Established in 1995, Self Help Services is a user-led mental health charity comprising two members of staff and a large, diverse and experienced volunteer team of over 70 individuals. In addition to having personal experience of a mental health problem, many of our volunteers are also employed within the statutory sector holding positions such as counsellor, psychologist and mental health practitioner.

The ethos of Self Help Services is such that we value highly the experiences of those who have had a mental health difficulty at some point in their lives, believing that such individuals can be empowered to put their experiences to good use by providing accessible self help initiatives in the community to help others similarly affected. Indeed we believe strongly that it is possible to be an effective service provider/mental health professional whilst also continuing to self-manage on-going mental health difficulties.

Whilst the majority of our services are delivered in Manchester, we are growing fast and it is our intention over the next five years in conjunction with our steering group, which comprises a range of mental health experts, to develop self help initiatives for individuals experiencing common mental health problems such as anxiety and depression across Greater Manchester and the North West of England.

We are funded and commissioned by a variety of organisations including the NHS (via Manchester Primary Care Trust, Stockport Primary Care Trust, Salford Primary Care Trust and Trafford Primary Care Trust), the Home Office and smaller, local funding bodies such as the Community Foundation for Greater Manchester and Awards for All North West.

However, some of our services remain unfunded and are maintained entirely through service user donations. Some of the services we provide in Manchester are funded by Manchester Primary Care Trust through the Joint Commissioning Executive and the charitable trust the Tudor Trust.