Psychological Well being: Discuss About It Mate

Discuss About It Mate is likely one of the authentic psychological well being help teams that has hyperlinks with the MAN v FAT group. 

Mike Richard tells us all about it!

What do you do at Discuss About It Mate?
We concentrate on creating areas for individuals to attach in as we imagine within the energy of individuals serving to individuals. Our work has developed over the previous 5 years from informal meetups and occasions in Manchester to extra organised peer help areas which we had been capable of transfer on-line through the pandemic.

Alongside these, we had been capable of join individuals by way of WhatsApp teams, with our foremost group nonetheless going robust to at the present time. We run an additional soccer sport on Monday nights and the boys know there’s somebody they’ll converse to in the event that they want help.

Prior to now couple of years, we now have been capable of present a spread of face-to-face peer help teams reminiscent of males’s teams and combined strolling teams. Now we provide three weekly daytime males’s teams in Salford with most of the members being referred into us by social prescribers.

How did you get TAIM up and working?
I’ve at all times had struggles with my very own psychological well being which solely turned clear to me in 2004 aged 18, after I was identified with despair. The panorama has modified significantly since then and searching again I can see that what I actually wanted was areas to speak and open up about what was occurring for me, which I didn’t have.

Consequently, I struggled for 12 years earlier than experiencing a psychological breakdown and in search of help within the type of counselling. I used to be determined for others to not undergo what I’d been by way of, so after I moved again to Manchester after just a few years away I made a decision to create a small meetup group known as ‘Discuss About It Mate’ since then it has modified my life for the higher in each manner.

I used to be capable of cease educating and begin coaching as a counsellor alongside rising TAIM, now I juggle each roles and issues are rising on a regular basis.

What’s TAIM’s relationship with MAN v FAT?
Following my breakdown and whereas I used to be residing in London I made a decision (whereas having remedy) to lastly deal with my points with confidence and shallowness. As this largely got here from how I felt about my weight, this was the primary time I’d ever thought-about making an actual change.

I joined MAN v FAT in Leyton and performed up till coming again up north, after I joined the freshly launched Salford league. After some time I additionally joined the Manchester league. Being a part of the group was nice for me, not solely was I shedding pounds and rising in confidence I used to be making new friendships too.