Category Archives: Uncategorized

Episode 13 – Lockdown, Mental Health and Social Media

June 22, 2020CAMHS, Community Services, UncategorizedCAMHS, COVID, ELFT, Luton and Bedford, Service user, Social mediaMark Taylor

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In today’s episode, we’re continuing the conversation about mental health, lockdown and how to manage during this time.. There’s lots of information in the media about what we should and shouldn’t do.. we see statistics.. we’re given direction and advice.. sometimes it sounds clear to us, and sometimes it doesn’t… we see advice change.. sometimes on a daily basis and this can leave us feeling worried, scared or just plain confused.. but on a more positive note, we’re also hearing about new and inventive ways of living life.. people are coming up with ideas that we maybe wouldn’t have thought of before…so it’s true to say that there’s a mix of experiences that people are having about lockdown.

But there’s one aspect of lockdown that we’ve all had to do… We’ve all had to socially isolate and keep to social distancing… which means limited access to friends and family, and our normal ways of socialising are currently off the agenda.. As a result of this, we’ve seen an increased use of social media. Now, there are lots of us that would never have entertained the idea of talking on screen.. but suddenly we’ve all got to grips with video calling, texting and even learning new dances on TacTic (name changed for copyright purposes..!)

and no, the last bit doesn’t apply to me.

But for some of us, our usual ways of managing health, and in particular, mental health may have become difficult to access.. such as taking exercise, going out and meeting people.. and getting access to fresh air. For those of us experiencing this.., daily life can be difficult… and many of us have increased our use of social media to support our wellbeing. In today’s episode, we’re going to explore how to manage mental health within the current climate…and give tips on how to make social media support our wellbeing as opposed to making it worse.

Today we have Nikki Scott, who is the user participation lead for Luton and Bedford CAMHS and is also a co-host on CAMHS Talk. I’d also like to welcome Lawrence Chung who is on the NHS graduate programme and is working an Operational Lead for Bedford CAMHS.Also welcome to our service users, Jay and Gracie

Episode 12 – Lockdown, Mental Health and Education

June 15, 2020CAMHS, Community Services, UncategorizedCAMHS, COVID, Education, ELFT, Lockdown, Luton and BedfordMark Taylor

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In this episode, we’re talking about mental health, lockdown and how to manage at this time. Lockdown has affected us all and as such, everyone’s daily life has been significantly affected. Our normal daily routines changed overnight and many of the things we took for granted are things we’re currently doing without. We’ve seen lots in the media about how and when we can expect things to go back to normal, but the messages can feel vague and unclear and lead to lots of debate from those with and without ‘professional opinions’… and no-one can predict what the ‘new normal’ will look like anyway. A decision that has brought substantial change for many is the suspension of education.

At a time where many teenagers were gearing up for exams and getting ready for university.. suddenly.. their education looks uncertain. For younger children who are maybe too young to fully understand what’s happening, this might be a confusing time, being at home with their family and away from their friends.. but for others, it might be a time of creativity and finding things to do with their newfound boredom. But for many, their education hasn’t stopped just because they’re not at school. This temporary ‘new normal’ still has its expectations and demands.. with changes such as work being sent home, video link classes, increased use of on-line learning and being taught by their parents. But for many, in the new ‘classroom environment’ at home, there can be new challenges.

In today’s episode, we’re going to take a look at some of the challenges faced by those in secondary school.. and as such I’m very pleased to welcome today’s guests.. I’d like to welcome: Nikki Scott – service user participation lead for Bedford and Luton CAMHS Lawrence Chung – who is currently on the NHS Graduate Scheme and is working for CAMHS as an Operational Lead whilst studying for his master’s degree. We’re also joined by three of our service users, Wiktoria, Kirri and Lucy who share their views, thoughts and tips.

Come listen..

A plea from us.. Do you use mental health apps?

November 10, 2019UncategorizedMark Taylor

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A quick request from us at CAMHSTalk – do you use any mental health mobile phone or tablet apps? Which ones? how are they useful? would you recommend any specifically? We are going to do a podcast where we review mental health apps on the show and help you to decide which could be useful to you. We are going to bring together professionals and service users and ask them their views. There are loads of apps out there. Some that the CAMHSTalk team already know about, but we want to know about the apps that you use, so we can look at those too.

We hope to bring you the best of the rest.. and make it easier for you to find the apps that work for you..

Come let us know by Clicking here…!

Episode 4 – Let’s discuss Eating Disorders

October 7, 2019Eating Disorders, Uncategorizedanorexia, bulimia, CAMHS, eating disorder, hope, recovery, Specialist treatment, starvation, weightMark Taylor

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In this episode, we offer you a great opportunity to listen in on a discussion between me, Mark Taylor, an Eating Disorders Nurse within CAMHS and a service user who reflects on her own experience of her recovery, her struggles and how she came to understand the mechanisms of the illness. You will also hear some great advice if you are a young person who is struggling with eating or a carer looking after someone who is. It’s rare that you hear a young person share their story in such heartfelt detail, so sit back and have a listen..

For additional help, you can click on the link below and access the wealth of resources that are offered by Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity

BEAT Eating Disorders.

Episode 2 – What’s it like to come to CAMHS?

September 9, 2019UncategorizedMark Taylor

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Welcome to the second episode of CAMHS Talk. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to come to CAMHS for the first time and wished you could talk to someone who has? In this episode, two of our service users share their experiences and talk openly with Niki Scott, Service Participation Lead and Sharon Latchman, Specialist Practitioner about their thoughts, first impressions and what it’s like to work with a therapist. In this discussion, we cover issues such as the importance of trust, confidentiality, how the treatment is agreed and how the therapist supports the young person when things get difficult.

If you are a parent or a young person who is thinking of comming to CAMHS, this could be useful to you…

Episode 1 – Meet the Service User Participation Group

September 9, 2019UncategorizedCAMHS, ELFT, Luton and Bedford, Service userMark Taylor

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Welcome to the FIRST episode of the CAMHS Talk podcast – and we are so very excited to be able to bring you the very best interviews and discussions between the service professionals and our very knowledgeable service users. We have trawled the internet and (so far) haven’t found another Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) that have brought together their service users and their professionals in this way. This is such a good opportunity for us all to discuss and debate issues around child and adolescent mental health and it’s such a pleasure for us to share this with you.

In this episode, Niki Scott and Aisling Callaghan talk to four service users about the role of the user participation group, the benefits of being part of the group and how they help shape the service. During the discussion, the service users also discuss and reflect on how they have found benefit for themselves in being able to shape the service.

So sit back and listen.. it’s an interesting discussion..