Who We Are
Oakleaf has been helping the community to manage its mental ill-health since 1995. Following the Care in the Community Act 1990, an occupational therapy unit at the old local Victorian asylum, Brookwood Hospital, closed and relocated to Guildford. The charity was registered in 1997 and has been led by its Chief Executive, Clive Stone, ever since.
The charity’s aim is to transform the lives and futures of adults managing their mental ill-health and help them secure the skills, confidence and training needed to return to the workplace. This pathway is delivered via three main focuses: Work-Related Training, Wellbeing Activities, and Counselling Services.
Vision
To improve the lives of people managing mental ill-health in Surrey.
To promote awareness and reduce stigma.
Mission Statement
We work to foster confidence and reduce social isolation by actively training, engaging and supporting individuals with mental ill-health to empower them to participate as active members of society.
What We Do
We offer a range of services to empower our clients to gain the skills, training and confidence needed to manage their mental health and return to work:
Courses in IT, Upholstery and Gardening help our clients gain new skills and qualifications.
Designed to build confidence, physical health and wellbeing whilst reducing isolation and loneliness.
Clients have access to Counselling sessions with BACP registered counsellors to aid their recovery.
Need For Our Work
Every year 1 in 4 people will suffer from a mental health issue[1].
The Covid-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on the mental health and wellbeing of UK adults, and those who were already struggling have been disproportionately impacted. [2]
In 2018/19, stress, depression or anxiety were responsible for 44% of all cases of work-related ill health and 54% of all working days lost due to health issues in GB [3].
People with mental health needs have the second lowest employment rate of any disabled group with only 28.5% securing long-term work, and those with mental ill-health are more vulnerable to the negative effects of unemployment [4].
Some people do recover, they respond well to treatment and medication without too much damage to their emotional, social and working life. Oakleaf exists to help people who are less fortunate and find their road to recovery more difficult to achieve. Finding and keeping a job is an important aspect of the recovery process and ensuring the right support is vital.
Conditions We Work With
There are over 200 different diagnoses of mental illness. A mental health problem can present itself in a wide variety of ways, depending on the individual and their circumstances. It is difficult to define what is ‘normal’, other than to use an individual’s usual behaviour as a point of comparison. Changes in people’s mood and personality can provide important indicators as to how they are feeling. Unusual mood swings or social withdrawal might, for example, provide some indication that the person is experiencing some degree of emotional distress.
Whilst you do not need a formal diagnosis to access our services, many of our clients are suffering from (but are not limited to) the following mental health conditions:
Depression including: Postnatal SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) | Manic Depression | (Bipolar Affective Disorder) | Schizophrenia | Paranoia | Obsessive Compulsive Disorder | Psychosis | (Inc. drug induced) | Anxiety | Phobias | Eating Disorders | Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | Autistic Spectrum Condition-Asperger’s | Personality Disorders | (Borderline (Emotional Intensity), Histrionic, Narcissistic, Avoidant, Dependent)
Contact Us For More Information
Awards
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS) is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK.
We were honoured to be shortlisted for the Surrey Business Awards 2019 and are incredibly grateful to have received the much-anticipated title ‘Charity of the Year.’
We are so pleased to have received the award for ‘Outstanding Support in the Community’ as part of Surrey Chambers’ virtual President’s Awards during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Testimonials
IMPACT REPORTS
2021/22
2020/21
FINANCIAL REPORTS
2020 – 2021
2019 – 2020
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
At Oakleaf, we care about the planet and the environment we live in.
This policy lays out our commitment continuously to improve our actions to decrease our environmental impact in all that we do.
Environmental Policy
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