Blogs

Health and social care staff commonly tell us that supporting individuals who have a history of offending presents unique challenges. These challenges stem from the complex systems as well as multiple needs that often accompany a history of offending. It is well documented that people in contact with the criminal justice system can have high levels of mental health and substance use difficulties, histories of trauma and adversity, homelessness, and experience barriers in soci

On Saturday the 8th June 2024 it is Global Wellness Day, so let's reconnect with nature and find harmony in our relationship with the Earth.  Dr Rachel Brown shows us how we all belong. If we can surrender to the earth’s intelligence, we can rise up rooted like trees’ Rainer Maria Rilke Sitting by a rushing waterfall it’s almost like there is a river running through me. My thoughts turn to the concepts of power and inevitability, helping me to shift and let go. Nature offers

If, like myself, your reflections on your new year's resolutions usually result in a sense of guilt and disappointment that these new goals have already started to slip – rest assured, you are not alone. As the month of January is fast approaching, rather than looking forward to the rest of the year to come, I usually find myself looking back as to whether or not I have started the year ‘right’. Have I achieved what I wanted to? Am I making the necessary steps to ensure my am

This years’ 10th of October marks an important day in highlighting and raising awareness of how a community can comprehensively support its members. Not only does World Mental Health Day fall upon this day, but the date is shared with the recognition of World Homeless Day also. The 10th of October therefore creates a powerful and special opportunity for open and critical discussion into how we, as a society, can best support those who are struggling and effectively drive poli

What is PIE and why is it important? A  Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE)  approach puts the individual at its centre, developing and delivering services that consider the emotional and psychological needs of the people accessing, and working in, those services. It plays a particularly vital role in the delivery of services for people experiencing multiple disadvantage, including individuals who are experiencing homelessness, have mental health difficulties, and co-o

Praise and reward go a lot further than punishment, as research suggests. These sanctions push the people that they are trying to help further into economic difficulty, and do little to change the way that they behave, even going as far as making an individual ashamed and pushing them into retreating further from support. ‘Learning from mistakes is more complex than carrying on in the same way as before’ stated the authors of ‘Why rewards are more effective than punishment’.

Evidence shows that there is a link between homelessness and mental health problems. Today is world mental health day, a day to raise awareness about mental health and give a voice to those suffering from a mental distress. Homelessness has a major impact on mental health not only because of the stress, loneliness and traumatic experience of being homeless, but also because of the correlative relationship between trauma and mental health problems which can lead to a path of h