The Highgate Day Centre
The Highgate Day Centre
About the Highgate Centre
The Highgate Centre offers a comprehensive service of psychodynamic and creative groups, individual keywork and social support for people who are experiencing mental health difficulties.
The Highgate Centre's work is founded on the principles of both practical and emotional support being provided to people at times of difficulty. Service users become members of the Centre and negotiate a programme of involvement in partnership with their key-worker.
The Centre offers group work as the core of its intervention. The groups enable service users to explore and make sense of their life experiences and mental health difficulties and hopefully reach a point where they can move forward to lead a more stable, fulfilled and integrated life.
As part of the centre's overall group work provision, the service has a long standing link with the Borough's Adult Education services, who currently offer seven adult education classes that take place in the centre on a weekly basis. The range of these groups is considerable, covering basic numeracy and literacy, cooking skills, and also includes the opportunity for service users to gain accredited qualifications whilst attending the centre, for example the NVQ level 2 in Business Administration. Listed below are the current art and music groups:
Art groups on a Tuesday morning and a Thursday afternoon.
Photography group on a Tuesday morning, facilitated by Kingsway college.
Pottery groups on a Thursday morning and a Friday morning.
Creative writing on a Thursday morning facilitated by Kingsway college.
Music on a Friday afternoon, facilitated by Tony, one of our service users.
How to make a referral
The Highgate Centre, for many years a Camden Social Services resource, has now been integrated into the local
Referrals are made by filling in a referral form, usually done by a service user together with a mental health professional. Please note however that referrals are made for clients to engage in the centre as a whole and to participate in creative groups as part of a programme and not just the art groups, it is important that you are aware of this when making a referral.
A date is usually then set for a visit to the Centre, and a meeting with two members of staff, within two weeks. If accepted onto the waiting list, people are then offered a place in the subsequent beginners group within approximately six weeks.
People on the waiting list are also advised, if appropriate, of the availability of other day services within the borough for the interim period. If appropriate, staff at the centre can also liaise with the Community Mental Health Teams regarding the person's health difficulties.
Once a place at the centre has been taken up, there is a nominal time scale of two years as a full time member, followed by the opportunity to make the transition to Associate Membership. At least once every six months, whilst a full time member, service users have the opportunity to reflect on their progress and future goals with a small group of their peers and centre staff.
For more information and to obtain a referral form please contact the centre manager, Tony Creedon, or the deputy manager, Stephanie Wright, on 0207 485 5783 or via email at Tony.Creedon@camden.gov.uk; Tony.Creedon@candi.nhs.uk; Stephanie.Wright@camden.gov.uk; Stephanie.Wright@candi.nhs.uk
For a referral form click here.