By PhoenixPublished: February 5, 2010Posted in: Look after yourself, Resources, VolunteeringTags: 
Family Tree is a Wirral based organisation supporting carers and families affected by severe mental health problems, especially those that are psychotic in nature.
If you are caring for someone with a severe mental illness it can be very stressful. Not only are you concerned because someone you love is ill but you are also worried that the way you respond to their illness could make things worse not better.
At Family Tree we aim to give you the knowledge and support you need to be able to cope better with the situations you find yourself in. We do this in a variety of ways. We run training days and short courses helping people to understand what is going on when someone experiences a period of severe mental illness, the most recent one was “Moving on, Motivation and Change”. We also offer information sessions, recent topics have included ”Changes to the Mental Health Act”, ”Lasting Powers of Attorney and the Court of Protection” and “What’s Out There?” – a comprehensive look at leisure activities, support groups and other help available to carers and the people they care for. Our newsletter gives you topical information as well as keeping you informed about our activities.The recently produced “Guide to Mental Health Services for Wirral Carers” is designed to help you find your way through the maze of services available. We recognise that sometimes you need a break and so we arrange theatre trips and days out.
Another of our roles is to take carers’ concerns and needs to meetings where decisions can be taken about services and to provide some training for staff working in those services about the role of the carer. We have also just involved carers in the consultation that was undertaken by the Department of Adult Social Services into possible changes to services and fed back their views.
Family Tree has been established for nine years and was started by carers for carers. Although we are based in a hospital we are an independent registered charity.
We have recently extended our remit to include support for people with mental health problems themselves as we are about to undertake (with the support of Wirral PCT and the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust) a pilot project of intensive Family Intervention. Family Intervention is widely recognised as an effective therapy for psychotic illnesses and ideally involves working with the person with the mental health problem, their carers and other family members where appropriate over a lengthy period of time
|
Family Tree Wirral
The Stein Centre
St Catherine’s Hospital
Derby Road
Birkenhead
Wirral
CH42 0LQ
Tel 0151 488 7708 ext 3843
Fax 0151 488 7717
|
Random Posts
About the Author
Phoenix is the editor of this site and was diagnosed with bipolar twenty years ago. In between 7 periods of illness and hospitalisation she trained as a garden designer and was a awarded an RHS Diploma, gained a first class degree in Cultural Studies and a Certificate in Education that enables her to lecture in Recovery in Mental Health to psychiatric nurse students and mental health professionals at 3 universities.
Phoenix has not been in hospital now for 5 years which she attributes to embracing Wellness Recovery Action Planning and all aspects of Recovery. She also will be delivering WRAP sessions in local communities for the Health and Wellbeing project and eventually help train all the community mental health teams and nurses in practice. In the last year she has also become a stand-up comedian which she believes has been the final key to her own recovery. Laughter truly is the best medicine!
