Author: Anthony Irtelli

With Lockdown 3.0 in full swing, many of the young people YMCA DownsLink Group supports may be feeling isolated, bored, missing their friends and worried about school or university.

Focused on all things mental health, e-wellbeing is an NHS approved digital wellbeing service for young people. We provide tips, advice and support for young people during lockdown and beyond, so they can access the right tools for their emotional health and mental wellbeing.

We’re incredibly proud of e-wellbeing’s young volunteers and friendly mental health experts who have helped us create the following resources:

• e-wellbeing’s updated Coronavirus Module can be found here.
• Our Podcast on Lockdown Life with Dr Pooky Knightsmith responding to young people’s questions on the impact of being in the previous lockdown is here.
• Free downloadable Mental Health Resources which can be used by young people, schools, parents and practitioners working with young people can be found here.
• e-wellbeing’s recent mental health campaign #YouGotThis shared advice and handy tips for young people. Check out the campaign’s wrap video below:

Sharing is caring, so please do share the resources above and the e-wellbeing website with the young people you support. Together we can raise awareness and inspire more young people to look after their mental health during this pandemic and beyond.

Lastly, if you think you may have Coronavirus and need guidance on what to do, click here for the NHS 111 website where you can find advice and support.

Be safe everyone and take care of yourselves.

e-wellbeing.co.uk

“I want to say a huge thank you to all the people donating to Love in a Box, it means so much to the young people we support, it’s the only gift they received at Christmas and they can’t be with their families so having that gift, it means so much. Thank you” – Mel, Project Worker 

We want to say a huge thank you to every one of our Love in a Box supporters for buying a gift that makes a difference. Starting in Brighton & Hove ten years ago, and subsequently expanding to all our locations, it was important for us to continue Love in a Box this year, despite the challenges presented by Covid-19. 

So, to continue the campaign safely, Love in a Box went digital! We’ve been overwhelmed by your generosity and kindness. Due to your donations, every one of our residents, living in 24–hour supported accommodation, had a present to open on Christmas Day.  

“Love in a Box makes a massive difference to the lives of our young people, so we want to thank you so much from here at the YMCA” – Nick, Project Worker 

Connor is one of our residents who received a gift on Christmas Day thanks to your support. Despite losing his job as a chef during the first lockdown, he wanted to give something back. He used his culinary skills to cook up a delicious Christmas dinner, made from food donated by local businesses, for the other residents and staff.   

Since the pandemic began, we’ve been overwhelmed by the way our community has come together to offer us kindness, care and support. We’ve seen a staggering 61% increase in vulnerable young people needing our help since March 2020, so your support has been needed more than ever before, and we are very grateful.  

Every year we support over 10,000 young people and families throughout Sussex and Surrey through our housing projects, mental health counselling, advice services, training, and educational opportunities.  If you would like to find out more about how we help vulnerable young people, at a critical stage in their lives, visit the link below. 

https://staging.ymcadlg.org/what-we-do/accommodation/supported-accommodation/more-than-a-room/ 

It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Pudz, YMCA DownsLink Group’s therapy dog, passed away last month. Pudz’s role was to help young people be able to engage in therapy and counselling, provide a safe space and break down anxieties. Pudz worked with over 120 clients and completed over 2000 hours in his time within the service and he will be greatly missed. This case study is a tribute to him and his incredible work.

Canine-assisted Counselling Case Study: Paula

Paula has struggled with anxiety and confidence issues since she was young. She previously tried a treatment called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing – a type of psychotherapy) with the NHS, which helped at the time. However, as she got older she was finding it hard to control her emotions and temper and felt very overwhelmed a lot of the time. She had become dependent on family members and was struggling to go anywhere new, so asked her mum for help. She took Paula to their GP, who helped make a referral to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services).

During Paula’s CAMHS assessment, they realised she had a love for animals and that, a bit like Dr Dolittle, she found it easier to talk to animals than humans. They told her about Canine-assisted Counselling in the Brighton & Hove Wellbeing Service and helped make a request for support.

The Children & Young People’s Wellbeing Service is a free NHS mental health service for 4-17-year olds in Brighton & Hove, who are experiencing mild-to-moderate mental health needs. It is delivered by YMCA DownsLink Group in partnership with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT) and offers a range of counselling and therapy options, as well as community support and social prescribing.

The Wellbeing Service agreed that Canine-assisted Counselling would help Paula to explore her thoughts and feelings, and to build her self-confidence, so she was given a space and started a series of therapy sessions with Andrew and Pudz the dog.

Paula was nervous at her first session but after going for a walk with her mum, Andrew and Pudz, and being able to hold Pudz lead, she was able to relax. After initially wanting her mum to be in every session, Andrew helped Paula grow in confidence and independence so her mum could sit in the waiting room or even go for a walk.

Andrew and Pudz helped Paula to feel calmer and manage her outbursts, teaching her some breathing and counting exercises. She was also given a colour changing glitter photo frame with her family inside. Each of the colours relates to a different mood, so she can help explain to her family what mood she is in, and the glitter helps her relax as she watches it fall. After discovering her love for arts and crafts, Paula was encouraged to do rock painting and draw storyboards of her feelings at home.

Paula says the best part of her sessions was Pudz – who acted as a distraction and gave her the confidence to talk to Andrew. Having heard about Emotional Support Animals (ESA’s) and with Andrew’s support, Paula and her family began to investigate this, eventually leading to Ralph the puppy! He arrived just as her sessions with Andrew and Pudz were ending and Paula was able to bring Ralph in to meet Andrew when he was 10 weeks old.

Ralph is now eight months old and a registered ESA and helped Paula enormously as her family had to shield for an extended period during the covid-19 pandemic.

Looking to the future, Paula is enrolled to start her second year at college but also has an Apprenticeship interview coming up.

Paula says, “I would just like to say thank you to Andrew, Pudz and my family. I was at a really low point, but it made me realise that I have to keep going and enjoy life and that I have a lot to offer. Who knows what the future holds, but it certainly looks a lot brighter than it did.”

To find out more about our counselling services, click here.

Our annual Christmas fundraiser is back.  Love in a Box started in Brighton & Hove ten years ago and was an instant hit with our residents who loved having a present to open on Christmas Day and feel the love and care of their local community at the same time.  This year, however,  rather than filling shoeboxes with gifts, we’re asking people to buy ‘virtual gifts’ and donate online, via our Love in a Box campaign page, so that our Key Workers can buy personalised presents for the young people they look after.

There are two main reasons for the change. Firstly, Covid-19 has meant that it’s been logistically difficult to receive and distribute physical boxes in a safe way. Secondly, our Key Workers in YMCA DownsLink Group’s 24-hour supported accommodation, get to know the young people who live with them really well, in some cases they’re more like a surrogate family. So buying a virtual gift means they can buy something thoughtful and personal that really lets the young person know that they are cared for.  It could be something to help them pursue a passion or hobby, or something they desperately need; a decent coat, warm jumper, or new trainers.

Bill, a young man living in our 24-hour supported accommodation, explains what an incredible difference our Key Workers make to him:

“My favourite thing about living at the YMCA is feeling safe and protected. The staff have had a big impact on me, and I’ve had really good support from them. They have been patient and accepting of me and my “luggage” (which is a lot less now 😊)”.

Leaha, a young woman living with us, had a passion for football and wanted to play in an international tournament. Thanks to generous donations, she was bought a pair of football boots and fulfilled her dream.

Anyone can buy a virtual gift or donate via www.ymcadlg.org/loveinabox-xmas-2020.  You can also buy a gift on behalf of someone else, so it’s a great option for a Secret Santa gift, which is notoriously difficult to get right (and probably end up in a landfill). It’s also possible to specify which area within Sussex and Surrey you would like your money to go to so that you can rest assured that you are really helping a vulnerable young person living close to you.

To find out more click here www.ymcadlg.org/loveinabox-xmas-2020.