Faith & Mental Health Network

Transformation Cornwall are part of a Faith & Mental Health Network. The ecumenical network meets bi-monthly and welcomes pastoral visitors, clergy, chaplains, mental health practitioners, community volunteers, in fact, anyone who is supporting people who are struggling with mental health issues.

The network is a mutually supportive group of people and offers a safe space to explore issues, share information, resources and best practice; relating faith to mental health and offering insights to help us help those we are standing alongside.

Network meetings each choose a topic area and often have an invited speaker within that field.

Previous Faith & Mental Health Network topic areas and speakers were:

  • 'Grief' with our invited speaker Anne Embury, Suicide Liaison Lead at Outlook South West (Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust).
    • 'Bereavement' with our internal speaker Reverend Andrew Yates, Social Responsibility Officer at the Diocese of Truro.
    • 'Young People' with our invited speakers Karen Bowley & Carina Miles of Kooth.
    • 'Restoring Our Communities’ with our invited speaker was journalist/broadcaster/presenter Donna Birrell. Donna is also Vice-Chair of Churches Together in Cornwall and a Transformation Cornwall Trustee!
    • 'Social Prescribing' with our invited speakers from Age UK Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly were Linda Whittaker, Digital Co-ordinator & Ian Penhaligon Lead Social Prescriber.
    • 'Social Anxiety' with our guests Stacie Clark & Hayley Stanton, Co-Directors and Coaches at Quiet Connections CIC. Quiet Connections help quieter and more sensitive people to tame feelings of social anxiety and not being ‘good enough’ through 1:1 and group counselling programmes.