A Belfast suicide prevention charity has been helping men, women and children with their mental health through arts and crafts, advice and friendship.
West Wellbeing settled in the Colin area of West Belfast last year with the goal of reducing high rates of suicide and helping improve the mental health and well-being of others.
And through donations and community spirit, the team is able to offer free services to those in need, from their hub at the Dairy Farm Mall.
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Set to meet the needs of what they were seeing and hearing, Desy Jones and Gerard Mallon say the numbers have impressed them in the first few months.
Over 200 hours of support have been provided in the first 16 days of March.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Desy said: “From the first week we opened, we had one counselor. We now have 24 counselors and eight befrienders. Within that we have a number of placement counselors through the University of Ulster in Millfield, SERC in Lisburn, Derry., and Newtownards We are now open six days a week at 8:00pm, but that will soon change to 9:00pm with more support on board.
“The youngest person we support here is four years old and the oldest is 92 years old. We have a lot of young children in the 4-9 age group who would do individual and play therapy. We have some children who have sadly lost their parents and are now being raised by another generation, perhaps their grandparents.
“We find that through expression using arts and crafts, children feel more comfortable with us and are able to open up and ask questions. That has been one of our greatest joys, seeing the difference in our children and their wider family network.
“If someone is presenting as in crisis, if they’re having suicidal thoughts, they’re not ready to be counseled directly. Our approach is that we’ll put in place a comprehensive service and keep them safe and they’ll work every day until we can strip them.” As many difficulties as possible, they are experiencing. It is only then that we will move to the therapy side of things, when we feel they are ready. Some people don’t want advice, they need more, we’ll be here. for them through all the paths they can travel.
“Our ‘befrienders’ have a little more freedom in the sense that they can leave the premises here and go meet the person who may be going through something. They can go for coffee, go shopping or go to their house to chat.obviously all that we are aware of.
“Counseling is a little stricter, that happens here. There is no time limit on counseling with us. If someone comes forward as suicidal, a lot of places will put them on a six-week program. That’s not long enough because some people they only start to open up after a few weeks. We’ll do a review every eight weeks and if it takes three, four, five, six months, we’ll always be there.
“When it comes to the end of counseling, it’s not a case of ‘Well done, see you later,’ it’s ‘Where are you going now? What’s your plan? Who are you going home with? Do you have a job?’ or do you need help getting a job?’ We want to be in contact with those who walk through our doors.
(Image: Justin Kernoghan)
“And everything with us is free. All services. If we ever had to start charging for things, we’d close those doors.”
Gerard Mallon told Belfast Live that they recently launched an initiative to help their cause.
In conjunction with this fundraising effort, West Wellbeing is hosting a morning breakfast at Urban Fire at Dairy Farm; here they will present background on who they are, what they do and what they hope to continue doing in the future, with the goal of getting some local businesses to endorse them.
“We’ve launched an initiative called ‘Find the Five,’ and it’s all about finding the funds for five members of the care team,” Gerard added.
“It will be three additional full-time counselors and an administrator and community mental health nurse. We need this funding; it would be a game changer for this community and beyond.
“We’re having an awareness breakfast on April 1 called ‘Empowered 50,’ and we want 50 companies to join us in helping us help others. We’re going to do a presentation at the breakfast, at Urban Fire, and if the company likes what we do and what we deliver, you can get involved with us throughout the year through donations and fundraising.
(Image: Justin Kernoghan)
“What we would ask for is a donation of £500 with the prospect of the company raising around £3,000 over the course of the year. The company will not be given ‘give us some money’; staff and their family circle, we want to work with 50 companies as a society.
“We’ve been lucky that when we post things on social media, people get it and understand who we are. Glenwood Business Center came forward and they’re going to fund our art project for three years. That means we don’t have to find the money for that counselor and the number of kids we have is unbelievable.
“We’ve delivered 200 hours of mental health support to children and adults in March alone, over 1,000 hours since we opened. It’s consistent.”
West Wellbeing has had referrals for people who need their services through schools, trusts and GPs.
His friendly and honest approach on social media has also allowed those feeling in crisis to reach out via direct message to seek help.
The team prides itself on having no waiting lists, a barrier that can cause people with mental health issues to wait weeks for an initial evaluation, before waiting longer before taking further action.
(Image: Justin Kernoghan)
“If someone contacts us, we’ll determine how badly they’re struggling at that exact moment,” Desy said.
“We will bring them in within a day or so for an evaluation and the ball will start rolling immediately. If the individual is in crisis mode, has suicidal thoughts or intentions, we will bring them in immediately and take as long as necessary.” how he gets along with them.
“We knew there was a need for this service but never expected the levels we are seeing so we are asking for support from businesses and the public. And we are not just a West Belfast charity, we will help anyone who reaches for it.” .
You can help West Wellbeing by following them on social networks here or getting involved through fundraiser here.
If you or someone you know is in distress or despair, call the free 24/7 Lifeline crisis helpline on 0808 808 8000.
Read more:West Belfast mental health space nearing completion with help from the community
Read more:NI Man Opens Up About Mental Health Collapse Post-Covid-19
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