SEQUOIA
About the service
Sequoia is a new service designed to support people with complex emotional needs and personality difficulties (CEN/PD). Sequoia is an NHS-commissioned service that is delivered in partnership between Rethink Mental Illness and AWP Partnership Trust.
The name comes from the Sequoia tree, a redwood tree that is some of the largest in the world. The name was chosen as those trees represent strength, the ability to cope with adversity, and a life lived best in communities – these values we associate with how people with CEN/PD survive and thrive.
Sequoia is open to everyone in our communities who has CEN/PD, Sequoia has some broad criteria for who is best suited to their support, see details further down the page. We welcome people from all backgrounds. At the heart of Sequoia is lived experience, it’s been built from the ground up with input from experts by experience throughout, from planning how the service will operate and what it offers to delivery of the support options themselves.
The service is staffed by a mix of Peer Support Workers, Clinicians, Wellbeing Practitioners, Leadership Staff and Administrators.
How can we help?
Your choice on which intervention you feel is most appropriate for you is important to us. If Sequoia might be right for you, you will be invited to a Welcome Session. At this session, Sequoia staff will discuss the interventions on offer. Sequoia offers three main group support options that you’ll be able to choose from, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) informed course, Peer Support groups and Understanding Yourself and Others - an interactive learning course. In the future Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT) will also be available.
Staff will help you choose between these options. Before starting any of the interventions staff will meet with you to discuss the intervention in more depth and check it is right for you. These meetings are either in person, online, or via a phone call. If it is agreed between you and the service agree, that the intervention is right for you, the next step is you are invited to the group. See the table below for more details on each intervention.
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Interventions:
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Learning: Understanding myself and other |
Peer Support: Groups led by people with lived experience |
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy informed group |
Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT) |
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Days and times |
Tuesday mornings (10.30 -12.30) |
Wednesday afternoons 1 pm - 3 pm - with 30 mins decompression time between 3 pm - 3:30 pm |
Mornings 10 am -12 pm Evenings 6 pm -8pm Tuesday mornings, Tuesday Evenings, Wednesday Mornings, Thursday Mornings, Thursday Evenings |
Day time TBC |
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Length of time |
6 weeks / 2 hours a week |
12 weeks total in 6 week blocks / 2 hours a week |
14 weeks / 2 hours a week |
14 hrs / 2 hrs a week |
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Online or face-to-face |
Face to face |
Face to face |
Online |
Face to face |
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Requirement for service users |
Attend the first two weeks |
Attend the first two sessions in a block If you miss two you can have a conversation with us and discuss continuing on the next block of four weeks |
Attend the first two weeks and not miss more than 3 sessions in total |
Attend the first two weeks and do not miss more than 3 in total |
Who does Sequoia support?
- 18+ - no upper age limit
- With complex emotional needs/personality difficulties (CEN/PD) – emerging, mild up to moderate. People are screened with Standardized Assessment of Severity or Personality Disorder (SASPD) but they do not need a formal diagnosis of complex emotional needs or personality disorder
- People who can keep themselves safe within their current support network
- People who use drugs and alcohol, but it doesn’t affect them engaging in Sequoia interventions
- People who can work in a group setting. Including being able to manage feelings and communication, so as not to harm others in the group
- People without a diagnosis of dementia or significant neurological impairment
Sequoia will work with local partners to actively engage people who historically other services have found difficult to engage and will support them to access Sequoia. There will be ring fenced Welcome Session Capacity for people who have found it harder to engage with services with the aim of enhancing their chances of receiving support from Sequoia.
Sequoia is a small service whose core function is to provide interventions to people. Sequoia can only support people who are currently able to keep themselves safe within that person’s support network. The following is a guide to who Sequoia can and cannot support.
How do I access Sequoia?
It is predicted there are around 12,000 adults with CEN/PD in BNSSG. Sequoia is opening slowly and sustainably so that the service can provide good quality support to everyone who they work with. To begin with, Sequoia is working with the MINT in each area to identify people who are already referred to the Access Services. People cannot currently be referred to Sequoia directly, but if it is felt Sequoia might be helpful for someone we will let them know. Medium-term Sequoia will open to direct referrals from professionals and longer-term Sequoia hope to accept self-referrals.
Sequoia will eventually be available across North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, and Bristol (BNSSG). The service will be opening in localities in the following order -
Weston-Super-Mare - Open
Woodspring – Open
South Gloucestershire – Next area to open
Bristol – Final areas to open
At this stage please do not contact Sequoia asking for support for yourself or to refer someone. For now please access support within your current network and local services.