Mental Health
The Mental Health Project provides support to Asian women and their families who are suffering or recovering from a range of moderate mental health problems. The Project aims to contact this group, identify their unmet needs and open up access to our trained female counsellors.
This Project has been in existence for the past eleven years and provides mental health counselling, advice and information to Asian women who are distressed and disadvantaged and/or suffering from mental ill health either by visits or at our office.
Friday Drop-In
The aim is for women with varying health problems to come together in a safe and friendly environment. Social, recreational, arts and crafts activities are held at the drop-in, for example, sewing tutoring is provided to the women where they are taught how to make sari blouses and shalwar kameez. The arts and crafts activities consist of patchwork, handbag making, tie and dye/batik.
The drop-in also organises monthly awareness raising talks and workshops. Topics covered have included health, domestic violence and educational/training issues affecting Asian women. Speakers from various organisations and agencies are invited to raise awareness on key topics and discuss support mechanisms available to Asian women. We aim to disseminate relevant information within our communities that our clients and users would not normally be able to access due to cultural and language barriers.
Ward Visits
Every fortnight, our Mental Health Officer visits the Mental Health Unit at Chase Farm Hospital. Occasionally on these visits, a Bollywood film is also screened.
Outreach/Hospital to Home Service
Our Mental Health Officer provides outreach support to women who cannot visit us at Saheli because of physical or emotional problems.
She also supports clients who need to be escorted to their meetings either at the hospital or at the Council. She acts as a link between various agencies on behalf of clients. She also offers support to women who have been recently released from the Mental Heath Unit by visiting them at home. |
Counselling
The counselling service has helped women through issues such as depression, domestic violence, divorce/relationship breakdown, forced marriage, alcoholism and drug abuse, suicide and self-harming behaviour. Our counsellor can also provide Islamic counselling. The service has been flourishing and demand for this support service has remained high. The service is free* and counselling is provided in relevant community languages including Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Hindi as well as English. This is a vital service which takes into account the cultural and linguistic needs of the community it serves. Asian women who would not normally be able to access this type of support mechanism due to language barriers and/or financial constraints, can now do so in a safe non-judgemental atmosphere.
*Depending on the funding regulations, the service is free to those who live in the borough or have their GP in the borough. Occasionally, based on our discretion, it can be given free to also those who live in nearby boroughs.
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Free Luncheon Club
Every Friday between 1 – 1.30 pm healthy vegetarian lunches are provided to all our clients in the drop-in for free. On the last Friday every month hot vegetarian meals are delivered to us by the Joint Home Meals Service Enfield and Barnet Council, in partnership with Sodexho which is also provided for free.
Guided Walks facilitated by Enfield Saheli
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