New activities will help boost well-being after a mental health crisis

People overcoming a mental health crisis will be able to take part in activities such as yoga and tai chi to help with their recovery.

The Crisis Recovery Unit, based in the Orchard Centre in Swansea, will be offering the daily sessions to patients who have been discharged from mental health wards – and in some cases could help prevent them going into hospital in the first place.

They will receive support from unit staff to aid their ongoing recovery and increase their participation in everyday life.

The unit will be running a timetable of group activities such as gardening, arts and crafts, yoga, gaming, tai chi and more.

Pictured: (L-R in back row) Community mental health nurse Jodie Murray, healthcare support workers David Ball and Phillip Griffiths. (Front row) Dr Khan, community mental health nurse Sophie Harris, deputy team manager and occupational therapist Jamie-Lee Downes, occupational therapist technician Marcus Dellibovi, clerical officer Neil Evans and occupational therapist Dawn Roberts.

Staff will be doing this by using the occupational therapy programme Recovery Through Activity, which uses a wide variety of activities available in the community to enhance health and wellbeing.

“The centre previously operated as a drop-in centre but we are moving away from that to provide more structure,” said Jamie-Lee Downes (pictured third from the left in the front row), occupational therapist and deputy manager of the Swansea assessment and home treatment team.

“We work with people who are going through or have been through a mental health crisis.

“That could be people with mental health issues who live in the community, so we prevent hospital admissions for them. We also work with people who have been in hospital and have come out and may be vulnerable so need that extra support.

“Patients receive intense support in a short period of time to hopefully continue their recovery and prevent any readmissions.”

Pictured: Members of staff at the Orchard Centre in Swansea.

The unit is run by a team of occupational therapists who support patients holistically, through the use of everyday activities.

It is hoped that the activities offered at the unit will help to build confidence and motivation, as well as helping people to learn various new skills.

For instance, as part of the gardening activity, patients will be able to make meals from vegetables and herbs grown in the unit’s garden area.

Jamie-Lee added: “We work holistically to look at every aspect of that person’s life.

“We offer structured occupational therapy sessions, spread out over a period of time, which cover all different aspects of occupational therapy.

“We will be running tai chi and yoga groups which are all about movement and the holistic approach to health and well-being.

“Engaging in an occupation or activity has been proven to be beneficial to mental health.

“It helps with distraction and to build on skills that maybe people have lost.

“Something as simple as taking part in some arts and crafts can lead to an interest in that.”

The pandemic put a pause on the unit’s group meetings and staff had to see patients individually instead.

Now, the group activities will not only help patients to socialise but also give staff more time to see and support more people too.

“We can see a lot more patients in a shorter time,” Jamie-Lee added.

“The group setting will provide contact for the people who may be isolated or vulnerable. It will provide a safe space for them.

“It also encourages people to leave their own home and manage anxiety by coming to a place that is comfortable and familiar to them.”

Staff also hope to invite community services into the unit to tell patients what is available to them too.

Jamie-Lee said: “We are looking at getting different speakers to come in and give a talk about the services they offer which will hopefully, once the patients are discharged from us, provide that seamless care.

“We can help to link patients in with various local community services.

“They come in to us at the beginning and have assessments, then they receive the interventions such as the Recovery Through Activity.

“They then have an evaluation and we can look at what support is available to them in the community.”

Kristel Davies, lead occupational therapist in adult mental health services, said: “The Crisis Recovery Unit will be a fantastic addition to the patient pathway.

“It will provide a safe space for individuals to develop key skills and support re-engagement in meaningful activities with a key focus on developing connections with community services.”