SEQUOIA
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?
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Interventions:
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Learning: Understanding myself and other
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Peer Support:
Groups led by people with lived experience
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Dialectical Behavioural Therapy informed group
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Days and times
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Tuesday mornings
(TIME TBC)
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Wednesday afternoons
1 pm - 3 pm - with 30 mins decompression time between 3 pm - 3:30 pm
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Mornings 10 am -12 pm Evenings 6 pm -8pm
Tuesday mornings,
Tuesday Evenings, Wednesday Mornings, Thursday Mornings, Thursday Evenings
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Length of time
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6 weeks / 2 hours a week
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12 weeks total in 4-week blocks / 2 hours a week
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14 weeks / 2 hours a week
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Online or face-to-face
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Face to face
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Face to face
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Online
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Requirement for service users
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Attend the first two weeks
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Attend the first two sessions in a block
If you miss two you can have a conversation with us and discuss continuing onto the next block of four weeks
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Attend the first two weeks
and not miss more than 3 sessions in total
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Who does Sequoia support?
- People 18+ - no upper age limit
- Without a diagnosis of dementia or significant neurological impairment
- With complex emotional needs/personality difficulties – emerging, mild up to moderate. People are screened with Standardized Assessment of Severity or Personality Disorder (SASPD)
- Person can keep themselves safe within their current support network e.g. not utilizing services such as street triage, ED attendance/psych liaison. (see - Risk to self-safety criteria)
- Drug and alcohol use must be stable / not in active addiction
- Able to work in a group setting. For example - be able to manage feelings and communication, so as not to harm others in the group
- People with or without a formal diagnosis of complex emotional needs or personality difficulty
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.
Safety criteria:
- Suicidal thoughts and/or behavior:
× Sequoia cannot support people who are actively suicidal.
✔ Sequoia can work with people who have suicidal thoughts and who have had this discussed in a support conversation. - Self-harm:
× Sequoia cannot support people who are currently presenting with life threatening self harm.
✔ Sequoia can work with people who are self-harming and who have the right support around them from their current network. - Harm to others:
× Sequoia cannot support people who are likely to harm other people in a group setting or outside of that group.
✔ Sequoia can work with people who struggle with anger and are able to control it during interventions with Sequoia.
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 Gloucester – 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.