Mental Health Service - Recovery Through Supported Befriending

Our mental health service follows a goal-based recovery programme (REFOCUS). Our Befrienders (trained volunteers) help support our Friends (service users) to build confidence and to take greater control of their lives by working towards the life goals they have set themselves and by engaging in social connection.

The REFOCUS programme aims to help our Friends to have hope for the future and enables our coordinators and volunteers to work alongside them to grow and live as well as possible, with or without symptoms.

Our mental health service is available for people aged 18+ who live in the Highland region, who are receiving professional support for mental ill health, who feel lonely or isolated, and who are ready, willing and able to engage in a mental health recovery programme.

 

Befrienders Highland offers Face-to-Face and Distance Befriending for our Mental Health service users.

Eligibility

We can accept individuals (Friends) who are:

• aged 18 or over.
• living within the Highland region.

• ready to improve their situation by engaging in the recovery process.

• willing and able to commit to a goal-based recovery befriending programme.*

• receiving professional support for mental ill health.**

• in a period of relatively stable mental health at the time of referral.***

• lonely or isolated, and have limited opportunity or confidence for social contact.

* Our mental health service requires personal goals to be set by the individual. They will work towards these goals throughout the duration of the programme, with support and encouragement from the Befrienders Highland team. They must be able to fully engage in goal creation and commit to regular contact with their befriender and coordinator.

** Individuals must be receiving professional support for mental ill health from a Doctor, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN), or Mental Health Social Worker (or similar).

*** Befrienders Highland is not a crisis support service, we can offer mental health recovery assistance to individuals who meet the criteria, and are in a period of relative stability at the time of referral.

Types of befriending

People can choose either Face-to-Face Befriending (Inverness, Nairn, Alness, Invergordon, Dingwall, Drumnadrochit, Caithness, and Skye & Lochalsh) or Distance Befriending (Telephone, Letter, Email, Video Call, or through Gaming), whichever best suits their needs and circumstances.

For Face-to-Face Befriending Friends must be able to independently meet their Befriender in a mutually agreed public place for social activities; our mental health volunteers are not able to visit people in their own homes, or in care homes.

Who can make a referral?

• GP's, mental health workers, social work services, hospital professionals, or voluntary organisations can all make referrals.
• You can refer yourself.

How is a referral made?

Referrals: If you would like to refer someone please download and complete one of the referral forms below, returning it to us via email or post, ensuring that the form is signed and dated by the individual being referred. The goal form section must also be completed and returned before the referral can be progressed. Please read our Information for Referrers document before referring.

Self-referrals: If you would like to refer yourself, please download and complete one of the self-referral forms below, returning it to us via email or post, ensuring that the form is signed and dated. The goal form section must also be completed and returned before your sel-referral can be progressed. Please read our Information for Friends document before self-referring.

If you have any questions -

• Go to our Contact Us page and complete the online form.  
• Email info@befriendershighland.org.uk
• Telephone us on 01463 712 791

Unfortunately, we are unable to take referrals for face-to-face befriending in Inverness at the moment as we have reached capacity with the number of friendships we can support. 

However, we can still take referrals for phone, letter or email befriending, and for our other face-to-face befriending areas. Please check in with us regularly to see our referral status.

Mental Health Service - Downloadable Forms

BH Mental Health Service - Information for Referrers

BH Mental Health Service - Referral Form (PDF)

BH Mental Health Service - Referral Form (Word)

BH Mental Health Service - Information for Friends

BH Mental Health Service - Self-Referral Form (PDF)

BH Mental Health Service - Self-Referral Form (Word)