The Together Café provides a diverse, accessible and welcoming therapeutic environment for residents of Tower Hamlets where they can walk in and access information, support and a safe place to talk about their thoughts and feelings with someone who will listen.
We provide rapid assessment and short-term interventions that focus on the presenting problems and signpost the person to relevant services that can provide more long-term support.
As an Occupational Therapist working at the café, my main focus is to promote empowerment and educate people in relation to their recovery and focus on preventing relapses through working within the recovery principles.
A personalised safety and support plan is developed that focuses on individual needs. This is tailored to the immediate issues and worries expressed by the individual.
My main goal is to help reduce isolation and focus on activity and engagement which can support improvement in the individual’s mental health and well-being. As a result, this can reduce overwhelming feelings of worry and stress by using coping strategies to manage these better and prevent a crisis.
By providing the environment and opportunity to access nonverbal therapy, this enables the person to express their feelings and emotions in a safe space through the use of objects. This is a unique and effective experience which is open to anyone resident in Tower Hamlets.