It’s been two years since the launch of Me-time, our creative psychotherapy programme designed specifically for people on probation who are from Global Majority ethnic backgrounds. Over this time we’ve witnessed the impact that open, non-judgemental spaces can have on mental health and rehabilitation. We want to share the journey of those who have participated in therapy and found the support they need to take their next steps.

For many participants, Me-time represents their first encounter with therapy. Mental health support is often difficult to access, particularly for people from Global Majority ethnic backgrounds who may face additional barriers due to cultural stigma, institutional discrimination, and a lack of diversity within clinical teams.

Jermaine’s story reflects these challenges:

On referral to Me-time, Jermaine said he’d never taken part in psychotherapy before. We discussed his preconceptions of therapy and the limited access there is to mental health support in the community. Jermaine stated he had never spoken about his feelings and saw the benefits of sharing his burdens and emotions with someone non-biased and non-judgemental.

During the therapy sessions he reflected on his racially traumatic experiences at school and how those experiences still affected him. He worked through difficult feelings about the impact on him of the media’s negative representation of Black men and boys. Our psychotherapist offered containing and supportive creative activities during the process where Jermaine further explored themes of identity, belonging, heritage, family, positive/negative role models and experiences of being marginalised individually, societally, institutionally.

Jermain’s experience of not fitting into society’s model is not uncommon, which is why one of the programme’s key attributes is its flexibility, so that this sense of othering and alienation isn’t reproduced in the therapy space. Participants can choose the length of their engagement, from as little as three weeks to over 12 weeks, with options to extend longer if needed. This adaptable structure allows each person to engage at their own pace and comfort level.

Sade is a young woman of dual heritage and has three children who are currently in foster care. She was referred to Me-time by her probation officer and engaged in the service for 6 months.

We were informed that Sade suffered from anxiety and would prefer to access the sessions online. For the first six weeks her mood was up and down as was her engagement with the service. She would seldom attend sessions and when she did her camera was always off.

Sessions were an opportunity for Sade to express her emotions and frustrations about the lack of safety she felt her daughter was being afforded. We reflected on this together and it was apparent that Sade was experiencing a parallel process about her own lack of safety as a child who grew up in care. It was clear that this was a doubly painful and traumatising experience for her, and she used the sessions well to process these and other feelings.

Me-time offered Sade an opportunity to identify unconscious processes, and the use of psychoeducation enabled greater understanding of her thoughts, habits and reactions.

Sade ended the sessions sharing that she felt better placed to progress with her life and experience positive outcomes.

Another example of this is Reena, who engaged in creative psychotherapy with the intention of developing greater resilience and agency in her day to day life.

It has been good to witness these things develop for her. Looking back over her engagement with Me-time, Reena felt she made good use of the intervention and believes the use of creative expression has brought richness into her life. It is clear that the sessions not only offered her space to think but enabled her to recognise how past feelings and traumas were playing out in present day interactions.

Participants across the board have shared how Me-time has helped them manage relationships, navigate their emotions and develop a stronger sense of self:

• “[Me-time] helped me to deal with difficult experiences from the past.”
• “When I started therapy, I was very up and down, now when I have down days, I manage it better from the skills I have learnt in therapy.”
• “Talking therapy really helped me, talking openly, with practical advice given.”
• “It gave me so much.”

As we mark another year of Me-time, we reflect on how the programme has created a vital space for people who face many barriers to therapy. It has shown that therapy doesn’t have to be intimidating or prescriptive – it can be flexible, creative, and designed around the specific needs of participants.

Moving into the next year, we hope to expand the reach of Me-time, making therapy more accessible to those who need it most. Challenges around prison resource continue to impact delivery, however we remain committed to working with probation teams to seek out referrals and ensure that this service is maximised.