Celebrating a Decade of EMBRACE

In 2024, EMBRACE celebrated ten years of empowering and enabling people through co-production! To mark the occasion, we wanted to produce a short retrospective highlighting the importance of community and togetherness on the EMBRACE journey so far.

Over a decade ago, the idea for EMBRACE was born on a barge! Through initial co-production planning sessions in partnership with service users, volunteers, and professionals from Slough Mental Health Services, the need for a Therapeutic Community with a difference became apparent. EMBRACE was something of a rarity in the world of mental health services, as it was co-designed and co-developed alongside people with lived experience from the beginning. This wouldn’t prove to be the only unusual thing about EMBRACE: the structure of the service, whereby the group members are supported to live in the community and the core group only meets once a week, is almost unique among Therapeutic Communities. EMBRACE began as an alternative to admission service, helping people to build fulfilling lives outside hospital; after winning a funding bid in 2012, the service started in earnest in May 2013.

As a democratic Therapeutic Community, the group’s values are agreed and upheld by all members of the community, whether staff or service users. At the heart of the service is a belief that relational practice and the chance to give and receive support from peers can be truly transformative. A creative and supportive space, EMBRACE members often undertake co-produced projects to share their experiences. Over the course of the two-year programme, there is plenty of time and opportunity for members to discover their strengths and, thanks to the asset-based approach EMBRACE uses, be supported to express their individuality. You can see a collage of EMBRACE values below, or why not watch this charming introduction to the service entirely created and narrated by EMBRACE service users and Volunteer Peer Mentors?

EMBRACE enjoys a large network of friends in Slough, across the UK, and sometimes even further! With regular visitors from healthcare professionals who are interested, as well as our annual World Mental Health Day celebration, EMBRACE always enjoys the chance to connect with people both inside and outside Slough. We take every chance to link in with our community partners across Slough (see our Resources page for more information) and, thanks to our accreditation from the Royal College of Psychiatrists through their Community of Communities programme, the group sometimes gets the chance to speak at external events or even receive awards for EMBRACE’s trailblazing co-production approach.

With a solid base in Joiner’s theory that belongingness, sense of purpose, and community can help prevent suicide, EMBRACE has grown into a service that gives people the space, time, and respect to discover who they want to be. We believe that giving people the tools to take control of their mental health and their lives allows them to flourish and grow as part of an authentic, caring community. To that end, we have included some quotes from our community members below. As EMBRACE celebrates ten years and looks forward to the next ten, we mark this by remembering the core belief that underlies Enabling Town Slough: we are stronger together.

For more information about the service, please click here to view our dedicated EMBRACE page. Alternatively, click here to learn more about our service philosophy.