Some fifteen years ago, I knew a man in my workplace who focused on advocacy for mental health service users. Besides working in supported housing, he was a very good flute player and a painter. However, he made a strict distinction between his work with service users and his being an artist. I felt his solution to be a bit strange and now it seems much stranger – art in all its manifestations being one of the best ways to promote mental health… for everyone!
Discuss with your friend or collegue:
What’s relation between work and leasure time?
What part does mental health plays in your everyday life?
Meaning of family, friends and human relationships:
- Do you feel respected in your closest family relationships?
- Are you recognized as the person you are and who would you like to be, that is, the person with your future aspirations and dreams?
- Do you see your basic human relationships as being based on reciprocity, or more as a one-sided giving of wellbeing (you being ‘the giver’) or as receiving of wellbeing (you being ‘the recipient’)?
- How would you describe to yourself your capacity to listen to others, and to listen to yourself?

These exercises are elaborations from our British colleagues: Expending Horizons for Mental Health.
The Labelling Exercise includes also an exercise of Active Listening. We suggest you to follow the order given here, first compiling The Labelling Exercise, including Active Listening and then outlining your Circle of Support.
Activity 1: The Labelling Excercise
Activity 2: Active Listening
Activity 3: Circle of Support >to the next page