Thrive LDN mental health conversation starter

A mental health conversation starter tool

When times are tough, it’s important that we look after our own and each other’s wellbeing.

Reaching out to someone we trust is one of the most important things we can do to keep mentally well. Even if this is a partner, a relative, or a friend, it’s important to acknowledge that it’s not always easy for someone to talk about how they’re feeling or share the concerns they may have. This is particularly true for financial worries.

Sometimes these conversations may touch on sensitive and emotional topics, and it can be difficult to know the best way to approach the conversation.

During the pandemic, we worked with community leaders and psychologist and public health specialist, Dr Pamela Nkyi, to create a conversation starter tool to help you to feel confident to engage in conversations with friends, family, neighbours, or those you support in your community or workplace about mental health and wellbeing. As well as importantly outlining the most appropriate help and advice services to signpost to for professional support.

The increased cost-of-living pressures are putting significant pressure on many Londoners. The financial pressure is likely impacting on people’s mental health as a result. We have therefore updated the suggested prompts, questions and useful information about the resources and tools available to support good mental health, wellbeing and financial worries.

Following a SIGNSS framework – Situation, Initiate, Guide, Nudge, and Support and Signpost – this conversation starter tool will help encourage a gentle and supportive conversation.

Download the conversation starter resource (PDF):

Cost-of-living version (November 2022)

Covid version (January 2021)

We hope these conversation tips and prompts will help you get your community talking.

Using this conversation starter tool

This conversation starter tool follows a SIGNSS framework – Situation, Initiate, Guide, Nudge, and Support and Signpost – and aims to help encourage a gentle and supportive conversation.

SIGNSS outlines a set of clear stages to start, maintain and safely close a conversation about mental health. It is designed to complement what many Londoners are already doing to support those close to them or in their social networks through difficult times.

Situation: Using a situation to find common ground.
Initiate: Initiating a caring conversation, asking direct questions.
Guide: Being a good listener, without judgement.
Nudge: Prompting with positive encouragement and practical suggestions.
Support and Signpost: Sharing help and resources

Situation

Try using a situation to find common ground – a recent, current or future event that means
something to you both.

“I know lots of people are finding things difficult at the moment and wondering when things will get easier, how are you doing?”
“All of these cost increases are so hard to keep up with. How are you feeling about the situation?”
“I’ve been thinking about how much I am looking forward to (a community event, faith gathering, social event), how about you?”

Initiate

Initiating a caring conversation is an act of kindness, good for your own wellbeing as well as for
someone else. A direct question, asked gently, gets to the point and is an honest way to begin.

“I wanted to check in and ask how you have been doing, how you have been managing with being at home/working/looking after your family?”
“You haven’t seemed like yourself recently, is there anything you want to talk about?”
“Are you free to meet (for a coffee, a walk, or a phone call) this week? It would be great to catch up.”

Guide

Being a good listener shows someone that you are genuinely interested in how they are doing.
Use open-ended questions to guide them into talking more, without judgement or negative
reactions to what they have to say.

“You said you were having concerns about how quickly things are changing at the moment and
what that might mean for you, how are you feeling about things right now?”
“You mentioned money worries, how has that been affecting you?”

Nudge

A nudge in the right direction can help people to search for their own resolution. Positive encouragement and practical suggestions can be a helpful prompt.

“Have you thought about what might help you to deal with your money worries?”
“Have you thought about the next steps you’d like to take? I am happy to support you in
finding a solution.”

Support and Signpost

It can be hard to know where to turn and what help is available. You can use this opportunity to point someone in the right direction for support.

“Thank you for sharing that with me. It’s been good to talk. There is much more help available for you if you would like to speak with someone. Here are a few options for you.”
“If this is your situation, this is the support that is available to you.”

We outline some suggested advice and support services below.

Support and Signpost

Reaching out to someone we trust is one of the most important things we can do to keep mentally well. Even if this is a partner, a relative, or a friend, it’s important to acknowledge that it’s not always easy for someone to talk about how they’re feeling or share the concerns they may have.

A gentle conversation can encourage this but it’s helpful to know what support and advice services are available which can offer professional help, if needed.

Wellbeing support and advice services

NHS Every Mind Matters empowers people to look after their mental health by directing them to free, practical tips and advice.

Good Thinking is London’s digital mental wellbeing service, promoting proactive self-care for the four most common mental health conditions: anxiety, low mood, sleeping difficulties and stress.

Talk to your GP. It can be daunting to speak to someone that you may not know well about your mental health, but most people find that speaking to their GP, and the help and support they receive from them, can make all the difference.

Mind provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. Call Mind Infoline 0300 123 3393 open Monday to Friday (except for bank holidays) 9am to 6pm.

Thrive LDN offer tools and resources to support Londoners’ mental health, including resources on supporting emotional resilience, financial anxiety, bereavement, and also how to safely support others in the community.

Samaritans provide free emotional support, advice and information to anyone who wants to talk, available 24 hours, every day. Call 116 123 or visit or email jo@samaritans.org.

Shout is a free, confidential, anonymous text support service for anyone who is struggling to cope, available 24 hours, every day. Text the word ‘SHOUT’ to 85258.

NHS urgent mental health helplines are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Financial advice and practical help

Debt Free Advice offers free, impartial debt advice available in person or via phone, WhatsApp and video chat. Call free helpline 0800 808 5700, lines are open seven days a week, 8am to 8pm.

Step Change offers free, flexible debt advice online or via phone. Call free helpline 0800 138 1111 available Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 8am to 4pm. The online debt advice service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

MoneyHelper provides free and impartial debt advice, money and pension guidance via phone, WhatsApp, and webchat, available Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

Christians Against Poverty provide free professional debt help through local churches. Helpline available Monday to Thursday 9:30am to 5pm and Friday 9:30am to 3:30pm. Call the free helpline 0800 328 0066.

Turn2us support people in financial need gain access to welfare benefits, charitable grants and other financial help – online, by phone and face to face. Call the free helpline 0808 802 2000, available Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5pm or use the free and confidential Benefits Calculator.

Shelter provide advice and support services with housing issues and homelessness. Call the free emergency helpline 0808 800 4444 available Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm and weekends and bank holidays, 9am to 5pm.

The Trussell Trust supports a nationwide network of food banks and provides emergency food and support. Call the free Help Through Hardship Line on 0808 208 2138 available Monday to Friday 9am-5pm.

Citizens Advice offer free, confidential advice online, over the phone, and in person.

Other resources to help you help others

Knowing the most supportive things to say and do for people who are very distressed is really important.

You can take a free, online Psychological First Aid (PFA) training module, aimed at all frontline and essential workers and volunteers. The course teaches the key principles of giving psychological first aid in emergencies and aims to increase awareness and confidence to provide this support.

Supporting those in distress or who have an urgent need can take its toll on your own wellbeing. You can read Volunteering Matters’ guide on how to volunteer safely. It provides a range of guidance and instructional videos for how you can help others in your community safely.

If you need support, there are a range of tools and resources to help support your mental health and wellbeing.

You can also explore free NHS-approved apps and resources from Good Thinking to help you deal with stress, anxiety, low mood and poor sleep.

Money and mental health

To mark Talk Money Week, Thrive LDN and the Money and Pensions Service hosted a free learning webinar on the relationship between money and mental health, and the practical ways to get support. With 1 in 5 people living with a mental health problem finding themselves in debt and 20% of people in debt reporting poor health, it is more important than ever to understand the link between the two know the practical ways to signpost those who may need support towards services and resources relevant to them.

More than 160 people attended the webinar and heard from Sarah Murphy, Senior Health, Social Care and Welfare Systems Strategy Lead at the Money and Pensions Service, and Natasha Cutler, Economic Wellbeing Forum Lead at Thrive LDN.

As well as finding out more about the link between money and mental health, attendees were guided through the support and practical advice available to those they may be supporting through a tough time such as the Mental Health & Money Toolkit.

All the content shared during the webinar can downloaded from our website and you can watch the webinar back via YouTube.

Feedback

We are also keen to hear how you are using SIGNSS, if it is working for you and how can we improve it for the future.

Please get in touch with our team to help us to develop this tool so it works for as many communities across London.