After going to a crisis assessment unit Kiara*, (age), was recommended the South West Recovery Café. The support she has received has meant that she hasn’t had to use the crisis unit this year at all.

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I first visited the Recovery Café in 2019, as I had been struggling a lot with my mental health and was experiencing suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression. Things had got so bad that I was in a crisis assessment unit and they recommended the Recovery Café. It took me ages to come because I was so anxious about going to a new place and meeting new people. One day I was passing the café and I thought I’ll just go in and that was it - I’ve been coming ever since.

“You can just walk in and get support – you just ring the bell.”

What’s great is that you can just walk in – you just ring the bell. That first time, the staff member that greeted me was brilliant, they made me feel so much less anxious. We had a chat about the service and my history and they showed me around. Over time, I received a mixture of support; there are groups like wellbeing and art therapy sessions and a lot of these groups are either helped or run by someone who’s used the service – I used to co-run a drama group which was really fun. You make friends, you form connections and then you take these experiences out of the café.

There is also one-to-one support. We discuss coping strategies and physical safety planning where we talk through things like: how are you getting home? What will you do when you get home? I also have a day plan which I do on a Sunday and I plan out every day for the week ahead. I’m a very detail-focused person, so that helps me to recentre. There’s lots of different ways to talk about what you are feeling, and there’s also signposting to other services.

I think I’m still alive today because of this place - the number of times that I’ve had a big drop in my mood and I’ve come here and they’ve been able to deescalate the situation. The staff know their stuff, and you will leave with something to think about or something new to try.  

Now I have somewhere to go and talk and if I’m having a really bad day, I’ll also come here in the evening as well. I used to struggle a lot and was in and out of the crisis assessment unit frequently but finding the Recovery Café has meant I don’t need to be admitted to the unit as often - I actually haven’t been there this year at all.

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This case study is based off of research conducted for our London Mental Health Index. You can read our report below:

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