What's different about crisis support spaces?
Video transcript
What I really love about Crisis Support Spaces is we try to be a preventative service. So we’re there before things reach a point where it’s going to be incredibly distressing. I think part of the reason this model works so well is the time, the availability of time where it’s not a rushed space. Also, we have so many supports that are linked in, that we are able to work out plans with visitors to help them set up strategies for the future. And being able to, if they need to check back in with the space, they can. You know, going into the emergency department, it’s loud, sometimes you’re waiting for a long time; coming in here, it’s such a, such a more calm and relaxed space.
We can dim the lights, we can put calming music on, we can make a cuppa and just take our time to listen. I think as soon as you walk in here, you feel the difference, you see the difference, the language is different. I think it makes you feel comfortable straight away. It’s not focused on assessments, it’s about listening to people. Nothing you can say in this space will be considered wrong, disappointing, shocking or crazy. Everything anyone shares in here is normal, and it’s worth validating and listening to. The biggest thing is normalising, saying that there is nothing wrong with you, that what you’re going through is okay. When you don’t believe in yourself, I’m here to believe in you. I’m not going to pull you along; I’m going to walk beside you.
To be quite honest, I’ve actually been absolutely amazed at how the peer workers are able to work with the visitors to the space. And because it’s not a clinical space, people are more inclined to open up and be more honest with what’s going on in their lives. So the bigger impacts from people who normally present is that they’re actually learning to identify the triggers earlier. So they’re coming in, and they’re catching things, you know, before it gets any worse. And it’s just given them better quality of life. We see very commonly that people that would self-harm often before coming to hospital, they will not engage in that activity when they’re accessing us. Before giving it time to build, they’ll call us and say, hey, I need some support. Can I come in now? We love it when people do that. We don’t want them to be sitting in that highly distressed state for long periods of time. We want to help them and then in turn help themselves.
I think it’s helping people not to be afraid of the mental health system anymore. I think it’s giving people a choice. We get excellent feedback from visitors in the space where they have just been absolutely amazed at how they have felt totally different leaving the space to when they have come in. People have said it’s saved their life. My options were to suffer in silence and try and make it through the night. Whereas now, I can come here and talk about it, you know, and instead of escalating to the point where, you know, I get so bad that I do have to end up in the emergency department. I mean, it’s really nice to see people leave and see them leave in such a positive manner. We want them to be doing the best and feel like, you know what, I can handle this on my own. I’ve been given the tools. I know what I’m doing.
We would rather people not be dependent on a crisis support space, but we always want them to know that they’re welcome.