Cup-O-T’s Campfire Community provides mental health occupational therapy groups for young people in our beautiful woodland space.
About the woodland:
The Cup-O-T Campfire Community woodlands enables people to achieve their goals through meaningful and purposeful activities.
The woodland covers 20 acres of reclaimed farmland and is home to a variety of trees, plants and wildlife. On site there are chickens and a permaculture garden that the Forest School cares for. Our space is approximately 4 acres which we look after and utilise the willow to create natural structures and use for green woodworking, we love to cook over the campfire. All of which play their part in enabling you to achieve your goals.
Please note our Campfire Community group is a therapy group and is not a forest school group or alternative provision.
Our woodland is based just outside Wymondham in Silfield, South Norfolk.
Groups:
Referrals are now closed
Next 6 week Occupational Therapy Campfire Community Group starting:
Fridays from 6th February – 13th March at 09.30am-11.30am.
This is a 6 week group for ages: 11-14 years old
Referrals close on 23rd January unless spaces are filled before and assessments will take place at the woodland on 30th January (pm).
Please note that submitting a referral does not guarantee a space in the therapy group. Please also look at the How To Refer section below to check the young person meets the criteria before submitting a form.
What is Campfire Community?
Campfire Community is the name of our outdoor Occupational Therapy group. It is based in our woodland setting just outside of Wymondham. By taking therapy outside we can meet the needs of young people who have traditional clinical indoor settings have not suited them.
Please note this is not a forest school group or alternative provision
The occupational therapy group programme aims to support young people with:
- communication
- understanding and expressing emotions
- social skills
- sensory awareness
- self-confidence
- stress relief
- empathy
- Peer relationships
- Teamwork
This group is aimed at young people:
- who need additional support with their mental health
- Who have not had any therapy in the past
- Or, they have had previous therapy which might not have been helpful, or if it was helpful they wish to build additional skills.
- They are on a waiting list for mental health services
- They have recently been discharged from mental health services
Activities in the sessions are designed to enable young people to challenge themselves to meet their goals that they set in their initial assessment meeting.
Occupational Therapy Initial Assessment Meeting
After we have received your referral a member of our team will call you to gather additional information to make sure your young person is suitable for the group.
We will arrange an appointment to meet with you as a family.
This appointment will take place at our Silfield woodland site, just outside of Wymondham.
In this meeting we will get to know you more, and do an observational assessment of your young person to better understand their strengths. We will also tell you about the group and answer any questions you may have.
If we think that one of our woodland therapy groups is suitable then we will set goals in this session about what you would like to achieve from attending one of our groups.
It might be that the team member wishes to discuss your situation with the team in more depth before offering a space on one of our groups, this would be to ensure we can meet your needs safely in the woodland space or it might be that one of our other programmes would be better suited. The team member will let you know if they need to discuss further with the team and arrange a time to discuss the outcome with you.
Please note that submitting a referral does not guarantee a space in the therapy group.
Woodland Sessions
Cup-O-T Campfire Community woodland therapy sessions will be led by an occupational therapist and a youth worker / outdoor facilitator. Once you have had your initial assessment you will be offered one to one or group therapy sessions. Activities will be planned to help you reach your goals.
Sessions are offered in blocks of 6 weeks. Your therapy will be reviewed every 6 weeks.
What Might Be Involved?
We personalise every plan for the specific needs of the young people attending. Whether it’s help with communication, understanding and managing emotions, social cues, sensory skills, self-confidence, stress relief, empathy or teamwork , we have the expertise to help you. Some of the tasks involved may include:
- Woodland maintenance
- Green woodwork
- Creating woodland dens and structures
- Bushcraft
- Camp craft
- Campfire cooking
- Gardening
- Crafting and making from foraged materials
- Planning events and activities to sell handmade items at.
How To Refer?
Referrals are now closed for our next group for ages 11-14 years
Your young person may be suitable for our Campfire Community mental health occupational therapy group if they are:
- 11-14 year olds
- Need additional support with their mental health
- They have not had any therapy in the past
- or they have had previous therapy which might not have been helpful, or if it was helpful they wish to build additional skills.
- They are on a waiting list for mental health services
- They have recently been discharged from mental health services
Please note we are not a SEND or Alternative Provision. We are not able to offer long term support currently due to funding.
Please note that submitting a referral does not guarantee a space in the therapy group.
With thanks to Norfolk Community Foundation through the Sir Norman Lamb Coalition for Young People’s Mental Health and the Handelsbanken Fund.