Mental Health Natters
By Recovery for All
Welcome to the new Mental Health Natters Podcast, brought to you by the Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Recovery for All team.
We are a group of individuals with lived experience who are passionate about talking all things recovery and mental health.
Mental Health NattersNov 01, 2023
Speaking Up with Emma
In this episode, we chat with Emma who is a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian. Emma has a unique role where she supports employees from Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust to have a voice. She offers an independent, confidential space to share concerns about patient safety, quality of care and any other challenges that staff might face at work.
Emma has her own lived experience of mental ill health when she was a teenager. Emma had two hospital admissions during the late 1980s and reflects on how services were very different to how they are today. Emma was on a mixed-sex ward aged 17 and was discharged with very little community support. Emma thoughtfully shares how her experiences have shaped her life, but also how she feels her lived experience helps her in her current role to support others with compassion, empathy and kindness.
Thank you Emma for sharing your experiences with us.
Podcast team:
Steve Shaw
Anne Glover (and edited by)
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Transforming care for families and carers – with Claire and Louisa
In this episode, we speak with Claire who is the manager of a local Neighbourhood Mental Health Team (previously known as Primary Care Mental Health) and Louisa, who is the Deputy Head of the Meriden Family Programme. The focus of the conversation is about the importance of supporting families and carers.
We learn about what happens when an individual accesses the Neighbourhood Mental Health Team and what support and resources are available, including how families and carers are able to have their needs identified and supported.
We also explore what interventions are available to families, in particular, the Behavioural Family Therapy approach and how BSMHFT is family-focused in the care they offer.
This episode highlights the importance of ensuring that families are involved in care and access to the right information and support. We also explore the boundaries of confidentiality and the importance of collaborating with service users and understanding what information they feel comfortable to share with their families and carers.
Thank you, Claire and Louisa for sharing your experiences and coming to chat with us.
Podcast team:
Jennifer McCalla
Anne Glover (and edited by)
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Behind the badge with Katherine and Eugene
‘We don’t prescribe medication: we prescribe hope’ (Eugene)
In this episode, we chat with Katherine, Lead for Recovery and Experience at BSMHFT, and Eugene, Peer Support Transitions Worker.
Katherine shares how her own lived experiences help her in her role and gives her a unique insight into the personal challenges we can experience and how she is able to reflect on her own experiences to support our service users, families and carers.
Katherine introduces us to ‘Behind the Badge’ which is a campaign about creating a safe working environment to support and encourage staff members with lived experience to feel comfortable to be able to share part of their own experiences. Often, mental health professionals are discouraged from sharing personal information, for a variety of reasons, which Katherine explores but as you’ll hear, sharing personal experiences can be invaluable, helps us create connections and feel inspired. She also explores how lived experience can have an intrinsic, implicit value in professional practice.
Eugene shares his expertise of using lived experience to support recovery, and we explore what the broader workforce can learn from people like him who have talent, skill and knowledge in utilising their lived experience explicitly. We discuss the benefits and some of the considerations required to share lived experience effectively and safely for both professionals and the people they work with.
Thank you, Katherine and Eugene for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us.
Podcast team:
Jennifer McCalla
Anne Glover (and edited by)
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Tapping into my recovery with Rekha
In this episode, we chat with Rekha who is an Expert by Experience. Rekha shares how she discovered the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) after a very difficult period in her life. She explains how tapping enabled her to acknowledge her grief and is an effective tool that helps her manage her mental health.
Rekha has gone on to become an EFT practitioner, supporting others to learn the techniques that have helped her on her recovery journey.
Rekha has kindly shared a short video that explains the EFT points: https://youtu.be/OEH4dhUnBcs and one which explains about the stress bucket: https://youtu.be/Td1oPjvCnD8
Thank you, Rekha for sharing your experiences with us.
* This podcast does have a content warning about baby loss so please do look after yourself *
Podcast team:
Jennifer McCalla
Anne Glover (and edited by)
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Being a Mental Health Nurse with my own lived experience - Binal
In this episode, we chat with Binal, who is a registered Mental Health Nurse with Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust.
Binal explains how she feels that her experiences have given her a unique insight and have enabled her to connect with service users in a different way. Binal touches on the difficulties she experienced and how she struggled with cultural and internalised stigma and ways she has learnt to manage her triggers. She also talks about how important it was for her to have support from her team, particularly on days when she is struggling. Binal felt it was important to share how she balances working in mental health alongside her own experiences.
* This episode does contain a content warning about suicidal thoughts, please take care of yourself. *
Thank you, Binal for sharing your experiences so openly with us.
Podcast team:
Jennifer McCalla
Anne Glover (and edited by)
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition. Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Transformation Programme with Jazz
In this episode, we speak with Jazz who is the Coproduction Lead for Experts by Experience. Jazz works as part of the Transformation of Community Mental Health Programme which is a 3-year programme, developing the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Service for anyone needing mental health support in the Birmingham and Solihull area.
Jazz works with Experts by Experience and organisations across Birmingham and Solihull to ensure that the new service is fully coproduced, putting lived experience at the heart of the work they do. Jazz also has his own lived experience and shares his learning from his experiences and how he uses this in his role.
For anyone interested in learning more about becoming an Expert by Experience for the programme can email: bsmhft.longtermplan@nhs.net
Thank you, Jazz for taking the time to share your experiences.
Podcast team:
Jennifer McCalla
Anne Glover (and edited by)
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
3 Queer Voices on LGBTQ+ History Month
In the first episode of our new series, Anne and Jennifer chat with Shay, Jazz and Evie about LGBTQ+ History Month and what it means to them. This episode explores significant historical events such as Section 28 which was a law that ran from 1988 until 2003 and the impact that had (and continues to have) on the LGBTQ+ community. Our guests share what LGBTQ+ History month means to them and details of the BSMHFT Trust campaign #notjustamonth.
Thank you Shay, Jazz and Evie for taking the time to share your lived experiences so openly and honestly.
Podcast team:
Jennifer McCalla
Anne Glover (and edited by)
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Series 2 Advert
Mental Health Natters is back for a second series! We have had some really interesting and powerful conversations, including chats about LGBTQ+ History month, staff members sharing their own lived experiences and Experts by Experience discussing what has helped their own recovery.
Make sure you are subscribed on Spotify to hear when the new episodes are published.
If you would like to get in touch with the team about new episode ideas or would like to be a guest, email us: bsmhft.recoverycollege@nhs.net
We look forward to sharing the new episodes soon!
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Recovery through education with Hope
In this episode (the final episode of this series), we chat to Hope, an Expert by Experience (EBE), about how access to education has had a significant impact on her own mental health and recovery. Hope shares the challenges she has experienced along the way and why she is so passionate about breaking down the stigma around complex mental illness. Hope revisited learning through Adult Education and is now completing an Open University Psychology degree. This inspiring conversation reminds us to keep going and believe in yourself.
Hope also talks about some of the work she has been involved with as an EBE, if you would like to know more, email us: bsmhft.recoverycollege@nhs.net
Podcast team:
Jennifer McCalla
Anne Glover (and edited by)
Thank you to all our listeners. We will be back soon with series two!
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Martine talks about returning to the Earth to release trauma
In this episode, we talk to Martine about her own experiences of substance addiction, trauma and mental breakdown and how connecting with nature helped her connect and her recovery took a different direction, embracing who she is and helping her process her experiences. Martine is an Expert by Experience and works in the Participation and Experience Team; she talks about how supporting others helped her help herself, identify her own skills and have confidence in herself.
Thank you, Martine for being so open in sharing your experiences with us.
* Please note a content warning for this episode for substance addiction and personal trauma, please protect yourself *
Podcast team:
Justine Lovell
Anne Glover (and edited by)
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Creativity with Valerie
In this episode, we chat to Valerie, Expert by Experience, who shares her own recovery journey and how hope grew for her by exploring opportunities. Valerie is a keen musician but had a period where she didn't play instruments or sing, but gradually this has returned in recent years and Valerie talks about how her creativity has been a big part of her recovery experiences and helps her with emotional regulation and expression. Thank you for coming to chat with us Valerie, we hope you enjoy the episode.
Podcast team
Steve Shaw
Anne Glover (and edited by)
Please note this was recorded over the internet and you may notice the sound dips at a couple of points but we hope it doesn't impact on your listening experience.
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Becky chats with us about self-esteem
In this episode we chat with Becky, Expert by Experience, exploring the many facets of self-esteem, in particular what contributed to her own low self-esteem and the impact of that on her mental health. Becky shares with us how comparison to others and social media can perpetuate feelings of low self-worth. Becky talks about how she manages her self-esteem and those self-critical thoughts we all can experience.
* This episode contains a content warning for eating disorder, please protect yourself *
Podcast team:
Justine Lovell
Anne Glover (and edited by)
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Learning with Recovery College - Imogen
In this episode we chat with Imogen, Expert by Experience, who shares how learning with Recovery College has helped her understand her own mental health experiences. Imogen talks about how being open to learning has helped her confidence grow and this has enabled her to seek out new opportunities.
Imogen mentions a group that she chairs: the Recovery for All forum, if you would like to join, email bsmhft.recoveryforall@nhs.net (open to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust service users, families and carers and staff).
Podcast team:
Steve Shaw
Jennifer McCalla
Anne Glover (and edited by)
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Postpartum Psychosis, Bipolar Disorder and Recovery with Katy
In this episode we talk to Katy, an Expert by Experience, who shares her experience of Postpartum Psychosis and Bipolar Disorder after the birth of her daughter which resulted in an inpatient stay on the Mother and Baby unit. Katy shares how learning to understand her conditions helped her recovery and she now uses her lived experiences to support, educate and inspire others.
Thank you Katy for talking so openly about your experiences.
Podcast team:
Jennifer McCalla
Justine Lovell
Anne Glover (and edited by)
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Finding Hope with Emma
* This episode does include a content warning about self-harm, please protect yourself. *
In this episode we chat with Emma who shares her experience of a mental health breakdown and how this led to her setting up the charity The Recovery Foundation. Emma used her lived experience to develop the Hope in Recovery resources, based on her journals written at the time.
Thank you Emma for being so honest and open about your experiences and sharing how you found hope through adversity.
Emma mentions a researcher called C.R Snyder who developed the Hope Theory, if you would like to look into this in more detail.
Find out more about The Recovery Foundationwww.therecoveryfoundation.org.uk
Podcast team:
Jennifer McCalla
Garry Edgington
Anne Glover (and edited by)
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Exploring mindfulness with Valerie, Carol and Andrea
In this episode we natter with Valerie, Carol and Andrea about mindfulness. We explore what is mindfulness, the different ways we can practice or informally be mindful and dispel some of the myths. There are a number of ways to 'do' mindfulness and our guests share their experiences and how mindfulness has been part of their recovery journeys.
Podcast team:
Shay Bacon
Jennifer McCalla
Anne Glover (and edited by)
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Recovery College experiences - Maureen and Jackie
In this episode, Anne chats with Maureen, a carer Expert by Experience and Jackie, Admiral Nurse about how they came together to coproduce and co-facilitate the Understanding Dementia Recovery College course. They share their own personal experiences of supporting loved ones with Dementia and how these experiences have informed the course and help them to support and share their knowledge with others.
Their passion and enthusiasm for the work that they do shines through, we hope you enjoy listening.
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Reflections with Mustak
Listen in to our conversation with Mustak Mirza, Service User Governor, where he reflects on his mental health experiences and his personal recovery journey.
For reference, here are the details of the programme that Steve mentioned: BBC Radio 4: Wintering by Katherine May, episode 1
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00127f5
Podcast team:
Jennifer McCalla
Steve Shaw
Shay Bacon
Eugene Egan
Edited by Anne Glover
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Mental Health Festive Natters
In this episode the podcast team come together to natter about types of Christmas experiences and how this time of year can be tough and challenging for many.
Hurdling obligations, gifting creatively and being proactive about self-care are just some of the areas touched upon in this conversation.
For those celebrating, Merry Christmas and happy new year. Stay safe.
In conversation:
Justin
Shay
Garry
Eugene
Jennifer
SUPPORT
Samaritans telephone 116 123 free call 24hrs a day
Creative Support - Birmingham, Sandwell and StaffordshireTel: 01212003147
Website: http://www.creativesupport.co.uk
Email: enquiries@creativesupport.co.uk
Birmingham MINDTelephone: 0121 262 3555
Email: help@birminghammind.org Get help from Shelter - Shelter EnglandGet housing advice from Shelter advisers 365 days a year – over the phone, web chat, local advice centres or on our website.
england.shelter.org.uk
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Family and Carers SPECIAL - Jackie
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (BSMHFT) recognises the importance of Family and Carers in a loved one's recovery journey. The podcast team have created a mini series talking to carers and their loved ones about their experiences.
In this episode we speak with Jackie who is an Admiral Nurse in the Trust. She supports families and carers of loved ones with a diagnosis of Dementia. Jackie also shares her personal experience of caring for her mum who was diagnosed with Dementia at 64. She shares some lovely memories of their time together and what helped her maintain a balance with her professional career and her personal responsibilities.
Podcast team:
Shay Bacon
Anne Glover
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Family and Carers SPECIAL - Rhea and Gill
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (BSMHFT) recognises the importance of Family and Carers in a loved one's recovery journey. The podcast team have created a mini series talking to carers and their loved ones about their experiences.
In this episode, we speak to Rhea and her mum Gill about their life experiences - things that they have learnt along the way, giving us messages of hope that recovery is an individual journey with ups and downs with a few laughs along the way.
Podcast team:
Steve Shaw
Justine Lovell
Jennifer McCalla
Anne Glover
*In this recording, you may notice a slight echo in some areas. We hope this does not detract from your listening experience.
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Family and Carers SPECIAL - Daisy and Liz
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (BSMHFT) recognises the importance of Family and Carers in a loved one's recovery journey. The podcast team have created a mini series talking to carers and their loved ones about their experiences.
In this episode, we speak to Daisy and her mum Liz about their experience using the Trust's CAMHS service during lockdown, looking after their own wellbeing and the challenges they faced.
Podcast team:
Jennifer McCalla
Anne Glover
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
What does recovery mean to us?
Mental Health Natters Pilot Episode - ‘a podcast about all things recovery and mental health’
Welcome to the new Mental Health Natters Podcast, brought to you by the Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust - Recovery Team. We are a group of individuals with lived experience who are passionate about talking all things recovery and mental health.
This episode introduces you to members of the Mental Health Natters team and we talk about what recovery means to us, how to answer the ‘how are you’ question and unhelpful responses.
Taking part in today’s discussion:
Shay Bacon
Eliza Cherrington (who edited this episode!)
Anne Glover
Steve Shaw
Jennifer McCalla
Justine Lovell
Garry Edgington
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.
Mental Health Natters advert
Welcome to the new Mental Health Natters Podcast brought to you by the Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Recovery for All team. We are a group of individuals with lived experience who are passionate about talking all things recovery and mental health.
Our pilot episode launches next Wednesday 13 October 2021, 11.00am.
Please subscribe and listen in to our conversation - we hope you enjoy our nattering!
DISCLAIMER Mental Health Natters
The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health/medical condition.
Never disregard professional/clinical medical advice or delay in seeking action/support because of something you have heard from this recording.