Safely Held Spaces aims to help people going through mental and emotional distress find safe, compassionate, empowering support in their local communities. When a person is going through a difficult time it's family and friends who rally together to ensure their loved ones receive the support they need.

But as these supporters attempt to juggle the commitments in their own lives with supporting the person in distress - all too often the carers end up without their own support. Who is holding the holders?

Safely Held Spaces aims to map the mental health support landscape to learn more about the resources that currently exist, as well as to better understand what’s missing. The Holding the Holders workshop will offer an opportunity for those with

first-hand experience of supporting others through their difficult times, to explore together the types of support they need to make their own journeys easier.

The workshop will explore the trajectory of the mental and emotional distress we experience through Safely Held Spaces newly developed five-stage roadmap, which looks at how we journey through everyday life, testing times, the threshold, really extreme times and then how we return. We will also look at how our world-views, the lenses through which we see and interpret our lives, impact on how we experience our journeys.

Drawing on different creative activities the workshop will explore what a person supporting another through the various stages of their mental health journey need s at each stage, as well as how we can better come together as a compassionate community to support one another.

Limited free overnight accommodation is available for those travelling long distances without the means to pay for private accommodation. There are also several very well priced B&Bs in the area, which the SHS Team can assist with booking. If you would like to request accommodation and/or require further information, please add details in the 'Additional Info' section of the registration form.

Workshop Details:

Saturday 1st June, 2019

Workshop timings: 9.30am - 6.00pm

(N.B. Registration is from 9.30am and a light supper will be provided at 6.30pm)

Cost: Free of charge, however attendance is by request as there are a limited number of places available.

Meals: Vegetarian & vegan lunch and light supper provided

Directions to the venue will be provided to attendees.