Mental Health Matters and NHS launch new employment service to help Mid Essex residents struggling with their mental health

8 April 2024, Braintree

A new employment service opening today offers anyone accessing the Mid Essex Talking Therapy service the opportunity to work with an employment advisor.

The service aims to bring together therapists and employment advisors, to help people with common mental health problems such as stress, anxiety and depression find, stay in, or return to work.

Anyone aged 16 and over can benefit from a range of support including interview practice, access to training, and help to speak to their employers about mental health issues.

Coren Munday, Senior Employment Advisor, said: “Good employment can have many benefits for our mental health, from giving us a sense of purpose to introducing structure to the day.

Our aim is to provide specialist support that is understanding of how mental health difficulties can impact people at work or looking for work. We want to help people to feel confident and have the skills to achieve their goals”.

Kay Baker, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner for Mid Essex Talking Therapies, said “Providing access to free employment support for our service users, within the Mid Essex area is a welcome and valuable addition to our Talking Therapy service, which aims to help improve recovery of those experiencing common mental health problems. The multiple benefits of sourcing and retaining employment include finding or maintaining a sense of achievement, along with developing skills resulting in financial rewards to improve mental wellbeing.”

The service is commissioned by Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) and delivered by Mental Health Matters, who already deliver the service in Hertfordshire that helped over 870 people to return to work or a new opportunity.

For more information and to self-refer to access free NHS support, please visit the services website: www.hpft-iapt.nhs.uk