Journey 2 Work students receive certificates from MP

22/02/2010

An innovative course has provided crucial work-related support to unemployed people in the Stroud area who have experienced mental health difficulties.

Stroud MP David Drew presented certificates to six students who completed the Journey 2 Work course run at the Subscription Rooms by 2gether NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with Jobcentre Plus.

The 18-week course gives people who have experienced mental health difficulties the confidence and skills they need to access employment, voluntary work, training or education. It helps them to manage anxiety, address potential barriers to employment and access work placements.

Mr Drew told the students: “There is a problem in our society that we don’t talk about mental health even though there cannot be too many families who are not affected by it.

“I hope you are all able to make the transition into work but I know this might not be a quick process because of worries over issues like writing a CV or attending an interview. It is a process that takes a lot of support and that is why it is very important to have initiatives like this course that help people to feel more confident and to overcome barriers.”

2gether, which provides mental and social healthcare services for people of all ages throughout Gloucestershire, has previously run Journey 2 Work courses in Gloucester and Cheltenham.

Occupational Therapist Rhian Llewellyn, who led the Stroud course, said: “We all need meaningful activity if we are to have positive mental health. The Journey 2 Work course is an excellent example of organisations working together to help individuals recover by giving them real opportunities to move on in their lives and participate in the wider community.”

One in four people experience mental ill health every year and 2gether has signed up to Gloucestershire’s Social Inclusion Strategy along with Jobcentre Plus and a host of other organisations in a bid to remove mental health inequalities and tackle the stigma that surrounds mental illness.
Charles Morse, Jobcentre Plus District Manager for Gloucestershire, said: “There is clear evidence that when people return to work – even on a part-time basis – their health often improves, and this is what we are striving to achieve by working alongside staff from 2gether on the Journey 2 Work course.”
Employers who want more information about the Journey to Work course can contact Rhian Llewellyn on 01453 562090.

Anyone aged 16 or over and living in Gloucestershire can become a Public Member of 2gether NHS Foundation Trust. Membership is free and is a great way of showing support for local services. For more information on membership of 2gether, please visit www.2gether.nhs.uk or telephone 01452 891165.

Back row, from left, David Drew MP with Journey 2 Work students Michael Taylor, Mark Hayward, Anthony Cutts and Matt Smith;

Front row, from left, 2gether Occupational Therapists Rhian Llewellyn and Sharon Frith, Sarah Golding, Disability Employment Adviser at Jobcentre Plus, 2gether Recovery Team Manager Julie White and Journey 2 Work student Clive Owlett