New mental health group Phoenix arises in Ballycastle

The group, which has been named Phoenix Ballycastle, will meet fortnightly on Tuesday evenings at 7.30 pm in The Sheskburn Recreation Centre in Ballycastle. Their next meeting will be on November 15.

Phoenix will be facilitated by a team of trained volunteers and will welcome adults experiencing mental ill health such as low mood, depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.

Attendees can speak freely about their feelings and connect with others who understand what they are going through.

The support group has been set up by chair and lead facilitator Charlieen Crawford. Charlieen currently volunteers as a support group facilitator for AWARE in Coleraine. With help and knowledge from the team at AWARE, she is setting up this group to deal with the high levels of mental ill health in her own community.

"There is a vast need for mental health peer support in our community,” she said. “I know first-hand how hard it can be to try and keep going whilst dealing with mental health

problems. If it weren’t for being able to talk to people who had experienced what I have, I’d probably still be stuck in a loop.

"In this area, the waiting list for counselling is massive, there’s not enough to go around, and there’s always a time limit on how many sessions you can have on the NHS. With peer support, there is no time limit on the number of sessions you can attend and there is no waiting list."

Caroline McLoughlin, Support Services Officer at AWARE, said: "We were delighted to help set up this support group in the Ballycastle community. Talking to people with similar experiences can be an important step in your recovery from mental ill health. The research around peer support shows that it can improve your wellbeing, help build your support network, and make you feel more confident.

"We would urge anyone in the local area experiencing low mood, loneliness or feelings of anxiety or depression to come along. The groups are free to attend and offer a safe space to be yourself.”

For further information email [email protected] or call Phoenix on 07918213574 and leave your name and contact information.