Psychosis Therapy Project
The Psychosis Therapy Project is a therapy service for people with experience of psychosis.
The service offers opportunities for psychotherapeutic support with a team of specialist practitioners. We are committed to strategies of stabilisation, inclusion, validation and empowerment and to the management of persistent symptoms.
The service currently offers:
- A weekly community drop-in service in which members can come and go flexibly, accessing the support of a rich and highly supportive community of peers, volunteers and therapists
- Individual support from a specialist team of in-house therapists, available for ad-hoc sessions during the drop-in
- Complementary in-person therapy groups including Yoga, Movement Therapy, Music and the Energy group, a peer-led wellbeing group running monthly.
The Psychosis Therapy Project takes place on a Wednesday at the Despard Road centre, 48 Despard Road, London N19 5NW. The centre can be contacted on 020 7263 3397.
The service welcomes self-referrals from Islington residents with an experience and/or diagnosis of psychosis and referrals from local health professionals. Referrals to the service can be made via the online form.
For further information, email dorothee.bonnigal-katz@islingtonmind.org.uk
Frequently Asked Questions
What is psychosis?
The term “psychosis” is generally used to describe states of mind characterised by experiences such as:
- Hearing voices
- Seeing or sensing things that other people don’t
- Experiencing unusual beliefs and paranoia
- Experiencing invasive ideas or bodily sensations
- Major depressive episodes
These experiences can be frightening and overwhelming. They are much more common than most people think.
What does the Psychosis Therapy Project offer?
The Psychosis Therapy Project is a specialist community service tailored to the needs of individuals with a lived experience of psychosis. There is no focus on delving into the past and no interest in uncovering or “unpicking” anything.
The service provides a safe, non-judgemental and supportive therapeutic space where individuals can access individual and group support customised to alleviate distress and isolation. Therapists, volunteers and peers are there to help service users cultivate enduring strategies that foster validation and confidence. This involves engaging in activities and conversations that can help with the management of persistent symptoms. In the long term, individuals can develop new ways of relating to themselves and their experiences, including strategies of self-acceptance and self-respect which will lead to improved self-esteem. Thanks to this approach, individuals experiencing psychosis are likely to feel less vulnerable and less isolated. They will feel safer, more resilient and self-assured, and more connected with the world and others.
