Our new telephone support service become a life-changing form of support during the lockdowns of the last year. In addition, our regular counselling service has also been complemented by monthly support groups in a number of areas. 

These groups have offered our members the opportunity to not only seek professional advice but to talk through experiences that others are also going through. The new groups have included dedicated sessions around bereavement, specific conditions and accepting your diagnosis, as well as a sessions to help people adjust to life after lockdown.  Carers have also had the opportunity to come together to discuss their needs, learn coping mechanisms and make sure they are investing time to look after their own needs and health.

These groups have been taking place over Zoom for the last year due to the need to maintain social distancing and keep our members safe, but it is hoped that these groups could return to being held at the Centre again in the future, with the possibility of combining this with virtual attendance to enable the sessions to be accessible to all. 

Peer support has always been an important part of the Centre and our new Listening Service will take this a stage further. Volunteers have been training in counselling skills to be able to offer a service which will bridge the gap between members talking to each other in our support groups and in Café Neuro and our counselling service run by our trained counsellor. 

The introduction of these support groups and this new Listening Service has been made possible through funding by the Millennium Stadium Community Trust and the Postcode Community Trust.