Essex Mind and Spirit (EMS) is a voluntary community organisation whose remit is to highlight and encourage dialogue between the Faiths sector and voluntary and statutory care of, and recovery from, mental health issues, and it seeks to identify and showcase examples of good practice and ongoing projects in this area.

To help with this task, EMS has secured funding from Awards for All to undertake a ‘mapping project’ to try and identify all faith/belief led or infused mental health provision across the County of Essex. The definition of services/projects is wide, including support groups, counselling and individual service user’s experiences.

They are undertaking the research via a simple questionnaire. A copy can be found here Essex Mind and Sprit Questionnaire, and if you have had experience of faith/spirituality interaction with mental health care (good or bad), or know of or are part of a project or initiative sympathetic to the inclusion of faith/spirituality issues, EMS would be very grateful if you could complete a questionnaire and send it back to them! Every questionnaire returned will be entered into a £100 prize draw!

They hope that the outcome of this research will be a ‘map’ showing examples of faith/spirituality provision/consideration around Essex, which will be a useful ‘tool’ to assist individuals, voluntary and statutory groups to locate and access examples of good practice, and to identify where there are gaps in service provision and what work is needed where, to try and ensure a better and more constructive dialogue between the faith communities and those responsible for the management and treatment of mental health issues.

If you would prefer to have a paper copy rather than email, please contact :

The Rev’d Canon Ivor Moody, Vice Dean

Chelmsford Cathedral Office, 53 New Street, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 1TY

Email: ivor.moody@chelmsfordcathedral.org.uk

Tel: 01245 294493

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