The Mental Health Equity Project, in partnership with Leeds Mind, run two mental health-focused peer support groups a month. One is held in-person, and the other is online. They are facilitated by and run for autistic adults in Leeds and cover a different topic each month.

What is peer support?

Peer support is when people use their own experiences to help each other. All our peer support workers are autistic and use their own experiences to help others, as well as providing space for autistic people to discuss mental health topics and find community among peers.

Mind have a page explaining how peer support works one-to-one and in groups: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/peer-support/about-peer-support/.

Who are the groups for?

The groups are run for autistic adults aged 18 and over who live in Leeds and/or are registered with a GP in Leeds. They are also co-facilitated by autistic adults.

What do the groups cover?

Each month, a different topic is discussed, as chosen by the group. In previous groups, they have talked about areas such as:

  • Sleep and Mental Health
  • Exercise and Mental Health
  • Disclosing a Diagnosis
  • Self-care
  • Social media
  • Autistic Burnout
  • Autistic Parenting
  • Setting Boundaries
  • Work Stress

Each topic has a focus on mental health, while at every group, the team shares resources made by themselves and Leeds Mind, as well as a few questions at the start to help stimulate discussion.

When are the groups?

There are two groups held every month, both discussing the same topic. The in-person group is on the first Thursday of the month, running from 6pm-7pm. It takes place at the Lovell Autism Hub at this address:

Lovell Park Hub
Wintoun Street
Leeds
LS7 1DA

The online group is on the third Thursday of the month, also running from 6pm-7pm. This takes place on the Zoom app. All groups are free to attend.

How do I join the groups?

If you would like to join the groups, please make a referral to Leeds Autism AIM by clicking on the button below. For those of you who have already made a referral, please let us know by emailing [email protected] and we will add you to the Mental Health Equity Project groups mailing list.

Once you have referred to Leeds Autism AIM or contacted the Mental Health Equity Project, they will add you to the list and you will receive the details for joining in-person or online the day before each group starts.