lived experience participation. We merge theory with practice to reimagine wholeness and wellbeing at the intersection of adversity, disadvantage and oppression.
We are led by people of colour and lived experience, working on the intersections of oppression, health, healing and liberation practice. We seek to undo harms, repair, vision and sustain futures possible free from intimate, interpersonal and structural violence”.
Talk For health. “Talk for Health is a social enterprise working to improve mental health. It was set up by Nicky Forsythe, an Accredited Psychotherapist (MBACP Accred.), to teach the skills and attitudes that allow for more deeply connective talk between people. The skills we teach are ‘talk-based’ – this means that they are drawn from talking therapies, and we distil them into basic principles that anyone can use”.
Counselling for Social Change Provide low-cost counselling to people across Cornwall and also work with activists and campaigners across the U.K. Councelling is offered with real understanding of the issues surrounding activism, care work and campaigning.
The Free Psychotherapy Network A group of psychotherapists offering free and low-fee psychotherapy to people on low incomes. Currently developing their own ways of doing no-fee work and supporting each other in the experience. They would like other qualified psychotherapists and counsellors to join them in building a network.
The Radical Therapists Network. “Radical Therapist Network was founded in April 2020 in response to the UK governments continued neglect towards marginalised communities which was heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Systemic oppression within therapy, training institutions and the government has disproportionality impacted Black people and people of colour, trans people, disabled people, sex workers, underclass people and the working poor. This Network is a call to action and a home to counsellors and psychotherapists who hold power within systems and wish to use it to create positive change, as well as to therapists who hold marginalised identities seeking support and community”.
Kindred Minds Psycho-emotional health project for people from BME backgrounds.
Black, African and Asian Therapy Network Home of the largest directory of Councillors and Psychotherapists of African, Asian and Carribean heritage in the UK.
Black Minds Matter. “Our mission is to connect Black individuals and families with free mental health services — by professional Black therapists to support their mental health. To make this happen, we want to make mental health topics more relevant and accessible for all Black people in the U.K., removing the stigma and remodelling the services to be relevant for the Black community”.
Nafsiyat Intercultural Therapy Centre A pioneering organisation in the provision of intercultural therapy. Nafsiyat offers short-term intercultural therapy to people from diverse backgrounds who live in Islington, Enfield, Camden and Haringey. We provide therapy in 24 languages.
Maya Centre Women’s therapy and counseling, holds a black womens therapy group.
Refugee Therapy Centre Psychotherapy and counselling for refugees and asylum seekers.
One in Four Supporting people who have experienced child sexual abuse and trauma.
Life Signs. Guidance, resources, support networks for people who self harm.
Deaf Mental Health Services. “D4D is a team of Deaf Mental Health Counsellors & Psychotherapists from different backgrounds. We are passionate about Deaf Mental Health. Our aim is to help people receive counselling in the preferred communication style of choice”.
Pink Therapy. UK’s largest independent therapy organisation working with gender and sexual diversity clients.
Allsorts. “Allsorts Youth Project listens to, supports & connects children & young people under 26 who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or exploring their sexual orientation and/or gender identity (LGBT+).”
Action for Trans Health. “Action for Trans* Health seeks to improve trans* people’s access to healthcare.” Funds for health care support, allyship, education, solidarity, mutual aid.
Hearts and Minds. “Hearts & Minds provide weekly peer support groups and individual mentoring for young people who want support with their mental health. Hearts & Minds is the UK’s only peer led charity and service for young people experiencing mental health difficulties. We are unique in being a national community run entirely by young people with lived experience, for young people with lived experience, not attached to or led by statutory services, clinicians or larger mental health or youth organisations.”
Psycho-emotional health & social justice, and radical ‘mental health’
Fireweed Amazing online resource for progressive and broad converation about psycho-emotional experiences in the broadest sense, forums, resources, networks of support.
Rest for Resistance (by QTIPoC Mental Health) Great psycho-emotional health articles and resources for queer/trans/intersex people of colour.
Institute for the Development of Human Arts. (IDHA). “…mental health workers, clinicians, psychiatrists, current and prior users of mental health services, advocates, artists, and survivors of trauma and adversity, who are interested in exploring the link between personal and societal transformation”.
Behind the label Great website of Rachel Waddington; experienced independent international trainer and consultant specialising in innovative ways of supporting people who struggle with extreme states (including ‘psychosis’, ‘dissociation’ and post traumatic reactions)
Deep Water Historical International gathering that was held to explore psycho-emotional health in the context of social justice.
Critical Psychiatry Network Site mostly aimed at psychiatrists, trainee psychiatrists and medical students interested in broader critical perspective. Has a good list of critical psychiatry sites and studies.
Re: Create (Recreating psychiatry project) Project carving out safe, creative spaces for both service users and professionals to share their reflections – and listen to others – about the current psychiatric system’s virtues and frailties. Through podcasts, discussion groups, creative dialogue workshops and public events, through genuine, open-hearted and constructive dialogue, we are piecing together a collective, multi-perspectival understanding of how services can become more human for everyone involved.
Joanna Moncrieff Critical UK psychiatrist who has written and spoken extensively about the flawed premises of psychiatric practises and paradigms and the myth of the chemical cure. Also see films below.
Living Life Gently Reflections, news and resources from Elisabeth Svanholmer, who has translated a book about living with sensitivity, and offers trainings around progressive resources and approaches to psycho-emotional health and various psycho-emotional experiences.
Rufus May Psychologist who uses historical personal experience of altered consciousness and distress, and progressive tools and approaches now offered in trainings and daily work in the NHS.
Open Minded online. Website sharing ideas and resources about holistic approaches to emotional and social wellbeing.
Jaqui Dillon is a respected campaigner, writer, international speaker and trainer specialising in hearing voices, ‘psychosis’, dissociation, trauma, abuse, healing and recovery, and proud to be a part of a collective voice demanding a radical shift in the way we make sense of and respond to experiences currently defined as psychiatric illnesses.
Beyond Meds This site documents and shares many natural methods of self-care for finding and sustaining health in body, mind and spirit. This blog also deals with wider issues in the socio/political and spiritual realms as they pertain to mental health and human rights issues surrounding psychiatry. Great information about psychiatric medication, withdrawal plans and alternatives.
Coming off Psychiatric Medication This website aims to give you up to date information about psychiatric medication, how it functions and the withdrawal process. It is put together by people who have been prescribed medication and withdrawn from it, and clinicians who have been involved in supporting this process.
Hearing Voices Network For people who hear voices, see visions or have other unusual percepeptions. Support networks and resources.
Voice collective Voice Collective is a UK-wide, London-based project that supports children and young people who hear voices, see visions, have other ‘unusual’ sensory experiences or beliefs. We also offer support for parents/families, and training for youth workers, social workers, mental health professionals and other supporters.
Understanding Voices. “Understanding Voices (UV) is a website that makes it easier for people to find information about different approaches to voice-hearing and ways of supporting those who are struggling with the voices they hear. It has been produced by Hearing the Voice (Durham University) in close collaboration with voice-hearers, their families and allies, and mental health professionals.”
Compassion for Voices A website to support and promote compassionate approaches to voices and other experiences. Workshops, trainings, resources.
Compassion for Voices: a tale of courage and hope. 5 minute video “about the compassionate approach to relating with voices, with potential for use as a therapeutic, educational, and de-stigmatising tool”.
Short Thought #2 Getting To Know Your Voices, 8 minite video with Rai Waddingham ” For many, this may seem like a strange task. We can spend so long trying to block out the voices that we hear, especially if they talk about frightening or painful things, that the idea of exploring them may seem off-track. If you’d have spoken to me a decade ago I’d have said a similar thing. Still, finding ways of beginning to listen to (and think about) my voices has been an important step towards finding ways of living with them.”
Hearing Voices: A structured questionnaire (Maastricht) “This questionnaire was originally designed as a research tool to elicit information from people whohear voices. It has proved to be extremely useful in getting a much fuller picture of the sharedexperiences of voice hearers and the results have subsequently been used to develop a range ofcoping strategies that can help voice hearers to come to terms with their experience”
Recovery and hearing voices: five video clips from Ron Coleman
Beyond Possible: How the Hearing Voices Approach Transforms Lives 22 minute video about the Hearing Voices approach.
The voices in my head | Eleanor Longden TED Talk.
Talking with voices: Exploring what is expressed by the voices people hear by Dirk Corstens , Eleanor Longden & Rufus May
Hearing voices peer support groups: A powerful alternative for people in distress by Jaqui Dillon and Gail Hornstein.
Spiritual Crisis Network The Spiritual Crisis Network is a UK non-profit organisation that provides support and resources to help make meaning of and integrate a crisis experience, resulting in the relief of suffering and more positive outcomes.
The Soteria Network A network of people in the UK promoting the development of drug-free and minimum medication therapeutic environments for people experiencing ‘psychosis’ or extreme states. Part of an international movement of service users, survivors, activists, carers and professionals fighting for more humane, non-coercive mental health services.
Madness Radio Extensive archive of radio interviews with people about and offering alternative approaches to a variety of psycho-emotional experiences and related issues.
Emerging Proud EmergingProud is a Grassroots Social Movement aimed at re- framing ‘Madness’ as a catalyst for positive transformation.
Queerly Autistic. Erin Ekins’ site. “…queer, autistic woman who writes and advocates on issues surrounding being queer and autistic… also work on wider disability justice and various other social justice topics.” Website houses great resources
Rewriting the Rules. Meg Jon Barkers’s website, great articles about trauma, consent, gender, polyamory etc.
Open Dialogue This is the UK branch of a model pioneered in Western Lapland, Finland, as a progressive method for facilitating psychosis or psycho-emotional distress.
PD in the bin A collective space for all those wishing to resist, oppose or critique the label ‘personality disorder’.
Recovery in the Bin A “User Led group for MH Survivors and Supporters who are fed up with the way co-opted ‘recovery’ is being used to discipline and control those who are trying to find a place in the world, to live as they wish, trying to deal with the very real mental distress they encounter on a daily basis. We believe in human rights and social justice!”
Social mindfulness zine This zine explores the social side of our distress: the ways in which our individual struggles are embedded within our wider culture, within our organisations and communities, and within our interpersonal relationships.
Neuroqueer. Work of Nick Walker including an archive of essays on neurodiversity and neuroqueering.
Films
Evolving minds (with Spanish subtitles)
Open Dialogue documentary about the approach of Open Dialogue which originated in Western Lapland in Finland.
Staci Haines on Integrating Personal and Social Transformation
Joanna Moncrieff: The Myth of the Chemical Cure
Trauma; responses and healing approaches
Radical Bodywork Network. Resources for embodied practices, responding to and approaching trauma, and social justice.
Irresistable (formerly known as Healing Justice). “a media archive of powerful practices for healing & social justice from 2017-2020”.
TRE, Trauma Releasing Exercises. 20 minute video demonstrating the practice.
TRE (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises): Full Instructions with Dr. David Berceli. 13 minute video. “Official demonstration of the seven exercises that comprise TRE® (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises). TRE creator Dr. David Berceli takes you through a brief introduction of the exercises and TRE For All Chairperson Donna Phillips instructs how to do the seven exercises”.
Somatic Experiencing. Dr. Peter Levine on the Somatic Experiencing Approach and the Cocept of Titration. 10 minute video. One of many videos about Levine’s work and Somatic experiencing that are available online.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. Dr. Pat Ogden on the Sensorimotor Approach to Resolving Trauma by working with/through the body. 4 minute video.
Information and videos about polyvagal settling and grounding practices spoken about in terms of ‘regulation’ from Deb Dana.
Prentis Hemphill: Finding Our Way podcast.
Threads 