Blot on the landscape

  It was during a meeting with the Crisis Service and CMHT, when my care was to be transferred to CMHT, that I was asked if I had any specific requests or needs that CMHT should consider. I gave them a challenge, which has become the case study I'm now involved in and what I'd like to focus on in this blog. A bit of background first. I'd spent the past 10 years developing a charity working with predominantly older people, using sport as a focus for reminiscence, as this developed, we discovered that by talking about sport, we could create a safe, fun environment, where even the least active would willingly join in regular exercise and games. Being a man in his 50's (the government class 50 as the start of old age, as if!!) I'd made a conscious decision in 2018 to try to start exercising more, as I was working seven days a week and wasn't practising what I was preaching. Every time I made the effort to exercise, I immediately felt fresher and better for it, both ...

  Friday evening saw my final session and completion  of David Gilbert’s excellent Patient Leadership Training Programme. It’s the first ‘formal’ learning I’ve done for some time and can safely say it has been a thoroughly enjoyable and informative course. There was a great mix of people with a huge range of life skills, professional backgrounds and personal experiences, with a great international mix of delegates. I’m looking forward to keeping in touch with the group and later this afternoon meeting many of those who have already been on the programme. Saturday then saw the official completion of the 12 week case study that TEWV NHS mental health trust have run, along with Tristan Eaglen Coaching, to test out the impact a tailored programme might have on difficult to treat, severe depression. I struggle to put into words just how big an impact it has had, not only for me, but my family too.  In a nutshell, with the support and coaching, in 3 months my PHQ-9 depression t...