Helping Overcome Personal and Emotional Difficulties (H.O.P.E.) Team – Information leaflet

The H.O.P.E. team helps adults in Northumberland and North Tyneside who struggle with strong feelings and relationships. We help people who:

• Feel overwhelmed by strong emotions
• Find it hard not to act quickly on strong feelings
• Have trouble making or keeping healthy friendships and relationships

We want to bring hope and support to people. We’re here to help you understand what you’re going through, get the right help easily, and make informed choices about your treatment.

Our service was made with help from people who have gone through similar problems, and some of our team members have been through these things, too. This has helped us create a team that feels safe and really cares about helping you reach your goals.

We also work closely with other services and local groups, so you have the best chance to reach your goals and feel part of your community.

Our main office is in Blyth, but we have sessions in lots of places around Northumberland and North Tyneside.

Helping Overcome Personal and Emotional Difficulties Team (H.O.P.E)
Sextant House
Freehold Street
Blyth Northumberland
NE24 2BA

Telephone: 01670 798 223

We offer a Managing Emotions and Relationships group, which is based on Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). This helps people learn new skills to feel better and deal with strong emotions and relationships.

Before starting a group, we can offer one-to-one sessions. These help you think about how your problems started and what might be keeping them going.
Most of the support we offer is in groups because this helps people learn from each other and feel less alone.

Our groups usually have 8 to 15 people and are run by two team members. We also try to have a peer supporter at each session.

We know being in a group can feel scary, so please talk to us if you’re nervous. Our contact details are on page 2 of this leaflet. We’ll do our best to help make it easier.

The group is split into four parts. Everyone will do all the parts, but you will start with a different one depending on when you join.

• Mindfulness – 2 weeks
  Helps you learn how to focus your mind and understand your thoughts and feelings. Everyone starts on this part, and is repeated at the end of the other parts.
• Managing emotions – 7 weeks
  Teaches you how to notice and manage strong feelings and mood changes.
• Managing highly stressful situations – 6 weeks
  Helps you cope when you’re feeling very upset or stressed.
• Managing relationships – 5 weeks
  Looks at how we get along with others and how to build healthier relationships.

The full programme lasts about six months. You’ll come to one session each week, and each session lasts two hours with a break in the middle.

There will be a week off at the end of each part.

Peer supporters are an important part of our team. They use their own lived experience to help you. They can offer:

• one-to-one support
• help you join and feel more comfortable in group sessions
• work with you towards your goals, like getting involved in your community

We are a team made up of different mental health workers. We all care about helping you and want to work with you to reach your goals.

Team Manager
This person manages the team. They make sure that everything is running safely and smoothly.

Consultant Clinical Lead Psychologist
They help to develop the service and plan the support we offer. They also supervise and train our team and other mental health workers to support people who have been through difficult things.

Community Practitioners, Advanced Practitioners and Psychological Therapists
They run our Managing Emotions and Relationships groups, extended formulation sessions and initial appointments. They also give advice and support to other mental health workers and attend meetings with different teams to make sure people get the help they need.

Peer Supporters
They use their lived experience to help others. They help people feel understood, work toward their goals, and join in with their local community. They also help to run our group sessions, train other mental health workers, and make sure our service stays kind and caring.

Administrators
They help keep things organised. They book your appointments at a time and place that works for you.

We don’t currently accept self-referrals. If you think we could help you, speak to one of the following who can ask us to get in touch with you:

• Primary Mental Health Care Worker at your GP surgery
• The Primary Care Psychology service
• Talking Therapy services
• Your local Community Treatment Team

We want everyone to feel safe and included when they work with our team.

If you need an interpreter or information in another language, we can help with that. We can also support you if you have trouble moving around or need help with seeing or hearing.

Just let us know if there’s anything we can do to make things easier for you.

“I was bounced around services until I was in crisis. This service feels like a breakthrough.”

“It’s been amazing to be part of co-creating this service. We have used our lived experience to shape the way the service will be able to impact others.”

“Being in group therapy showed me that there are people out there who are also struggling in the same ways as me. Once I got to know people it felt more like a community. It made me feel less weird, less alone.”

“For anyone considering this course I would urge them to enter with an open mind, to do the homework, be ready and willing to change yourself to help create the peace in your life you deserve!”

“Six months ago, the word therapy and the idea of group therapy made me want to shrivel up and hide but oh boy was I wrong. These last six months have been the scariest most eye-opening months but also the greatest and funniest. I cannot fully put into words how vital this group has been. I just wish it didn’t take me until halfway through to start realising what a difference it made. Six months seems so long at the beginning, but it just flies by and is just the right time to set up for success with the tools used”.

We are not a crisis service. If you need urgent help with your mental health and are worried about harming yourself or ending your life, please contact:

• NHS 111 and select the mental health option 2
• Samaritans 24-hour helpline telephone 116 123
• Text SHOUT to 85258

If you are Deaf or have communication difficulties, you can contact us in a crisis by:

• Texting 07860 064 775
• Using SignVideo
• Contacting 18001 111 using the Relay UK app

Dial 999 in an emergency or attend A&E

If you want to make a comment, suggestion, compliment or complaint you can:

• talk to the people directly involved in your care
• ask a member of staff for a feedback form, or complete a form on the Trust website
• telephone the Complaints Department Tel: 0191 245 6672
• email [email protected]

We are always looking at ways to improve services. Your feedback allows us to monitor the quality of our services and act upon issues that you bring to our attention. You can provide feedback in the following ways:

• the quickest way for you to do this is to complete our short online survey at www.cntw.nhs.uk/yourvoice
• complete a Your Voice survey, available on wards, reception areas or from staff
• other options for sharing your feedback and experience www.cntw.nhs.uk/yourfeedback

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
PALS provide confidential advice and support, helping you to sort out any concerns that you may have about any aspect of your or your loved ones care.

We act independently when handling patient and family concerns, liaising with staff, managers and, where appropriate, relevant organisations, to negotiate prompt solutions. If necessary, we can also refer patients and families to specific local or national-based support agencies.

North of Tyne
Tel: 0800 032 0202
Email: [email protected]
Post: FREEPOST PALS

9am – 4.30 pm, Monday to Friday
An answerphone is available at all times for you to leave a message. A member of the PALS team will aim to return your call as soon as possible.

Further information about the content, reference sources or production of this leaflet can be obtained from the Patient Information Centre. If you would like to tell us what you think about this leaflet please get in touch.

This information can be made available in a range of formats on request (Braille, audio, larger print, easy read, BSL or other languages). Please telephone the Patient Information Centre on 0191 246 7288.

Published by the Patient Information Centre
2026 Copyright: Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust

Ref: PIC/888/0326 March 2026 V4
Review date 2029