Your journey through Rise

The start of your  journey through Rise is at the Navigation Hub. Clinical staff at the Navigation Hub look at the referrals and decide on which part of Rise you should be seen in first. This could be signposting to a service outside of Rise, such as a community and voluntary organisation who are funded to deliver services around emotional and mental health wellbeing.

You may be offered a group or an initial assessment, in which case a letter will be sent to you asking you to call us to book an appointment.

After Initial Assessment

After the initial assessment you will receive a letter saying what is going to happen next. This could be for a therapeutic group, such as anxiety management, or a further specialist assessment or intervention may be offered. It may be that you are signposted to a different service. Depending on what is needed, there could be quite a wait at times but the service is always working hard to see you as quickly as we can.

What can I expect from my appointment?

When you come to your first appointment, which is called an initial assessment, the staff may talk to you about why they have been asked to see you and they will give you the opportunity to talk about how you are feeling.  Then we can work together to find the best way to help you.  You might find it useful to write down things you would like to say or questions you may have before your appointment.

Some questions you might want to ask during your first appointment are:

  • How often will I have to come here?
  • Will the person I see at the first appointment be the person who I will always see?
  • If medication is talked about you may want to ask what it is, how much, how long for, are there any side effects to look out for and what happens when I no longer need it?
  • How information is shared about the treatment and care being offered to you or your relative – who will know and why?
  • How the care and treatment offered by the service is reviewed and monitored – including how your views will be included in this?

It’s important to check with the person you are seeing where you can get help if you hit a problem between appointments or at times when the clinic is not normally open, e.g. in the evenings or at the weekends.

You might also want to ask about other places where you can go for help, information and advice and to check out whether services have any booklets or leaflets about things you can do yourself at home – sometimes called ‘self help’ options.

Other things that can help:

  • Make a diary of any feelings or issues that you are worried about.
  • Write things down beforehand that you want to ask about or check out.
  • Allow plenty of time to find the place where the appointment will be.

Questionnaires that we may use

You may be asked to complete some questionnaires called Routine Outcome Measures or ROMs before and after your sessions.  These questionnaires are designed to ensure that we are helping you the best way we can and will allow you to see the progress you are making.  This will help you to decide what to work on.

Mental health explained

What is good mental health?

Good mental health is characterised by a person’s ability to fulfil a number of key functions and activities, including:

  • the ability to learn
  • the ability to feel, express and manage a range of positive and negative emotions
  • the ability to form and maintain good relationships with others
  • the ability to cope with and manage change and uncertainty.

Mental health refers to your overall psychological well-being. It encompasses the way you feel about yourself, the quality of your relationships, and your ability to manage your feelings and deal with difficulties.

Strong mental health isn’t just the absence of mental health problems. Being mentally or emotionally healthy is much more than being free of depression, anxiety, or other psychological issues. Rather than the absence of mental illness, mental health refers to the presence of positive characteristics. Keep reading...  What is good mental health.pdf [pdf] 42K
 

ADHD
ADHD stands for Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. The 3 main symptoms are inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. If you have ADHD it does not mean that you are naughty and you are likely to find it difficult to control these symptoms at times and this is why having an assessment can be helpful as there are things that can make a difference.


Autism
Autism means you have a particular way of seeing the world that is different to most other people. It means that you are likely to find it difficult to understand what people want at times and what they mean and why they have reacted in the way they have. You may find it hard to make and keep friends. Having an assessment for autism can help you make sense of why you find some things difficult.


Anxiety
Anxiety can appear when you have worries, concerns, uncertainties, tension or feelings of fear. It is the body’s natural reaction to a situation or something scary or difficult. However there are times when it is more severe or becomes more frequent and gets in the way of everyday life, if this happens then getting help for it is a good idea.


Depression
We all feel fed up, miserable or sad at times. These feelings are normal, but they can lead to depression if they persist. Depression is an illness, which can affect your body and the way you think, you can also lose your appetite, enjoyment of things and find your sleep is affected.  Depression can affect anyone, at any age and is unlikely to just go away without help.


Eating Disorders
Eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating disorder. Someone with anorexia nervosa worries all the time about being fat (even if they are skinny) and eats very little. They lose a lot of weight and in girls their periods become irregular or stop. Someone with bulimia nervosa also worries a lot about weight. They alternate between eating next to nothing, and then having binges when they gorge themselves. They vomit or take laxatives to control their weight. Binge eating disorder involves a person regularly eating large portions of food all at once until they feel uncomfortably full, and then often upset or guilty. These binges are often planned in advance and the person may buy "special" binge foods. These eating disorders are more common in girls, but do occur in boys. They can happen in young people of all backgrounds and cultures.


OCD
OCD stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; it comes from being really anxious. The main symptoms are obsessive thoughts which are intrusive, repetitive and unwanted. Compulsive behaviours, which are usually rituals, are done to reduce the anxiety or just to make you feel better, but this never lasts and so you end up having to do them again and again, which is why it is a good idea to look for help to beat it.


Self-Harm
Self-harm is when you harm your body without wanting to die. However, there are some people who harm themselves and have suicidal thoughts at the same time. You may not know why you are self-harming and this can feel scary. It can be helpful to talk to someone about it.

Confidential text support service

A confidential text support service is available for young people Coventry & Warwickshire via Chat health, a School Nurse texting service for 11-18 year olds across Coventry. The service enables students to send confidential SMS text messages to School Nurses who will provide impartial advice and support around a range of topics such as sexual health, emotional health, bullying and/or healthy eating. If you live in Coventry the number to text is 07507 331949 and in Warwickshire it is 07507 331525. You can text Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. To find out more visit the Healthchat website here.

We recommend

Join Kooth, the free online mental health community for young people in Coventry and Warwickshire

Coventry Schools Mental Health leaflet.pdf [pdf] 78KB


Apps:

Websites:


Additional Resources:

Young Black Men's Mental Health and Wellbeing Project.pdf [pdf] 96KB

Confidential text support:

Chat Health is a confidential text support service available for 11-18 year olds across Coventry and Warwickshire. The service enables students to send confidential SMS text messages to School Nurses who will provide impartial advice and support around a range of topics such as sexual health, emotional health, bullying and/or healthy eating. If you live in Coventry the number to text is 07507 331949 and in Warwickshire it is 07507 331525. You can text Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. To find out more visit the Healthchat website here.

Top tips to help you look after yourself and feel better

Sometimes life can get difficult. People can feel sad, anxious, confused or angry. It's important for you to look after yourself and try to make yourself feel good.

The following things can help cheer you up during these hard times. Try them when you are experiencing these difficult emotions:

 Family and Friends

  • Be around friends and steer clear of bullies
  • Spend time having fun and doing things you enjoy
  • Have some time out when you are feeling frustrated, go to your room or somewhere quiet to chill out
  • Go to someone in your family, a friend or someone you trust for a big hug
  • Talk to your family and friends about your problems or when you are feeling sad, worried or even angry (talking face to face is better than on an computer or via text message).

 Confrontation

  • If something or someone is making you angry, tell someone else and try to walk away
  • If someone or something is irritating you, try to breathe deeply and slowly, or consider counting to 10 before responding
  • Write a letter to the person that has made you feel upset or angry, but don't send it, this may help get your emotions out.

 Relax

  • Walk your dog or play with a pet
  • Draw a picture or just scribble loads of colours on paper!!
  • Write a song
  • Do some relaxation
  • Write a diary of how you are feeling
  • Listen to some music that makes you feel happy, sing and along to it. Avoid emotional songs that make you feel low
  • Read a book
  • Have a long bath or shower and pamper yourself
  • Give yourself some space

 Diet

  • Eat a balanced diet of 5 fruit and vegetables a day, drink plenty of fluids. Have enough protein and carbohydrates and try not to have too many fats and sugars
  • Eat tasty food; small treats can be good
  • Ask to have your favourite meal for dinner sometimes
  • Try some cooking, or bake a cake

Sleep & Memories

  • Have a good night’s sleep, make sure you are comfortable and relaxed. Try and keep your room quiet with little distractions and don't do anything too mentally stimulating before bed e.g. going on Facebook or watching a scary film
  • Look at old photographs from fun times with people who are important to you and think about the happy memories

 Active

  • Play sports such as football, netball, rugby, hockey or cricket. Find an exercise you enjoy such as dancing or going for a run
  • List all the things you like about yourself