"Sometimes it feels like the support group might have saved my life": Julia's story

The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Self-Harm Team run a support group for parents of children who self harm. One of the mums from the group, Julia, shares her story.

Sometimes it feels like Caroline and Marie’s support group might have saved my life. That might be an exaggeration but it’s certainly gone a long way towards supporting my mental health…and I can only adequately support my children when I’m doing okay myself.

What is mindfulness?

You might have heard people talk about mindfulness as something which can help with mental health and wellbeing. But what exactly is mindfulness?

Nottingham Mental Health Awareness Weeks: "There's a lot that people don't know"

Rachel is a service user and Involvement Volunteer with us at Nottinghamshire Healthcare. She wanted to talk to us about Haven House, which she thinks is a fantastic support to people experiencing a mental health crisis.

Haven House, which is run in partnership with Turning Point, provides 24-hour support for up to seven days to people from Nottingham and south Nottinghamshire.

I came to the crisis house because I was having difficulties with a neighbour, and I needed a quiet place to get some respite. I have bipolar, and I was becoming very stressed and having high moods.

The best thing about Haven House is the calm atmosphere and the camaraderie. A lot of support comes from the other people who are using the service. We’re like a family, and we look after one another. We cook together and help each other out. We’ve recently had a burger night, and we’ve had cream tea together. You get a lot of support from the other clients.

"Our family life was changing beyond recognition": Nicky's story

The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Self-Harm Team run a support group for parents of children who self harm. One of the mums from the group, Nicky, shares her story.

It’s hard to express how I felt when I discovered that my daughter was self harming. I lived with constant anxiety, worry and in a state of nervous tension, feeling a mixture of guilt and shame, wondering what I’d done wrong and how I could have supported her better.

“Health visitors are a lifeboat in the stormy days of having a new baby.”

As a doctor, Lucy knew all about the role of health visitors. However, it wasn’t until she became a mum herself that she realised just how important their work really was.

At seven-weeks-old Lucy’s daughter, Rosie, was diagnosed with an inguinal hernia which occurs when fatty tissue or part of the bowel pokes through into the groin. Shortly afterwards, Rosie underwent an operation to have her hernia repaired.

It was a difficult time for Lucy, who found support not only from her family, but from her local health visitor too.

“Nicola had been helping me with breastfeeding Rosie because she had lost a lot of weight following her birth” recalls Lucy. “When I showed her the hernia, she was reassuring and kind, which was just what I needed."

All you need to know about potty training

Most families will experience the ups and downs of potty training at one time or another. Nicola Lilley, a health visitor with the Trust, gave us her top tips for toilet training.

Wait until they are ready

Don’t feel pressured to start toilet training if you do not feel your child is ready. Toilet training is more likely to be successful if you let your child set the pace. If your child isn’t ready, success will take longer and the likelihood of accidents is greater.

When are children ready to toilet train?

There is no right age to start toilet training. Most children are around two-years-old but many are nearer three-years-old before they start showing signs of being ready.

"I never expected to get the care that we did. Nicola was fantastic!"

When Gina, mum to two-year-old Cleo, contacted her local health visitor for help with potty training, she wasn’t sure what to expect. However, after a few visits from Nicola, a health visitor with the Trust, Gina soon realised she’d get more than she expected.

“My GP suggested I contact my health visitor” explains Gina, “because Cleo was struggling to poo on the potty. I didn’t know what to expect from Nicola, but I didn’t think we’d get anything like the one-to-one care that we did. She was fantastic."