Mental Health and Wellbeing Service

Welcome to Next Steps

Next Steps is a non-profit organisation that supports the mental health and wellbeing of adults, children and young people through all stages of life, death and grief.

We offer face-to-face counselling and mindfulness in a dedicated therapy space, ‘walk and talk’ ecotherapy and ‘forest bathing’ sessions in a variety of outdoor locations, and online therapy sessions via Zoom or Teams.

Our mission is to provide a professional mental health and wellbeing service that offers wide-ranging support in our rural community, with a particular emphasis on supporting clients who are facing life-changing events, life-limiting illness, bereavement, grief and loss.

There are few events in life more distressing than receiving a life-limiting diagnosis or being told that someone close to you has died. Grief relates to the period of time after we have experienced such distressing events and describes how we adjust to the significant amount of change that usually follows.

Other life-changing experiences or transitions can trigger a similar grief response. Significant events such as a relationship breakup, job or income loss, moving home, menopause, children leaving home, or a loved one receiving a dementia diagnosis, can all create an overwhelming sense of loss. You may experience symptoms such as sadness, helplessness, anger, anxiety or depression; these are all common signs of grief.

Counselling can help you to make sense of what you are experiencing, regain a sense of control, express your emotions, and empower you to make the changes you want to see in your life.

Next Steps offers counselling, group workshops and other wellbeing support services to people who are experiencing issues relating to life-limiting illness, bereavement, grief and loss.

WHAT IS GRIEF?

Grief is typically associated with bereavement, but it can also be triggered by significant life events, such as loss of health, the end of a relationship, losing a pet, retirement, or job loss. Sometimes people experience ‘anticipatory grief’, which is the grief we feel before a bereavement, or when someone we love is seriously ill. The intense range of emotions felt when we experience grief can often affect us most profoundly and will affect each person differently. There is no right or wrong way to feel, and no timeframe for dealing with your loss.

OUR APPROACH

As each person’s experience is unique, we offer a flexible, creative and individually tailored approach to end-of-life, grief and loss support. Our therapy sessions are available in both indoor (clinic-based) and outdoor (nature-based) locations.

Outdoor sessions take full advantage of Devon’s beautiful natural environment, and can facilitate deeply transformative therapeutic work. Indoor sessions can be equally transformative, with sand tray therapy, art therapy and somatic therapy creatively supporting your therapeutic grieving process. We also offer online and telephone sessions.