Self-Management Project in Wales

We are developing, delivering and evaluating a range of self-management interventions for people with severe psychiatric diagnoses. The project is funded by the Big Lottery Fund Cymru and is being run from our office in Newport, South Wales.

The Foundation is working in partnership with MDF, the Bipolar Organisation and Cardiff University as part of a wider group of projects with lottery funding. The project started in January 2009 and will run until 2012.

We will be running 60 courses at venues across Wales and hope to reach 900 people with a range of diagnoses including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and personality disorders. At the end of 2010 we had delivered 30 courses.

We are also developing peer support networks for all course participants, and hope to follow their progress over the months and years ahead.

This is the first initiative of its kind, on a scale not seen within the UK. Self-management techniques have been pioneered in a range of long term physical health conditions, and MDF have developed courses for people with bipolar disorder.

We will be building on this experience to develop evidence based practice that will be applicable to people with a range of severe psychiatric diagnoses.

We have recruited service user trainers from across Wales are currently recruiting people who have attended the self-management to become peer support group mentors. We are currently recruiting people for the training courses that will be held in 2011. During 2011 we will be developing the course in Welsh and will be recruiting Welsh speakers with a mental health diagnosis to facilitate these courses.

If you are interested in the project, please contact Jane Wycherley, Project Manager at jwycherley@mhf.org.uk