Online Support Groups and Activities

In line with the Government’s advice, we’ve made the difficult decision to suspend our usual face-to-face activities, courses and groups until it is considered safe to provide them again.

In the meantime, we’ve put together a programme of online groups and activities to continue to support your mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Visit our Calendar page to see our Online Activities Calendar

Courses description

ONLINE PEER SUPPORT GROUPS

The daily Coffee Morning at 10.30am every weekday to give you a chance to still connect with others, in a safe and fun environment. View our poster. Please note that from 19 July, all coffee morning sessions will be password protected. Please rebook your place to get the correct details or contact MFT on info@maryfrancestrust.org.uk to get the new details.

Peer Support Group – it gives you the chance to catch up with people you have not been able to see, and to share any concerns and support others who may feel the same way. Weekly on Fridays, 11.30am-12.30pm.

Women’s Group – A great opportunity to meet with other women and unwind with others who are experiencing similar things to you. You can pick up hints and tips about how they are coping with isolation and how to support others. Weekly, on Tuesday 11.00-11.45 – please note that the Women’s Group is now a part of the
coffee morning, you will be taken into separate “room” on Zoom by Anna).

New Mums Coffee Morning – For mums who have had a baby in the last 12 months and are struggling with feelings of worry or low mood and finding things overwhelming or difficult to manage during this time of social distancing. This group is a safe space to share your worries and talk through your feelings with other new mums. Weekly on Tuesdays, 11am-11.45am – please note the New Mums’ Group is now a part of the
coffee morning, you will be taken into separate “room” on Zoom by Jo). View our poster.

Young People Support Group – aka Connect, for people aged 17-25. It’s a chance to meet up online and find out how other young people are dealing with life in lockdown. Weekly on Thursdays, 7pm-7.30pm.

LGBTQ Peer Support Group – this group is for LGBTQ adults aged 18+, living with a mental health condition,
either diagnosed or undiagnosed. Come and share your experiences and identities, support each other in a safe, friendly and confidential space, and reduce loneliness and isolation. This group is facilitated by MFT as well as volunteers from Pride in Surrey. Every third Thursday of the month, 7.30pm-8.30pm.

Bipolar Peer Support Group – this group is for people who have been diagnosed as bipolar to come and share experiences and difficulties, share ideas and coping strategies and support each other in a friendly environment. It runs on the first Thursday of every month, 7pm-8pm. Please note there will be no session on 6 August. Next session: 3 Sept.

Quiz Group – Come and connect and socialise with other quizzers in this light-hearted online General Knowledge Quiz Group – whether it’s showing off your knowledge or learning about new things, it’s a great way to come and make friends and have a laugh whilst doing it! Weekly on Mondays, 1pm-1.45pm.

ONLINE PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES

Fitness Session – Michael will run a half-hour fitness session each week, based on light exercise to improve your mood and general fitness level. He will show you exercises that you can practice on your own so that your fitness improves over the coming weeks. Weekly, on Thursdays 1.30pm-2pm.

Zumba – a fun ‘party’ workout that combines Latin and international music with easy to follow dance moves. Designed to improve your cardiovascular fitness and muscle strength. Suitable for all ages and levels of fitness. Please wear loose comfortable clothing and suitable footwear (ie trainers or similar). Have a bottle of water to hand. Weekly on Tuesdays, 6.30pm-7pm and on Thursdays, 6pm-6.40pm.

ONLINE WELLBEING GROUPS AND COURSES

ONGOING

Mindful Meditation – Take half an hour away from the stresses of everyday living and develop your mindfulness and meditation skills to help you to manage some of the chaos that seems to be all around us. Weekly, on Wednesdays and Fridays, 2.15pm-3pm.

AUGUST

Managing Your Emotional Health Post-Covid– we will look at how Covid has affected our mental health and discuss what we can do to support our emotional wellbeing as we ease out of lockdown. On Monday 10 August, 2pm-3.25pm.

Developing and Maintaining Resilience – In this workshop, you will learn coping and changing skills as well as how to get a growth mindset to think more long-term as well as support yourself so you can also help others. On Wednesday 12 August, 11.30am-1pm.

Tools for Anxiety – This workshop will explore numerous ways and techniques that will help you to maintain your own wellbeing and discover practical strategies to manage and reduce Anxiety. On Friday 14 August, 3.15pm-4pm.

Creating A Wellbeing Plan – practical tips from 30 secs to 30 minutes to help you when you feel scared panicky or unable to cope. On Monday 17 August, 2pm-3.25pm.

Keeping Calm and Focused – You will learn about controlling reactions and shifting to a positive thought pattern – about only controlling what we can control. On Wednesday 19 August, 11.30am-1pm.

Supporting Your Own Wellbeing – This workshop will help you to find ways to support your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, and give you some tools to maintain your own wellbeing. On Friday 21 August, 3.15pm-4pm.

Emotion Gym – Develop news strategies and habits to get and keep you emotionally fit. On Monday 24 August, 2pm-3.25pm.

Visualising the Life You Want And How You Want to Feel – You will learn to focus on intentions, affirmations and habits/routines as well as where we put our attention and energy flows. On Wednesday 26 August, 11.30am-1pm.

Improving Sleep Difficulties – This 4-week online course will teach you how to manage your sleep issues using CBT techniques. You’ll learn practical tools to help you address poor sleep, whether your sleep issues were triggered by or pre-existed COVID-19. Run by 2 therapists from Centre for Psychology via StarLeaf (not Zoom). You will be given a link every week to access the session and won’t need to download any application. To be
eligible for the course, you will need to be assessed by Centre for Psychology. You will first need to register your interest with MFT by 14 August. Your details will then be passed on to Centre for Psychology who will conduct a telephone assessment. Starting Thursday 27 August, 2.30pm-4.30pm and the following three Thursdays.

Supporting Others’ Wellbeing – This course is a basic introduction to Mental Health First Aid skills, and will give you an insight into how you can support the mental wellbeing of those around you. On Friday 28 August 3.15pm-4pm.

Managing Your Emotional Health Post-Covid in a Language Familiar to You (Bengali, Urdu and Hindi) – Are you feeling overwhelmed or isolated? Are you struggling with worry or low mood? Are you finding things difficult to manage during this time of social distancing? Come and join our support workshop on Zoom to learn and share information in Bengali, Urdu and Hindi with native speakers. On Bank Holiday Monday 31 August at 2pm.

SEPTEMBER

Managing Your Emotional Health and Diabetes Post-Covid – this 4-week online course will help you develop the skills, knowledge and understanding you need to support your own mental health and manage your diabetes. You’ll have the opportunity to meet speakers from Public Health England, Active Surrey and IAPT Services. The course will cover mental health, foot care, diet and physical activity. Starting on Tuesday 8 September, at 5pm and then the following three Tuesdays at 5pm. Deadline for application: 21 August 2020. Contact Parvin Parvin on 07380857701 or Lieneke at Diabetes UK on 07764 906220.

Introduction to Decluttering with Goal Setting – The aim of this course is to help you set goals to start you on the path to achieving a clutter free home and/or working environment where you feel more confident and able to function effectively in your surroundings. Runs for 3 weeks on Thursdays, 1pm-3pm from 10 September.

Qigong – Qigong movements are slow and mindful and aim to restore the flow of ‘qi/ energy’ that has been negatively affected by stress, ill health or trauma, resulting in a greater feelings of wellbeing. Starts Wednesday 16th September 10.30am-11.45am – 6 week progressive class.

OCTOBER

Practical Mindfulness – With Practical Mindfulness you will learn mindfulness tools to overcome limiting thoughts and behaviour patterns and to live healthier, happier, and a more productive life. Runs over two weeks on Thursday 15 and 22 October, 1pm-3pm.

NOVEMBER

Address Your Stress and Anxiety – Stress is everywhere, and it is directly linked to our mental health. 1 in 6 adults in Britain will experience depression, anxiety or problems relating to stress at any one time. By tackling stress, we can go a long way to tackle mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Facilitated workshop designed to help you: Understand your triggers, Get to know your unique stress signature, Manage your stress levels with self-care, Reduce the impact of stress on your health and life. Runs for 4 weeks on Thursdays, 1pm-3pm from 5 November.

ONLINE ART & CRAFTS ACTIVITIES

Creative Writing – Michele will run creative writing for us, designed to support your mental health and emotional wellbeing and let your voice be heard. On Tuesdays, 2pm-3pm for Advanced Learners. On Thursdays, 2pm-3pm for Beginners.

Crafts At Home – Taryn will show you how some effective but easy crafts to do at home and to share with others who may be socially isolating with you. They will be using everyday items to create beautiful things. Weekly on Mondays, 2pm-3pm.

Craft Vlog – We’ll publish a video blog from Taryn on Tuesday mornings with a craft project you can do from home. It will be available from the blog section of our website as well as on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages on Tuesday 4 Aug, 25 Aug, 1 Sept. Please do share your creations with us and Taryn!

Intro into Drawing – If you think you can’t draw, then this course is for you as you don’t need any artistic talent or experience to join in! 90% of us feel we can’t draw and have no hope, this course will take you from the basics and help you improve your drawing every week. There are 2 online courses to choose from – just pick one of them. Evening course starts Wed 12 August (19, 26 Aug and 2 Sept), 6pm-7pm or the morning course starts Friday 14 August (21, 28 Aug and 4 Sept), 10.45am-11.45am.

ONLINE INTEREST GROUPS

Book Club – Do you enjoy reading? Then why not attend our new weekly Book Club! A selection of short stories will be nominated and selected each week and discussed at our weekly meetings. We’re running two weekly sessions – you have to pick one of them. On Wednesdays, 4pm – 4.45pm from 5 August and on Tuesdays, 12.30pm-1.pm15 from 11 August.

Football Talking Group – Our light-hearted group is designed for anyone who has an interest in football, whatever level of the game! As a player, fan, referee or coach. The group will discuss various topics and reflect on clubs previous or current glories, as well as counting down to the new season ahead. Starts Wednesday 12 August, 1pm – 1.45pm

How can I take part?

• To take part you’ll need to be registered with us. If you’re new to us, you can complete our online registration form and we’ll set up an initial appointment over the phone ASAP so we can get to know you and offer the appropriate support.
• Once you’re fully registered, you’ll need an internet connection, a smart phone or tablet (iPad or Android) or a laptop or desktop.
• Then download a free App called Zoom from your smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop. Visit our Instructions page.
• Please note a new Zoom software update is now available. We recommend everyone using our online activities to download it to minimise technical issues. Download Zoom update now
• Then phone the office or contact one of the team to book your place (see list of contacts below).
• Once you are booked on, you will receive a link and password by email to click on at the time the group is due to start – it’s that easy!
• Remember that this is a closed group. For confidentiality and security reasons, please do not share the link and password with anyone. If you know someone who would like to join, ask them to book their place with us or they will be denied access on the day.
• Before you take part, please read our Participations Guidelines to ensure you keep yourself and others safe online and everyone gets the best experience.
• You can choose if you want to be seen or if you just want to speak. Don’t worry if you are not sure how to use Zoom – read our instructions or you can ring us for help.

Contact us

Mary Frances Trust’s main office: 01372 375400. Please note that it will go straight to answerphone and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can but this might be a bit delayed.

The phone numbers listed below will be answered during working hours, Monday to Friday from 9am until 4pm.  If you phone outside of these hours, please leave a voicemail and someone will respond as soon as they are able to.

John O’Malley: 07868 203512 or johnomalley@maryfrancestrust.org.uk

Michael Powell: 07961 487625 or Michael@maryfrancestrust.org.uk 

Parvin Ahmed: 07380 857701 or Parvin@maryfrancestrust.org.uk 

Lenny Roberts Flanders: 07929 024724 or Lenny@maryfrancestrust.org.uk

Anna Silver: 07432 510493 or Anna@maryfrancestrust.org.uk