The NHS Wellbeing service in Suffolk has launched a new-look poster designed by some of its service users.

Wellbeing services, which help people cope with a range of common mental health problems and negative emotions, wanted something to help raise awareness of its free service amongst the local community and on social media.

So after deciding on a new poster, Wellbeing staff asked the people who they felt know best about its services – its service users – for the help with the design.

Suffolk Wellbeing Clinical Psychologist, Tuija Juusti-Butler, said: “We are delighted with the new poster and it’s certainly had a great reaction from everyone who has seen it so far.

“Our service users have lived experience of not only coping with mental health issues such as stress, low mood, anxiety and depression, but also seeking help, and using our services.

“We felt they were the best people to turn to help us communicate what we do best and they came up with a winning concept and have done us proud!”

The NHS Wellbeing Service in Suffolk was launched in 2012 and offers telephone based treatments, workshops, group sessions, online or computer-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), individual and workplace appointments. A similar service is also available in Norfolk.

The Wellbeing Service User Group was formed a year later and now meets once a month in Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds to discuss mental health issues, the service itself, and offer feedback.

The new poster uses the acronym: SPEAK, which stands for:

S = Symptoms
P = Problems
E = Engage
A = Action
K = Keep well

David Walton, one of those who helped design the poster as a member of the Suffolk Service User Group, said: “We believe, and wanted to say, that Symptoms come first, which then create the Problems.

“The answer to these problems is to Engage with the Wellbeing Service, who will then assess needs and provide the right Action to take. At the end of the treatment, Wellbeing will then provide coping strategies to enable people to Keep well.

“With the help and assistance of the Wellbeing service, we feel that we have produced a piece of publicity which will hopefully help people to see a clear path to improving their mental wellbeing.”

Suffolk Wellbeing Service actively encourages service user participation and is keen to recruit more current and ex-service users to contribute to the maintenance and development of the service.

If you want to find out when and where the next Suffolk Service User Group meeting takes place, please call 0300 123 1781 and ask to ‘SPEAK’ to a service user representative.

For more information about local NHS Wellbeing services: call 0300 123 1781 for Suffolk services or 0300 123 1503 for Norfolk services. Alternatively, visit the services recently redesigned website:  www.readytochange.org.uk

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