SUST is a network of mental health trainers with personal experience of mental distress and using mental health services. The group acts as a source of mutual support; delivers mental health training and consultancy; supports service users to become trainers and develops written training materials.
For further information, please contact:
SUST, The Circle, 33 Rockingham Lane, Sheffield S1 4FW
Tel: 0114 253 6626
email: p.wood@vas.org.uk
Thanks for the information contained in your blog. As a service user trainer, I found it very interesting. I found my way to the SUST blog through the Your Voice website – what’s the link between the two organisations? Also, can you let me know how I become a SUST member?
Thanks for the comment. There are no formal links between Your Voice and SUST, although several people are actively involved in both organisations and Your Voice and SUST work closely together (e.g. SUST courses are advertised in Your Voice magazine; SUST has provided Mental Health and Creative Writing courses for Your Voice editorial group members aimed at producing copy for the Your Voice magazine and website). I think the mutually beneficial relationship between Your Voice and SUST is based on the fact that they’re both genuinely user-controlled organisations and therefore have a natural understanding of each other’s viewpoint and interests.
SUST doesn’t operate a formal membership – any mental health service user with an interest in mental health training and user involvement can become involved and attend meetings (contact Patrick Wood by email to p.wood@vas.org.uk or telephone 0114 253 6626 to be added to the SUST mailing list or find out the date of the next meeting).