How to take care of your mental health while living, studying and working at home

• Part of AbilityNet Live!

How to take care of your mental health while living, studying and working at home - AbilityNet webinar slides via SlideShare

During these difficult times, many people will be under an emotional strain. Whether you are working or studying from home, facing relationship issues and anxiety, or supporting colleagues, students and friends, we all need to need to be extra vigilant about our mental health.

AbilityNet works with individuals in the workplace, in education and at home. This session will explore how to find the support you need online, and how to use tech to help maintain good mental health.

What you should be aware of in terms of accessing mental health support by phone and online versus face-to-face and the role that diversity plays in terms of mental wellness and delivering support.

We will be joined by a range of experts in this area who can address issues around Diversity and Mental Health. 

Dr Dominique Thompson

Dr Dominique Thompson is an award-winning GP, young people’s mental health expert, TEDx speaker, author and educator, with over 20 years of clinical experience caring for students, including as a police and expedition doctor, and as Director of Service at the University of Bristol Students’ Health Service. Dominique is the author of The Student Wellbeing Series (Trigger Press), a short series of guides for young people aged 16-25 about mental health, wellbeing and life at university, and co-author of How to Grow a Grown-Up (PenguinRandomHouse), a book for parents, carers, teachers and anyone working with young people, about raising independent and resilient young adults ready for the challenges of the 21st century. 

Atif Choudhury, Diversity and Ability

Atif is an award-winning social entrepreneur. Atif is the co-founder and CEO of Diversity and Ability, as well as a trustee for Disability Rights UK. Drawing on his own neurodiverse personal experience, Atif forged his path in the field of Assistive Technology starting as a trainer. He co-founded D&A in 2009 to further the wellbeing and development of other dyslexic and disabled learners and educational communities. With both an MSc in Conflict and Development from SOAS and a Postgraduate Teaching Diploma in teaching adults with dyslexia, Atif knows how to make sure D&A trainers/ tutors work with learners in ways that leave them inspired and prepared for life’s challenges.

Scope/Chloe Tear (Disability Blogger)

Chloe is a content creator and moderator for Scope as well as an award-winning disability blogger. She writes about her experiences of Cerebral Palsy, being in chronic pain and being partially sighted due to visual cortex disorder. Her blog strives to share what it is like to be a disabled young person navigating the world of education, employment and life in general.

Vicki Sherry, BACP-accredited counsellor

Vicki is a counsellor and psychotherapist and I trained at the Sherwood Institute for Counselling and Psychotherapists following a long career in law. She has a passion for working with client’s who suffer from trauma, disability and diversity-related issues.

The Silver Line

The Silver Line supports older people with a 24-hour Helpline offering information, signposting and a place to talk, a befriending service to help combat loneliness and a way of empowering those who have experienced abuse or neglect. Director Paul Goulden will join our webinar.

British Red Cross coronavirus helpline

The British Red Cross has launched a coronavirus helpline. To find out more Gill Moffat will join us. Gill has been a member of the British red Cross psychosocial support team for 14 years. She is a supervisor for the British Red Cross coronavirus support line, which runs daily offering practical and emotional support to people during the outbreak. 

Part of AbilityNet Live!

Useful Links

-from Dominique

-from Diversity and Ability

-Mental Health resources