With mental health issues more in the spotlight than ever, it can still be difficult or overwhelming for many people to reach out and ask for help.
For Roxanne Kerr, counsellor and founder of Trauma Healing Together, the establishment of the Perth and Kinross Mental Health and Wellbeing Festival is one way to reach out and introduce people to all sorts of projects and experts who can offer guidance and support.
With a degree in psychology and a masters in counselling, Roxanne is also a certified clinical trauma specialist and is a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy. She is passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of people who struggle with their mental health.
And she is keen to make this aspect of our wellbeing as comfortably discussed as a broken ankle or dose of chickenpox.
“It is about making it accessible for anybody who has experienced mental health – for me, if we talk about it and don’t see mental health as a dirty word that is a healthy approach,” she says. “I don’t think it’s about excluding language but changing the meaning of language.”
Through her organisation Trauma Healing Together, Roxanne works with groups and partner organisations to offer what she describes as a holistic approach to supporting people’s mental health.
“We have a holistic vision because we are aware that people can’t always access the services that are right for them,” she says.
This can be due to the expense of counselling with a private practice, long waiting lists or simply a lack of information about the services available.
She adds: “If people have gone to services that just aren’t right for them they can give up on getting support for their mental health.
“Our approach means we are not just working on our own for our service users. There is a therapy element and training elements to build treatment alongside service users so that they are dictating it.”
All kinds of treatment
The festival covers every kind of treatment and therapy from art to music, yoga to photography. Many of these activities are delivered by partner organisations known and trusted by Roxanne.
“It’s about giving people the confidence about trying things that they will hopefully be able to maintain and about starting people on their journey, getting them to a place where they can manage,” she says.
Much of Roxanne’s work in mental health has revolved around supporting victims of trauma and childhood sexual abuse in particular. The festival, however, is open to anyone who has experienced issues with their mental health.
Roxanne says: “We want to break the stigma of mental health, normalise it as something that we all experience, especially since Covid-19.”
Silent disco
Personally, she is looking forward to taking part in the silent disco during the weekend.
“We have been working with people with lived experience and know that going into something like the concert hall can be overwhelming,” she says.
“The idea of the silent disco was to give someone that focus, get absorbed in it. And it should also work for people with autism or who have sensory overload.”
She has also been delighted with the response to a photography project aimed at helping young people reflect on their mental health. Life through a lens: a Snapshot on Mental Health in Perth and Kinross focuses on how teenagers and young adults have been impacted by life during the pandemic.
Life through a lens
“We have engaged our young people in a photography exhibition – they have been sending in photos that represent their mental health and they are absolutely fantastic,” she enthuses.
“I am amazed at the quality, many of them are quite intense. I thought it might be general stuff or a lot of selfies but the images are quite emotive when you look at them.”
The photographs will be shown on a loop across Perth Concert Hall’s foyer during the festival and you can still submit images via WhatsApp by sending them to 01738 326325.
Fencing
One of the more unusual workshops on offer will be the opportunity to try a fencing taster session with Project Forte. Conceived in France as part of a Changing Lives programme, fencing as a therapy is being delivered for the first time in the UK by a partnership between Scottish Fencing, local councils and rape and sexual abuse centres.
Kate Daykin, national programme director at Project Forte, says: “Through fencing, we inspire and motivate survivors to reconnect their physical and mental beings and to learn and develop skills and attributes such as self-control, self-confidence and self-belief as they rebuild their lives.
“As well as trauma, fencing can make a huge difference to anyone with mental health challenges, allowing them to develop the social skills, self-confidence and employability skills they need to progress in life.”
Kate has been involved in the sport for more than 10 years, representing both Scotland and Great Britain in competition. She believes fencing has had a hugely positive impact on her own mental health.
A mindful activity
“Fencing is a mindful activity as much as it is a physical one,” she points out.
“Any issues, thoughts or feelings can’t interrupt you when training otherwise you’ll lose focus. The ‘letting go’ to focus on your opponent, make tactical decisions and be present in the moment are all key parts. If I wasn’t involved in fencing, I don’t think I would have come across mindfulness or been as conscious about my own mental state.
“I have struggled with anxiety and panic attacks throughout school and university but, through fencing, I have gained a ‘mental health toolbox’ that I can dip into when I need it, like how to deal with setbacks, being present, calming the mind, problem solving and self-reflection – all elements that can be used in day to day life.”
The fencing taster session will take place at Riverview Business Park, Friarton Road, Perth from 10am to midday on Saturday August 6.
Challenging perceptions
Linda Fisken is one of the local women who has been involved in the Mental Health and Wellbeing Festival. Linda will talk about her own mental health struggles on August 6 including living as a suicide survivor and with borderline personality disorder (BPD). She is also involved in the Let’s Go Mental! event that evening.
She says of the inspiration behind her involvement: “When I was lying in Stratheden Psychiatric Hospital, I did a lot of daydreaming for better days.
“I love music and dancing and I know how much better it makes my mental health and I suppose that’s where the idea came from.
“We would love the local community to come along and support us and just have a brilliant night out with music, dancing, laughter and chat – all proven to have a positive effect on mental health.”
Linda admits the event name might strike some people as an unusual choice but she says: “I suppose it goes way back to childhood when you joked with friends they were ‘mental’. It was never meant as anything derogatory. Some people didn’t think I should call the disco what I did, but people who know me know it’s for all the right reasons.
“Because of my own mental health issues, I’m not good at promoting myself,” she says, but the success of her own support group, Linda’s Ladies has helped to boost her confidence.
Lockdown support
She adds: “The group was starting to grow just prior to lockdown. We moved online to a WhatsApp group and I managed to get the ladies through both lockdowns, with all the announcements there were.
“I think it works because we all ‘get’ each other. It’s a safe, confidential place to vent and be supported by like-minded ladies.”
Let’s Go Mental! promises an evening of music, dancing and stand-up from Scottish comedian and actress Rachel Jackson.
The events listed above are just a snapshot of what is happening during the festival. Anyone can come along to Perth Concert Hall to find out more about organisations who can help to support their mental health, get involved in yoga, wild swimming, art workshops and much more.
Further information on the Perth and Kinross Mental Health and Wellbeing Festival and details of how to book your place at an event or taster session are at traumahealingtogether.org
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