No longer feeling down under

A NEW therapy course, pioneered in Australia, is helping Oldham residents conquer depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

Founded in Western Australia, the Rewiring programme has been brought to the Duru Practice on New Radcliffe Street thanks to funding from the Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

Run at twice-weekly sessions by NHS life coach and counsellor Michelle Delaney, the Rewiring scheme educates people in self-awareness, healthy thinking and effective communication, helping them to change patterns of mental and emotional behaviour.

One of only a select band of UK counsellors to be trained in the course, Michelle said: “People come here having experienced grief, depression and anxiety.

“They have lost sight of the positive things and my aim is to bring out their talents and their passions.”

The first step for patients is to draw-up a script of words about themselves which are repeated 50 times a day and this method encourages the brain to think more positively.

Previously funded by Seedbed Christian Community Trust and hosted free by the Duru Practice, Michelle Delaney’s work was given a significant boost when her project was awarded £17,500 by Oldham CCG at their Innovation Fund Dragons’ Den event, where a panel of dragons, including local patients, GPs, business people and clinical directors funded 23 projects to the value of £600,000.
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