Celebrating community for Mental Health Awareness Week
This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week theme is community – something we see the value of every day at Second Step. Whether it’s through shared experiences, everyday support, or simply having someone who listens, being part of a community can offer stability and hope. It helps people feel less alone and more able to take the next step, whatever that may be for them.
Ten years of community rehabilitation
This week our award-winning Bristol Community Rehabilitation Service is marking its tenth anniversary with a celebration event for staff and clients on Wednesday 14 May. The service supports people with complex mental health needs, helping them find their feet again often after long stays in hospital. That might involve support with housing, rebuilding daily routines, accessing physical and mental health services, or reconnecting with social networks.
By working at the pace of each individual, and offering consistent, trauma-informed support, the team helps people move back into everyday life. It’s work that makes a lasting difference – not just to the people we support, but to their families, friends and local communities too.
Honouring a community too often forgotten
On 21 May, a service of remembrance will be held at Bristol Cathedral for people who have died after experiencing homelessness in their lives. For some, this may be the only moment their life is formally recognised.
Sam Scott, manager of our Higher Needs Floating Support Team, is part of the organising committee and shared her thoughts:
“This event honours those who’ve passed away while affected by homelessness. They are a community that often remains unseen and unheard. The service brings together people who were part of their lives, along with staff from organisations like ours, to remember them with dignity.”
The service welcomes everyone – whether religious or not – and includes readings, music, and time for reflection. Afterwards, there will be an opportunity to connect informally over tea and cake.
Our trauma-informed community
Much of our work at Second Step is shaped by our Psychological, Adversity and Trauma-informed (PAT) approach. Many of the people we work with have experienced significant loss or hardship and may find it hard to trust others or feel part of a community.
By offering consistent support, building strong relationships and taking time to listen, we create spaces where people can feel safer, more confident and more connected.
On 13 May, we’ll be talking about our trauma-informed approach and sharing our six PAT principles at Open Mental Health’s annual conference in Somerset. Senior PAT Practitioner Rosalind Moreno-Parra and Service Manager Robyn Butler will run a workshop on the power of meaningful moments – the small, often quiet interactions that help build trust and connection.
Giving something back
One of our Recovery Bristol Partnership early intervention peer support workers, Rachel Cowley, told us about how being part of a community helped her when she was struggling with her mental health.
A peer support worker uses their own lived experience of mental health challenges to support, guide and encourage others going through similar experiences. For Rachel, being invited to help with her church ministry became a turning point. Supporting others gave her a renewed sense of purpose, and a reminder of what she had to offer. She said:
“It’s not just about what your community can give you – it’s also about what you can give back. You gain confidence, gratitude and happiness. Kindness grows your world – and in turn, so do you.”
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