Groups and courses

A group for mums with post-natal low mood.

Having a baby is generally expected to be a wonderful experience that brings great joy and happiness, so it can be very difficult if you do not quite feel like that. Many mums find that life with a baby or toddler can be extremely challenging, and that the new demands and responsibilities, together with broken sleep, can sometimes leave you feeling overwhelmed, low in mood, irritable or anxious.

If this happens, you might find yourself being very hard on yourself, comparing yourself negatively with other people or thinking that you’re the only one finding it so hard. This can in turn make you feel even worse. Or you might find it difficult to stop worrying about the future, about your child's wellbeing or your ability to cope.

If any of these thoughts or feelings strike a chord with you, or if you have felt low or anxious recently, our free (NHS-funded) courses could help.

Across the 5 free 2-hour sessions you’ll discover new ways to:

• lighten your mood
• get on top of your worries
• manage sleepless nights
• build confidence and self-esteem
• find yourself again

It is open to mums with a child under the age of 3.

The facilitators are all improving access to psychological therapies professionals, experienced in delivering talking therapy.

For some women, the transition through menopause can bring many physiological and psychological changes that can lead to low mood, anxiety, or stress. Uncomfortable physical symptoms, low energy and memory difficulties can be challenging.

Daily activities that you previously took in your stride may now feel overwhelming. If this is something you can relate to, you may like to join our new menopause health and wellbeing course.

The menopause health and wellbeing course is an NHS-funded 5 session course which is free to attend, (approximately 90 minutes each week) that has a focus on learning more about the impact of the menopause transition and strategies to adapt and live well, through and beyond the menopause.

The course is not group therapy, but parts are interactive. Therefore, it is not a space for discussing personal issues, but there is an opportunity. We do encourage participants to interact with the course material.

Courses are currently run online. However, we are starting to introduce face to face courses at venues across Cornwall.

What is the sleep well course?

A 3-week course delivered via Microsoft Teams with each session lasting 1 hour, with 15 minutes for discussion afterwards.

During the course topics include:

• types and stages of sleep
• negative sleep habits
• sleep hygiene
• tips for managing shift work
• techniques for improving sleep
• challenging sleep perspective
• stress and sleep
• sleep routines

What are the benefits?

• Fast way to access treatment.
• Platform to learn tips, tools and techniques to make changes and aid positive sleep.
• Online course making it accessible for all parts of the county.

Who is the course for?

This course is for people aged 16 and older who are experiencing problematic sleep and are ready to make changes.

Effective ways to understand and manage stress

If you often find yourself feeling anxious, low, stressed, panicky or worried, then this course could be for you.

It is an NHS-funded 5 session course which is free to attend (approximately 90 minutes per week), that has a focus on learning about stress and understanding its effects on the way we think, feel and behave.

Courses are currently run online, however we are starting to introduce face to face courses across Cornwall.

The stress buster course is designed to help you learn ways of understanding and managing your stress. It is not group therapy. Attendees are never asked about personal problems and there is no expectation for anyone to speak.

This is a free group that discusses low mood and anxiety for people aged over 65, which is run by qualified therapists.

We will discuss changes in later life, including retirement, loneliness, bereavement, and changes in health and mobility. These changes often lead to anxiety and low mood symptoms in older adults, which are sometimes viewed as a normal part of ageing. However, this does not need to be the case.

The course will look at a range of tools to boost mood, manage anxieties, and how to continue to grow in later life. We aim to help you to improve resilience and learn how to adapt to the challenges life may bring.

There will be 4 weekly sessions that last for 2 hours. This will include a tea break and time to ask questions. Although this is not group therapy, this course is interactive, and we encourage as much engagement as you are comfortable with.

We will cover:

• an introduction to low mood, anxiety, and healthy ageing
• how to boost your activity
• managing worry and unhelpful thoughts
• healthy living and resilience into the future

Courses will be online with some face-to-face courses also being available.

What is the worry less, live more group?

An interactive 6-week course delivered via Microsoft Teams with each session lasting 2 hours.

The course is run by 2 experienced therapists from our Improving Access to Psychological Therapies service.

During the course, they will cover:

• what is anxiety and worry
• learning to live with uncertainty
• identifying beliefs that drive worry
• problem-solving
• facing our worry fears
• maintaining progress and keeping well

What are the benefits?

• Fast way to access high-intensity treatment.
• Effective treatment based on evidence-based practice.