This Mental Health Awareness Week meet Linta, Service Manager of Hestia’s Camden Crisis Sanctuary, one of our mental health crisis services which offer out of hours support for anyone struggling with their mental health.

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Hi, my name is Linta and I am the Service Manager for Hestia’s Camden Crisis Sanctuary. I have always been passionate about mental health, and after completing my studies in Psychology I began my first role at Hestia where I was an Activities Coordinator for our Registered Care Homes. The Registered Care Homes provide 24-hour support for those with enduring mental health needs and in my time there I collaborated with some incredible people who helped me grow and taught me so much, all of which I have brought forward into my new role as Service Manager.

The Camden Crisis Sanctuary is an out-of-hours service which provides mental health support when other services may be closed. We have a very supportive and skilled team, and our daily work involves both preventing and de-escalating crisis – we are there to help people come out of crisis and work towards recovery. It’s a big step for someone to seek support, but by coming to the Camden Crisis Sanctuary it’s a sign that they are showing up for themselves and they want to get help. They might not know how to receive or accept support yet, but that’s where we can help.

It’s so important to stop once in a while and check in with yourself. To allow yourself the space to appreciate that it’s OK sometimes if you are not feeling OK, and that today might not be the best day but tomorrow is a new beginning.

When someone first comes into the service, we try to understand all factors affecting that person’s situation, and we then provide them with resources such as support plans tailored to their needs and one-to-one support sessions. We give them space to express themselves and make sure they are heard - it’s just incredible what peer support can do for someone. It reminds you that at the end of the day, we often just want someone to listen to us and acknowledge our feelings. There are also groups at the Camden Crisis Sanctuary that people can get involved with and I love the fact that people come here to engage together in activities and make connections.

It’s so important to stop once in a while and check in with yourself. To allow yourself the space to appreciate that it’s OK sometimes if you are not feeling OK, and that today might not be the best day but tomorrow is a new beginning. To look after my mental health I try to practice this; I check in on myself, I make sure to speak to my support system, I exercise and I prioritise rest. I think destigmatising mental health challenges is so important, particularly around seeking support – if you are not used to accepting help, remember that it’s OK to need support and to seek it out if things get hard. Be patient with yourself, don’t give up on yourself and speak more whether that’s to family, friends or a professional service.

Find out more about our Hestia's mental health service