A Guide to Coping In Uncertain Times
Samaritans Cymru has just launched Finding your Way – a guide for anyone who is struggling to cope.
It says: “Following an unprecedented period of disruption and uncertainty, we know that many people have experienced trauma and poor mental health. The pandemic has widened inequalities for many people in Wales, and those who were vulnerable at the beginning are now facing higher levels of distress than ever before.
“At this ongoing difficult time, we are proud to launch a new resource for Wales, which is for anyone struggling to cope. This includes those who have noticed a dip in their wellbeing, those feeling lonely or isolated and those feeling suicidal. Finding your Way contains some crucial information on self-harm and we are proud to have some brilliant sections from Heads above the Waves (HATW) which have a strong focus on lived experience. The resource also includes self-harm and suicide safety plans which can be lifesaving tools for those struggling to cope.
“This resource has been designed as a non-clinical, accessible resource which we hope to see in a number of settings, from GPs surgeries to foodbanks, universities to job centres. Each year, between 300 and 350 people die by suicide in Wales. Many of these people are not in touch with mental health services and therefore, we know that help and signposting need to be accessible in a wide range of priority places and frontline services. This resource is also focused on prevention and aims to help people identify when they’re struggling to cope early on, to stop them from reaching crisis point.
“This bilingual resource is available free online, where you can download and share copies with organisations and/or service users or customers. Please visit samaritans.org/FindingYourWay.
“We also have a limited run of hard copies which are free. To order some for your organisation or service, please contact our Wales team coordinator, Laura Frayne, on l.frayne@samaritans.org.
“For more information contact policy and communications manager Emma Gooding on e.gooding@samaritans.org.
Samaritans workplace training
The Samaritan central team delivers a range of one-day, half-day and bespoke courses on a range of topics including Conversations with vulnerable people, Managing suicidal conversations and Building resilience and wellbeing. To find out more about opportunities visit www.samaritans.org/training.
