VCSE (voluntary, community, social enterprise) mental health response team have a collaborative approach to tackle the inequality with communities through the pandemic, especially looking at age, BAME, disability.

All services are funded by GMHSCP – Greater Manchester health and social care partnership.

Just think….. To be able to talk to a counsellor/therapist in your own language is so important. We need to think about the impact of language on mental health.

It is important when suffering to use the correct empathetic wording. It is also important to use appropriate interpreters who are able to translate wording and cultural context.

Think about the different impact Covid is having on different communities;

For example – Jewish men can only pray in groups of 10 men know as a minion and this can not be done through zoom. This will seriously be impacting on their mental health.

Services Available

Yaran – North West – Offers therapy and counselling – They deal with social isolation, panic, sleep problems. They have 45 translated leaflets in 5 languages.They have befriending ad mentoring in Urdu and Arabic

JAMH – Jewish action mental health therapy and counselling

WAI YIN SOCIETY – Help Chinese women, they can translate Hong Kong, Chinese, Macau, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia. For help with DV, Bereavement, isolation and racial trauma. 0161 272 7482/8330377

RATIONALE – Faciltate communication between refugees and the system. They identify isolated and vulnerable community members. They do remote wellbeing calls and follow up. Explain the reason for the mask (covid) and things like why we sing happy birthday when washing hands and the importance of this.

Caribbean and African Health Network, run by black professionals providing therapy and counselling. They can translate French, Spanish and Portuguese. Open 9am to 9pm – 07710 022 382 – bereavement@cahn.org.uk

South Asian Holistic Mental Health Services – Atiha Chaudry. Not mental health specialist but members are cultural and faith appropriate. They translate Bangla, Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi. They offer walking groups, methods for coping with covid, befriending and general info and advice

All these service are culturally appropriate.

For more information about CAHN (Caribbean & African Health Network) visit their website