Press Release 06 August 2024

Press Release 06 August 2024

The Retreat Clinics commit to ongoing Autism, ADHD and mental health support following August Council planning meeting

The Retreat Clinics are pleased to announce continuing support for people seeking counselling, psychotherapy and autism & ADHD assessments, following approval for the proposed development of the Retreat Hospital site by specialist property developer and restorer P J Livesey at the York Council planning committee meeting on August 1st.

The Retreat Clinics has worked closely with P J Livesey and the development will see the original Retreat buildings back in use, with the beautiful grounds accessible to enjoy by the whole community.

Ruth Dixon, the Retreat Clinics Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to know that the building and grounds will be cared for and maintained.  As a charity founded in York in 1792, we will continue to work with Autism, ADHD and mental health; we’d like to be in York for another 228 years!”

The Retreat Clinics continues to offer mental health support and autism and ADHD assessments for children, young people and adults from the Tuke Centre on the same site as the original hospital, as well as online and from Hampden House in Manchester.  After stopping inpatient services in 2018, the larger Grade 2* listed site was no longer needed, and The Retreat was keen that the history of the original building should be honoured.

The Retreat was the first organisation in the world to offer moral treatment for people with mental health issues, treating its patients with respect and dignity.  It’s world history for York to feel proud of.

Youth Mental Health Day

How to support healthy mental health in children and teenagers

When we think about being ‘healthy’, we jump straight to the thought of exercising, eating and sleeping well. However, making sure we have a healthy mental well-being is just as important. To celebrate Youth Mental Health day, we want to talk about different ways that children can improve their mental health at difficult times.

Staying connected. The past few years have been a time of isolation and disconnection from those around us. The ways in which we socialise shapes our individual identity into the person we are today. Staying connected it can offer us ongoing benefits for our mental health, relieving stress and anxiety, as well as improving our overall self-esteem and mood.

Social media is a tricky one. It can have a positive role in promoting communication between friends and family. But can become troublesome if it is the only connection children have. Social media can have negative effects such as increasing feelings of loneliness and lower self-esteem when seeing other people’s “perfect lives”, which is why it is so important to limit our screen-time. This can also benefit sleep as allowing yourself a technology free bedtime routine can ameliorate your sleep pattern and overall wellbeing. Spending time away from your phone and in the outdoors, rather than being trapped inside behind a screen can bring many benefits such as increasing vitamin D intake, providing exercise and allowing time to appreciate nature and our surroundings.

Listening to music can help reduce both anxiety and depression, boosting overall self-esteem. Music acts as a form of art that brings people and communities together. So, whether this means singing out your stresses or writing your feelings down as lyrics in a song, making music a part of your day-to-day can help children and young people to express themselves, feel connected to a community and bring a sense of joy and release.

Set aside time to reflect and focus on yourself. Having habits that you can do on a daily basis are so important to our overall mental health. Practicing small acts of kindness each day can help to boost your mood. Setting aside some time in your day to play outside with your friends, cook a meal for your family or have some time outdoors. By doing these you may feel more connected and appreciate the smaller things in life.