With our offices tucked away in the building, you may rightly wonder what the Anchor team does, as unlike many other departments, we’re not a public facing team, although you may see us apparently chatting over a drink in the Cavern. So what do we do?
If you’re in a boat at sea in a storm, you probably throw out an anchor to keep the boat steady, so it isn’t dangerously thrown around by the waves. The Anchor programme does the same sort of thing for people who experience complex mental health needs – we try to bring some stability, calm and hope to people who feel that they are trapped in a huge life storm.
That’s the Anchor in a nutshell, a year long programme which helps people with complex emotional needs to take significant steps towards becoming the best version of themselves. However, I want to use this blog to give a massive shout out to the incredible trainers in the Anchor team who make this work possible. As the lead, I have the privilege of seeing more than anyone the remarkable work that this team does. Anchor trainers often go under the radar because they are out and about working with people in different locations, but between them they have some remarkable super powers that allow them to work in a completely person centered way, and it is their love, perseverance and creativity that makes the Anchor the life changing programme that it really is. Our trainees’ feedback speaks for itself:
The friendly attitude from trainers has helped me relax when previously social anxiety was an issue. Anchor has given me structure and routine to my day, when before the days blurred into one.
Over the past few months Anchor has helped me make more progress than I imagined was possible for me. I feel heard and have found many ways in which to create a better life for myself with the support of my Anchor trainers. I have become more independent and feel more capable of overcoming my struggles with the help of healthy coping mechanisms I have worked on cultivating with Anchor. My trainers are patient, understanding and a lot of fun to work with. I have definitely become a happier and healthier version of myself during my time with Anchor!
People come on the Anchor programme because they get referred by another mental health service, and often they feel as if no-one has ever really understood their situation, or offered the right kind of help. Anchor trainers are brilliant at helping people to feel seen, heard and understood. One trainee told us:
Having suffered with mental health illness for much of my life this is the first time I don’t feel I’m going through a tick box exercise for the purpose of whichever team I have been under. Everything is about taking small positive steps forward, and when things are difficult, dealing with them in an empathetic way to find a way forward, no matter [what form] that takes.
An intensive year can feel pretty challenging to people who come to us, as they meet with their trainers up to five days a week. The programme is split up into four stages, and sometimes we talk about “the stage two blues” a few months in, when some trainees wonder if they can keep going, or test the boundaries to see if their Anchor team really will stick with them. I am always blown away by the determination and creativity Anchor trainers demonstrate in order to encourage trainees to keep going, adapting the programme to meet the trainee’s needs, or encouraging them with a particular activity, a handmade card or a small gift. These seem like small gestures, but they communicate “you are seen and you matter”. When they reflect on their time at the end of the programme, trainees often really appreciate the way that their trainers never gave up on them:
I’ve [found] a purpose out of this (Anchor Programme). Even though I didn’t want to come at times. We’ve pulled through as a team. You’ve been there consistently and not given up on me. I'm … stronger in my relationships, sleeping better and getting up earlier.
Thank you all for this past year! What a whirl wind it has been?! We’ve had our ups and downs, even when I’ve pushed you away a little you still stayed with me. Indeed it has been an experience! All I can say is thankyou!
Over the past few months Anchor has helped me make more progress than I imagined was possible for me. I feel heard and have found many ways in which to create a better life for myself with the support of my Anchor trainers. I have become more independent and feel more capable of overcoming my struggles with the help of healthy coping mechanisms I have worked on cultivating with Anchor. My trainers are patient, understanding and a lot of fun to work with. I have definitely become a happier and healthier version of myself during my time with Anchor!
So if you see Kat, Alana, Paula, Emma S, Aliki, Emma M and Zanna, even if they just seem to be having a chat over a cup of coffee, remember that each in their own way is just a bit of a miracle worker!
