Simon Harniess, project manager at Survivor Led Crisis Service talks to LAF about his view of, and hopes for, the service 

EAST Leeds-based Survivor Led Crisis Service was formed eight years ago because of a perceived need for a service run by survivors rather than statutory services.

The service runs on what Simon called an empowering approach, centred on the person using the service, and the support offered is based around what the service user thinks will help them.

He said for some people the most useful thing would be one to one support, or one-off counselling sessions.

Simon said: "We do not provide solutions but help them discuss what the next step is."

The organisation's working hours are outside those traditionally offered by most services, and Dial House is open on Friday evenings, Saturday and Sunday from late morning until 11pm, and the freephone lines at Connect are open seven nights a week between 6 and 9pm.

he Survivor Led service works with the person's own definition of crisis, which is often about things being substantially different to their normality and feeling they cannot cope.

A substantial number of people using the Survivor Led Crisis Service also use mental health services - some may have a housing support worker or a community practise nurse.

One of the defining aspects of the service is that the majority of the staff team have had their own experience of crisis, and the majority of the management committee defined themselves as survivors.

This is not to say the service works on the basis of self-disclosure, and the workers concentrate on the experience of the visitor, with the benefit of having real empathy for the crisis situation.

Dial House

Comfortable, homely and away from the stresses and strains which may be apparent in people's lives Simon said for some Dial House is treated as a kind of sanctuary.

The comfortable settees and informal furnishings at the house are a far cry from the traditional décor of the statutory services.

Its amenities include a bath, showers, art materials, and space for people to write letters or poetry, or prepare something to eat in the kitchen.

Dial House can also provide a limited sleepover facilities in some situations.

Visitors to Dial House, which is available to anyone in crisis in Leeds, do not need a referral but they are asked to phone in advance of arriving to book an appointment to see someone.

Simon said they received about 40 visitors to the house each month.

Connect

Connect is a freephone crisis helpline staffed by volunteers who are trained and supervised by workers at the service.

The number is 0808 800 1212, and the service is also avaiable on Minicom on 0808 800 2323.

Simon said: "We encourage people who have had their own experience of mental health crisis to volunteer and the same applies to the paid staff team."

About 350 people in crisis call Connect every month and the phone operators are as happy to talk to people who are depressed, anxious, or lonely, as people in deep crisis.

"We are an alternative to statutory services, and it is all about people having choice."

Simon said the most common theme coming up in calls was past abuse, whether that was physical or sexual, people who had self-harmed, were lonely or depressed. They also receive a significant number of calls from people labelled as having personality disorders.

A growing service

This year the Survivor Led Crisis Service has managed to secure funding from charitable trusts to employ a volunteer co-ordinator. This person’s role will be to get more volunteers for Connect, to enable the crisis line to expand its opening hours to 6pm to 10pm, and keep it open longer on Saturdays and Sundays.

Aspirations

Simon said they would like to be able to open the house more nights during the week and also at some point would like to offer support to people in their own homes, for those who perhaps could not get out to Dial House.

In addition he said they would like to install a third phone line to deal with the increasing number of calls Connect takes.

"We are aware that we are underused by members of black and ethnic minority communities in Leeds," Simon said.

"We are an alternative to statutory services, and it is all about people having choice."

"We want to be accessible in the broadest sense."

Success

Simon said it was often difficult to asses the success of the service due to the nature of the support they offered.

He said: "If people's use of the service decreases it feels positive."

On the subject of the service’s success Simon said they were having an evaluation, which is funded by the health authority, by a former member of the Mental Health Foundation in London, who is doing research with people using the service.

For more information on Dial House, Connect and the services offered by the Survivor Led Crisis Service, call 0113 260 9328, or e-mail

Anyone interested in becoming a committee member or getting involved with the service can call 0113 264 4273 for an informal chat.