CATCH researcher Dr Steve Ariss joins ground-breaking improvement initiative

CATCH researcher, Dr Steve Ariss has been selected to join Q – an initiative aiming to support continuous improvement in the quality of care for patients.

Participating in Dry January? Check out our online interventions to reduce alcohol consumption

As we start another year the Dry January campaign returns. We're encouraged to give up alcohol for 31 days in a bid to ditch the handover, reduce the waistline and save money.

At CATCH we’re proud to have a long-term partnership between the centre, the Department of Psychology at Sheffield University and HAGA – an alcohol action charity.

Throughout the year, the project is working to enhance the delivery and effectiveness of the brief alcohol interventions provided by HAGA and ensuring the translation and impact of research conducted by the University of Sheffield.

Lead by CATCH Academic, Prof. Paul Norman, the project brings together distinct expertise from the three partners in order to better understand interventions, behaviour, how assistive technology can provide support as well as knowledge and expertise in alcohol advice services locally.

To discover how the project can help you to succeed with Dry January, visit the project page to find out more or contact Laura Murray.

Run Every Day January – To improve mental health awareness and services

Laura Di Bona (ScHARR / CATCH researcher & occupational therapist) is running every day in January, with three of her friends to improve mental health awareness and support. R.E.D. January was set up to promote wellbeing through exercise and is raising money in aid of MIND (for better mental health).

“We were inspired to take part in R.E.D January because we have long since recognised the benefits of exercise on our mental health. Whilst it’s well documented that exercise benefits physical health, people talk less about how it’s also known to relieve stress, improve sleep and mood. Over the years, running or walking outdoors has helped us cope with bereavements, serious illness and everyday life which includes working in healthcare and caring for children with additional needs. Getting out running with friends gives us a chance to offload our stresses, support each other through the difficult times and most of all, enjoy each other’s company and a good laugh. We’re lucky enough to have beautiful countryside really close to where we live in Sheffield. So, even when we’re too busy to get together, we  can go out alone and still come back calmer and happier.”

“Raising money for MIND is important to us because we see and have experienced the damage that stigma, lack of mental health awareness and negative attitudes towards those with mental health conditions has. We also witness the inadequacies of many mental health services to meet the needs of those who need them. Sometimes dealing with those services is a source of stress itself, not the comfort it should be”.

If you wish to donate you can do so at: https://www.justgiving.com/Redjanuarygirls?utm_source=Sharethis&utm_medium=fundraisingpage&utm_content=Redjanuarygirls&utm_campaign=pfp-email (set up in name of Michael Peacock)

To find out more about R.E.D January go to: http://www.runeverydayjanuary.com/

To find out more about MIND go to: http://www.mind.org.uk/

Written by Laura Di Bona and RED January runners