Link Work at Sunderland Counselling Service
What do we offer?
Community Link Work
Maternal Mental Health Link Work
Listening Ear
Children and Young People Link Work
Psychiatric Liaison Team Link Work
Community Link Work
We are the Community Link Work Service. We help adults in Sunderland who are finding life difficult because of their mental health and everyday problems like money worries, housing issues, or feeling lonely are making things harder.
We know these things can make life feel overwhelming, and we’re here to support you while you’re on a waiting for help or are getting mental health support.
Our service is person-centred, holistic and goal focused
What do we offer?
We get to know you and work together on what matters most to you. We help you set small, achievable goals so life feels a bit easier.
You might be dealing with things like anxiety, isolation, debt, housing issues, homelessness, a new mental health diagnosis, self-esteem, depression and more.
Our Community Link Workers can offer:
- Support for your mental and emotional wellbeing
- Simple coping and calming techniques
- Help to recognise early warning signs
- A listening ear
- Advice and help finding support for housing, finances, work, or education
- Advice and help to find support from specialist services like GPs, Adult Social Care, housing teams and more
- Help getting your voice heard
- Information about self-help tools
- Support to find local groups, hobbies, or activities
If other problems are getting in the way of your mental health recovery, we’ll help you figure out what you need and take the next steps forward
Who is this service for?
This service is for people who:
- Are 18 or older
- Live in Sunderland
- Are getting, or have had, mental health support and need extra practical help
Referrals come from Sunderland Talking Therapies and Primary Care Teams, such as counsellors and GPs. If you think this could help, speak to your worker.
Where is this service located?
We can support you:
- Online
- By phone
- Face to face at our main building, your GP surgery, Mental Health Hubs, or local community spaces across Sunderland
Maternal Mental Health Link Work Service
Who are we?
The Maternal Mental Health Link Work Service aims to support new and expectant mothers in Sunderland with ‘what matters to them’ by engaging and enabling mothers to participate in group activities and connect into local organisations and services.
We will provide person centred, holistic, goal focused support to mothers who are suffering with mild to moderate mental health distress who, in addition, also need practical assistance to get their lives back on track.
We understand that life's up and downs affect our mental health and that this can effect our ability to cope. On top of all the stresses of all things maternal, things such as housing, finance or social isolation can have a huge impact on our mental wellbeing and hinder our abilities to regain stability in our lives.
What do we offer?
By building a relationship with you and using a person centred approach, the service will provide tailored support to help you identify, set and achieve “what matters to me” goals to tackle issues in your life that are having a negative impact on your wellbeing.
You may be struggling with anxiety, isolation, debt, housing issues, homelessness, a new mental health diagnosis, self-esteem, depression and more.
We will offer you an assessment to understand your specific needs and then provide:
- Empowerment to take control of your health and wellbeing
- Education, reassurance and support regarding mental health issues and treatment options
- Signposting or referrals into specialist services if required
- A check-in-system for mothers to ensure they feel listened to
- Practical support for circumstances associated with maternal issues.
- Connecting with local community activities/groups
We can support you to identify what in your life you’d like support with and work together to create manageable, achievable goals to work towards personal growth and recovery.
Who is this service for?
This service is for any mother who is:
- Ages 18 or over
- Living in Sunderland
- At a stage of preconception, pregnant or postnatal with the child under the age of two years.
- Has or currently is, being supported by a mental health service where there are additional practical needs have been identified
This service accepts referrals from Sunderland Psychological Wellbeing Service, Community Midwives and Community Treatment Teams. If you feel you would benefit from this support, please discuss this with your worker.
Where is this service located?
Depending on your needs, we can offer support to you remotely via online video or telephone sessions. We can also offer face to face support at our main building in the centre of Sunderland or from a selection of community centres or public spaces across Sunderland.