Mental health support for people still feeling impacts of devastating Stourbridge fires
The Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said support is available 24/7
Mental health professionals in the Black Country are reminding people not to suffer in silence following the devastating fires in Stourbridge.
It's been just over two weeks since two fires destroyed 19 homes and damaged a further 18 in the town on August 13.
"It has been really challenging and really traumatic for a number of the residents and the community," said Paula Lloyd Knight, the Chief Operating Officer at the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
"Our message is really clear. Don't suffer in silence. If you have any needs at all, you know, please contact us.
"We recognise that trauma happens to people differently. It won't be necessarily instant in some time in some instances. but we are here to support people whenever that support is required."
Paula said feelings of anxiety, stress or uncertainty are normal after an event such as this and these feelings my not materialise in the instant aftermath.
The trust wants to make it clear to the community help is available whenever they feel they need it.
"Whether it's now, whether it's a month's time, whether it's a year's time, the service will be available for those who have been affected by the fires," Paula said.
She added: "There'll be lots of different signs that people may start to experience and our first message really is if people are feeling overwhelmed or feeling anxious in the first port to really go to their GPs, their GPs will be referring to us.
"They can also contact us directly and they can go onto our website and they can self-refer into our talking therapist services. But any kind of anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, really to seek early advice."
As well as those who were directly impacted by the fires, Paula stressed the importance of making sure support is available to the emergency worked who were dealing with the fire and also to the wider community who will be living alongside the damage.
Paula said: "Individually people will experience trauma in different ways. As a community that could impact a whole range of things in that community, especially young people that may have been part of that event or are experienced in that through their grandparents eyes or their parents eyes.
"We certainly want to make sure that we are able to offer support to all community and that is young people and older people and people that have not necessarily been directly impacted."
She continued: "We recognise that those people were part of the initial involvement in the fire, so recognising our police services, our fire services, our other blue light services, lots of people would have been impacted by this.
"So we recognise that it is much broader than just those people that unfortunately lost their houses, have lost property, have had damage to their farms. It is broader.
"It's the ripple effect that that has on those communities and the people that serve those communities."
what to do it you're struggling
The Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has a dedicated page on it's website for support during the aftermath of the fires.
It says for support with your mental wellbeing, you can speak to your GP about NHS Talking Therapies. You can also refer yourself directly without seeing your GP first by visiting: https://www.blackcountryhealthcare.nhs.uk/talking-therapies
Children and young people across the Black Country can access free online wellbeing and mental health support through Wysa and Kooth. These services provide a safe space to access advice, self-help resources and confidential support when they need it.
Additional support may also be available through local Early Help services, Family Hubs and schools when they reopen after the summer break.
If you need urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and select the mental health option (option 2). You will be connected to a trained mental health professional who can provide advice and support.
This service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also text 07860 025281.
In an overarching message to the Stourbridge community, Paula said: "We recognise that you may not need that help now, but when you do need help, we are here for you."