Pathfinder and Be OK

BHT Sussex is a member of Pathfinder West Sussex, an alliance of organisations working together to enable people with mental health support needs, and their carers, to improve their mental health and wellbeing.

As members of this alliance, we are the lead provider for Pathfinder Mid Sussex and Crawley. We provide information, advice, signposting, community groups, peer support and recovery-focused one-to-one sessions for people aged over 18 years who are struggling with their mental health.

We also run the Be OK service specifically for 16-25 year olds living in Crawley, Horsham or Mid Sussex. This is a free and confidential service available to young people in these areas who are struggling with any aspect of their mental health. The service offers:

• One to one support from one of our Recovery Workers to help you achieve your goals
• Groups and activities to learn new skills and meet new people
• Support to move into work, volunteering or education
• Support from Peer Mentors who have personal experience of living with mental health problems

Peer Support

Peer Mentors use their lived experiences of mental health challenges to create a supportive environment in which you can discuss your needs as well as work towards achieving your goals and aspirations.

Our Peer Mentors normally work with clients for up to six months and can support with:

• Setting personal goals linked to recovery and supporting with progress towards these goals.
• Building confidence to attend new groups and activities.
• When applicable, signposting to specialised support

Community Champions

Community Champions also use their lived experiences in order to provide social support to members of our communities who may find themselves isolated. Our Community Champions normally work with clients for up to six months and can support with:

• Facilitating social interaction in-person or remotely to help ease isolation.
• Encouraging venturing into the community if this is something of interest to the client.
• Providing a “listening ear” to those who may need it most with no goals required, just a chance to chat.

The power of lived experience is now becoming widely known within the mental health sector and at Pathfinder, we are always looking for ways to embed the voices and skillsets of those who have used services within the work that we do.

Opportunities for training

Pathfinder also facilitates an eight week internal training course for anyone interested in becoming a Peer Mentor or Community Champion. The course aims to build confidence, support the learning of new skills and for some learners, help them to explore a potential new career.

Please get in touch using the contact details below should you be interested in joining the next cohort of trainees, or if you would like to discuss any of the above in further detail.

Getting help from our services

If you feel that any of these services could be of help then please get in touch with us by completing our Contact Information Form and emailing it to pathfinder.bhtsussex@nhs.net. Alternatively you can contact the Pathfinder Helpdesk using the contact details below.