Peer Support Service

The Peer Support Service is staffed by people with lived experience of gender dysphoria and transition. We are based at the Recovery College in Newcastle, but we provide outreach support from various locations across the region.

Latest news and dates for your diary

These are our up-and-coming peer support group sessions. If you would like more information about any of the events then please email us at NRGDSPeerSupport@cntw.nhs.uk
Peer Support identifier

February 2023

Wednesday 1st
Peer Support online session; 12.30pm till 1.30pm; Hosted by River and Matt

Thursday 2nd
Berwick face to face session; 1pm till 3pm; Come along and meet Matt and River

Wednesday 8th
Trans masculine online session; 2pm till 3pm; Hosted by Matt and Beverley

Thursday 9th
Trans feminine and Trans masculine face to face session; Newcastle 2pm till 4pm; Hosted by Beverley and Matt

Tuesday 14th
Sunderland face to face session; 2pm till 4pm; Come along and meet River and Beverley

Thursday 16th
Non-binary and Trans masculine online session; 2pm till 3pm; Hosted by River and Matt

Monday 20th
Carlisle face to face session; 11am till 1pm; Come along and meet Matt and River

Thursday 23rd
Trans feminine and non-binary online session; 2pm till 3pm; Hosted by Beverley and River

March 2023

Thursday 2nd
Transmasculine and non-binary face to face Newcastle session; 2pm till 4pm; Hosted by Matt and River

Wednesday 8th
Trans Feminine non-binary online session; 2pm till 3pm; Hosted by Beverley and River

Monday 13th
Morpeth face to face drop-in; 10am till 11.30am; Come along and meet Matt and Beverley

Thursday 16th
Trans Feminine and non-binary; online via Teams; 2pm till 3pm; Hosted by Beverley and Sarah.

Wednesday 22nd
Middlesbrough face to face session; 2pm till 4pm; Come along and meet Matt and River

Thursday 23rd
Nonbinary/Non-conforming and Trans Masculine online group; 2pm till 3pm; Hosted by River and Matt

Wednesday 29th
Cramlington face to face session; 2pm till 4pm; Come along and meet Matt and Bev

Thursday 30th
Trans Feminine non-binary/non-conforming; online via Teams; 3pm till 4pm; Hosted by Beverley and River

What we do
Our focus is on helping you achieve a sense of wellbeing – working with you to develop goals, strategies and action plans to improve your mental, physical and emotional health, so that you are in the best possible place when you attend for your assessment appointment.

Our aim is to bring transgender people together to create support networks, combat loneliness and isolation, exchange information, improve self-confidence and develop coping strategies and resilience.

We offer:

  • a variety of opportunities to attend regular group sessions, either online or in-person, to discuss issues, meet new people, ask questions and share/find out information. Please see the Latest News section above for the dates/times of upcoming group sessions.
  • the chance to talk 1-2-1 with one of our team, either online or in-person, to discuss anything that you personally may be struggling with or need some help/guidance on. We offer an initial 6 one hour sessions.

How can I be involved?
If you are interested in joining up with us, we need to add you to our distribution list, so we can send you invitations, updates and communications relevant to the Peer Support Service. You can be added to the list in the following ways:

  • You can send your email address to: NRGDSPeerSupport@cntw.nhs.uk
  • You can write to us at: NRGDS Peer Support Service, Benfield House, Walkergate Park Hospital, Benfield Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE6 4QD

When providing your contact details by email or letter, it would be extremely helpful if you can use the following wording:
“I consent for the NRGDS to use the following email/postal address to contact me with relevant information.”

If you can also provide your full name and date of birth, this will allow us to keep your records up-to-date and accurate.

You can be removed from the distribution list at any time by emailing or writing to us with your request.