Why do we exist?

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Beyond Barriers was created because there are unmet needs in the mental health of our communities. Many of us recognise the gaps created by lack of resources but we believe there are other reasons that need to be acknowledged: 

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• There are a group of people who fall between statutory services or struggle to access effective treatment. These gaps in complex trauma care are exacerbated by the use of medical diagnosis to identify need and commission services, as many people with complex trauma difficulties do not 'fit' into established diagnoses.  This means people can be misdiagnosed or not accepted into services.          

                                                   

• There is a need for more progressive and non-medicalised understanding of our mental health and responses to trauma, enabling more holistic and accessible treatment approaches   

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• More value needs to be placed on lived experience roles and (community) asset-based approaches to mental health and complex trauma - including development of therapeutic networks and trauma awareness in communities. 

       

• More value needs to be placed in the spaces in which people go to heal; we need more therapeutic accommodation and trauma-informed service planning. 

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• There is inequity in access to support - people's life experiences often mean they struggle to access statutory support and are financially excluded from private treatment. 

 

• Equally, people who are able to choose independent treatment need high quality, integrated, trauma-informed and multi-disciplinary services in one place.  

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• The level of social disconnection and stigma still needs further attention and could potentially be tackled by the development of compassionate communities

                                                                          

• There is a growing need for not-for-profit social enterprises and 3rd sector community organisations to develop services and partnerships.  They offer innovative solutions to social need with the interests of their communities at their core.

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Our founders made a commitment to understand these social needs, and develop a community-based social enterprise through which to create change.  We are committed to working with like-minded people, organisations and community stakeholders along this journey.

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Our Vision & Values

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It is our aim to address these social needs by:

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• Offering a more holistic approach to emotional health and wellbeing, bringing together an innovative range of specialists.

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• Raising awareness of a more trauma-sensitive understanding of distress, by promoting non-pathologising, non-medicalised understanding of our mental health

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• Promoting and creating roles for people with lived experience of psychological distress and using services.

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• Creating trauma-sensitive networks and partnerships developed for and by our community (asset-based community development).

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We stay aligned with our vision by upholding our commitment to our values of Compassion, Connection, Authenticity, Social Justice, and by using Trauma-informed, Empowering, and Integrated approaches.

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