9 of 13 Appropriate Professional Support

“I’m not sure the security guard at my mental health unit really knows what to say when I talk about how I was beaten up as a kid.”

People who had experienced trauma in their lives and those with mental health issues spoke of disclosing their issues to their key-workers only to then come across significant barriers to accessing the appropriate support. Long waiting lists or lack of psychological support whilst using substances came hand in hand with living in temporary accommodation. This resulted in difficulties sleeping, then self-medicating or relying on drugs received from doctors. There appeared to be no solution to this chicken and egg situation. Where some people did get appropriate care when expressing suicidal thoughts, others were accused of attention seeking or referred to services with such long waiting times, they resorted back to self-medicating and unhealthy coping strategies.

We took action

We looked beyond the immediate and usual options available to people who required professional support and provided each person with the option of a personal budget where they were able to select and access their own therapy and therapists when they needed it.

The PTS opens up immediate and new options for people to access the support they need when they need it so that they can begin to shape their own markets rather than relying on whatever’s available.