Berkshire Managing Emotions Programme

Contact details

Address, phone and email

1a Rupert Square
Reading
RG1 3HE
mep@together-uk.org

Services offered

Psychoeducational courses for people experiencing difficulties managing their emotions

Services & Projects Oversight Manager: Andre Silva

Head of Regional Operations: Gianluca Zucchelli

Berkshire Healthcare is commissioning Together for Mental Wellbeing to deliver the Managing Emotions Programme across Berkshire. The programme is part of a wider project to better support people’s mental health in the community.

The Berkshire Managing Emotions Programme offers easy access to psychoeducational courses, designed to equip people with a range of tools and skills to enable them to manage emotions more effectively. Emotion dysregulation can have a significant impact on an individuals’ quality of life, effecting relationships, employment, and general wellbeing. The Managing Emotions Programme works on helping those to make positive changes with their ability to manage such intense emotions.

The Managing Emotions Programme facilitates three individual psychoeducational courses as well as a fourth course for carers who are supporting people who have difficulty managing intense emotions.

Course dates

The courses will be delivered online via Microsoft teams or in person within Berkshire, with a maximum of 12 attendees in each group.

Please email mep@together-uk.org for upcoming course dates.

  • Course 1 – Single session lasting 2.5 hours
  • Course 2 – 4 weeks, 2 hours per week
  • Course 3 – Developing skills to manage and regulate emotions – (8 sessions)
  • Course 4 – Carer’s course – Supporting someone with emotional difficulties – (4 sessions) – Please note that this course is not currently being offered

Please email mep@together-uk.org for upcoming course dates and details of venues for in person courses.

Berkshire Healthcare is commissioning Together for Mental Wellbeing to deliver the Managing Emotions Programme across Berkshire. The programme is part of a wider project to better support people’s mental health in the community.

The courses are available to people under primary care services, aged 18 and over, who are registered with a GP in Berkshire, who have been identified as having difficulties with regulating and managing their emotions and are low levels of risk to themselves and others. People do not require a diagnosis of personality disorder to be referred to the programme. Features of the courses include:

  • They were co-produced with people with lived experience of personality disorder
  • They provide streamlined access to psychoeducational support
  • Courses are rooted in the voluntary sector/recovery college model
  • The programme values lived experience as a means to understand distress and to collectively identify helpful strategies
  • The shared identity of lived experience is identified and all of the courses are delivered alongside a lived experience practitioner
  • Inclusion and a feeling of empowerment and connectedness will be provided through the use of lived experience and peer-mentors/trainers
  • The courses look to provide a reduction in distress, whilst improving quality of life for people that take part

Making a referral to the Berkshire Managing Emotions Programme

Referrals to the Berkshire Managing Emotions Programme need to be made by GPs and other external professional teams registered in Berkshire in the form below.

Self referrals are not accepted at this time.

Berkshire Managing Emotions Referral Form

Information on the person being referred to Berkshire Managing Emotions Programme

Please use format DD/MM/YYYY
Does the person you're referring have an email address?
What gender does person you're referring identify as? (please note this question is optional & can be left blank if the person would rather not say)
Is the gender the person you're referring identifies with the same as the sex registered at birth? (please note this question is optional & can be left blank if the person would rather not say)
What is the person you're referring’s sexual orientation?
Which of the following best matches the way the person you're referring would describe their ethnic origin?
How would the person you're referring describe their faith / belief / religion?
Please indicate which of the courses you'd like to book the person on to: (please note only 1 course may be booked at a time & people can refer straight into course 2. If you need more detail on the courses go to www.together-uk.org/projects/berkshire-managing-emotions-programme)
Does the person you're referring have any physical health difficulties we may need to be aware of?
Does the person you're referring have any mental health difficulties we may need to be aware of?
Is the person you're referring currently under any secondary care?

Risk Assessment – Answers to the following questions will allow us to ensure needs are met appropriately and participants in the course are kept safe. (as a professional referring someone please ask the person you're referring these questions)

Has the person you're referring ever self-harmed?
When was the last time the person you're referring self-harmed?
How frequently does the person you're referring self harm?
Did the person you're referring require medical attention such as A&E or to be seen by a paramedic?
Has the person you're referring ever had thoughts of ending their life?
Has the person you're referring ever acted on those thoughts to end their life?
When was the last time the person you're referring attempted to end their life?
Does the person you're referring currently have thoughts to end their life?
Please be aware that if the person has made plans to end their life, we will attempt to contact them via telephone to talk through a safety plan with them and to support them in this difficult moment. Our working hours are Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. In the meantime, if the person feels unable to keep themself safe, please reach out to their GP, visit their local A&E, Samaritans 116 123, Breathing space (open 5pm-11pm 7 days a week) 0800 002 9091, Crisis team 0800 129 9999. If they require emergency medical attention, please call 999.
Has the person you're referring made any plans to end their life?
Does the person you're referring currently have difficulties with alcohol consumption or drug use?
Please be aware that anyone attending a course on the day who is intoxicated will not be able to access the course and will need to return when they are not intoxicated.

Information on you as a professional referring a person to Berkshire Managing Emotions Programme

Do you and the person you're referring give permission for your information to be shared with us at Berkshire Managing Emotions Programme and to be contacted by us (If a referrer is completing this form please tick only if you have received consent from the individual this form is intended for):
I agree to provide consent from me and the person I'm referring for allowing Together Mental Wellbeing to contact my GP if necessary:
Note: We will only contact your GP if we require further information to support you throughout the course, or if we have concerns of your wellbeing. Where possible we will contact you first to let you know we will be contacting your GP
I agree to provide consent from me and the person I'm referring allowing Together Mental Wellbeing to contact Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust if necessary:
Please be aware we have supervision with a clinical supervisor from Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and on occasions we may discuss referrals to ensure they are appropriate for our service.

Please note,  information in this form in most cases requires an answer to assist with assessing if a person can be booked onto the Managing Emotions Programme. If you are struggling to complete the form for any reason please contact the team at mep@together-uk.org.

Managing Emotions Programme resources

Further details on the Managing Emotions Programme courses

A single-session workshop lasting 2.5 hours, giving a basic introduction to the function of emotions and some coping skills to help during times of distress. This course would be suited to clients who have had no previous psycho-education and/or cannot commit to a more in-depth course. All material in this course is also covered in courses 2 and 3.

A 4-week course (2 hours per week) that explores understanding and labelling emotions, coping skills to reduce the intensity of emotions, and beginning to make positive changes. This course is suitable for clients who are looking to build a foundation of emotional awareness and regulation skills; no previous psycho-education is necessary. The material in this course is also covered in course 3.

  • Week 1 – Understanding emotions and how they affect mind, body and behaviour
  • Week 2 – Labelling emotions and identifying levels of emotional intensity
  • Week 3 – Coping skills to reduce emotional intensity during times of distress
  • Week 4 – Beginning to make a positive change

This course takes an in-depth look at emotional awareness and regulation, communication, personal values, acceptance, goal setting, mindfulness, and other emotion regulation skills.

Course content includes:

  • Emotional Awareness
  • Emotional Regulation
  • Acknowledging unhelpful thoughts
  • Mindfulness
  • Acceptance and Values
  • Understanding schemas
  • Communication and Interpersonal Effectiveness
  • Looking to the future

The course looks at what it might be like to have emotional difficulties, when to intervene and when to step back, responding to suicidality, managing your own fears and looking after your own wellbeing.

Course content includes:

  • Understanding Emotions
  • To consider what it might be like for someone to have emotional difficulties
  • When to intervene and when to step back?
  • Responding to Suicidality
  • Managing your own Fears
  • Carers Wellbeing – Strategies to Cope and Manage
  • When to seek help for yourself?
  • Signposting and useful resources

Our location

1a Rupert Square
Reading
RG1 3HE