We are experiencing political, economic and social instability in ways that many of us have never known.
Two years of lockdown, spiralling pressures on family budgets and national/international political unrest are causing new challenges to our mental health; and exacerbating the difficult experiences we were already dealing with. Therapy has a really important role to play in helping us cope with and recover from the challenges that we face in our life.
When it comes to getting support from the National Health Service, however, many of us have to wait for months on waiting lists and find, when we finally get an appointment, that the support is limited. Training to become a therapist is expensive and time consuming - this has not only turned something that is critical to our mental wellbeing into a commodity, it has created a middle class work force that doesn’t always get where people are coming from.
That’s why I’ve set up Hopeful Spaces - a Community Interest Company (SC791075) that exists to create community based therapeutic spaces that are welcoming to people of all identities – especially those that are and have been socially and economically marginalised.
Hopeful Spaces has two priorities.
To improve mental health outcomes In marginalised communities.
Counselling offers a space where we can explore and understand our emotions, thoughts, and behaviours. It provides a supportive environment where we can gain insight, develop coping strategies, and enhance our self-awareness. Research consistently demonstrates that counselling yields positive outcomes, including reduced symptoms of mental health disorders, enhanced well-being, improved coping skills, and increased overall satisfaction with life. So that everyone can access counselling, we will deliver talking therapy in marginalised communities, establishing therapy rooms in local spaces.
To nurture a more socially conscious counselling profession.
Therapists often come from middle-class backgrounds due to educational and financial prerequisites for pursuing advanced degrees. The costs and time commitments of training can be barriers for individuals from marginalised socioeconomic backgrounds, contributing to a predominantly middle-class composition within the therapy profession. That’s why class consciousness in a therapy setting is crucial – it helps foster effective and empathetic relationships between counsellors and the people they are supporting. Sensitivity to these structural barriers, and to the nuances of each community, enables therapists to create a more inclusive and supportive therapeutic environment. So that people can feel properly understood by their therapist, we will provide development opportunities for trainee therapists, hosting supervised and supportive volunteer placements.
Building as we go
Hopeful Spaces has been set up in response to demand. I’ve taken a Pay What You Can approach to my own work and my spaces are full. Within a day of newspaper publicity about the approach I was taking, I was contacted by a multi million pound voluntary organisation who told me they had closed their waiting list and wanted to know if they could refer people to me. I have quickly run out of time and resources to do this myself.
I don’t have all the answers or all of the questions. If you’re a funder, a community leader, a therapist or nosey parker who thinks you might have something to contribute to this new approach then I want to hear from you.