Vulnerable people and charities

We have worked very hard over the years to provide alternative therapies to many adults and
children in need. We have been shown by a report published 9 February 2016 that taking part in
nature-based activities helps people who are suffering from mental ill-health and can contribute to a
reduction in levels of anxiety, stress, and depression.
The report, a review of nature-based interventions for mental health care suggests making greater
use of ‘green care’ to help people suffering from mental ill-health. The new review was
commissioned by Natural England from the University of Essex and Mind, the UK’s leading mental
health charity.
Mental ill-health is on the rise and in England it is estimated that in any one year at least 1 in 4
people will experience a ‘significant’ mental health problem. The new report suggests that green
care interventions can provide an increasingly important and cost-effective way of supporting
mental health services.
The report presents evidence that shows that projects based in the countryside are already making a
difference to people’s lives and bring a range of positive benefits for those with existing mental ill
health. These include a reduction in depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, and an improvement
in dementia-related symptoms.
The report also shows that people involved in these types of green care activities have a greatly
increased level of social contact and inclusion; as well as a sense of belonging and personal
achievement.
In other cutting-edge research around the world, there has been great steps to identify how nature
can offer natural therapies for many ailments, from Rangers in fragrant cypress forests in Korea
who administer “forest healing programs,” to the green hills of Scotland and its “ecotherapeutic”
approach to caring for the mentally ill, to Southern England with Iraqi and Afganistan vets suffering
from PTSD, to the West Virginia mountains where being outside helps children with ADHD. The
way our environment has a massive impact on our psychology demonstrates that our connection to
nature is much more important to our cognition than we think and that even small amounts of
exposure to the living world can improve our creativity and enhance our mood. Time in nature is
not a luxury but is in fact essential to our humanity. As our modern lives shift dramatically indoors,
these ideas―and the answers they yield―are more urgent than ever.
Vulnerable people
Prometheus has been working hard to get organisations working with vulnerable people to get
outside and try to work through the complications in there life in a stress free and safe environment.
We have worked alongside care and support groups to provide gentle days in the countryside with
aims to promote self-awareness, physical and mental development, confidence and to build social
integration and tolerance. We have also worked for local councils to help children identified as
being ‘close to care’, those who might be taken from their families or carers. We can assist foster
parents and/or children who may be struggling at home or school. We can work with vulnerable
who have a variety of needs, including:
• Homelessness
• Substance abuse problems
• Mental health issues
• Learning difficulties
• Domestic violence
• Ex-offenders
There are a whole host of activities and days based in the countryside we can provide care for as
well as use our teams skill sets to help develop the client for their own benefit.
The exceptional team only hired for this specific project are found below. Activities and camp
management will be provided by Prometheus. Please get in contact, we are not about making
money with this scheme, we are about helping our community as, where and when we can.
Matt Pastellas
Background and Context
I am a Qualified Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology (Children and Young People).This is a
practical MSc qualification where I had to work full time within a Child and Adolescent Mental
Health Service (CAMHS) whilst completing a number of academic modules. Since qualifying, I
have worked as a mental health clinician for 9 months (total 20 months).
So, what am I qualified to actually do?
Assessment
Initial assessment: This typically involves sitting down with a young person and/or their parents and
understanding their presentation. This assessment typically covers, the current mental
health/behavioural presentation, previous episodes, social, school and family functioning, triggers,
previous known neurological disorders, developmental milestones and psychological intervention.
Other types of assessment: I am trained to deliver and score specific psychometric tests for the
purpose of understanding if a young person has a learning disability, ADHD or Autsim. In
particular, the WISC, ABAS, Connors and SCQ.
Formulation
This is the process of trying to understand why a person behaves/feels the way they do. This
typically has 2 parts. The first is understanding the who, what, why, when, how, previous, triggers,
maintain factors etc. The second is disorder specific, so for example, if somebody has depression,
using a specific model with them to help them understand their depression. Both elements of this
are done in partnership with the young person.
Treatment
I have been trained to deliver Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and am in the process of
accreditation. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is the most evidence based treatment for common
mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression and can be adapted when working with
young people with these conditions alongside neurological conditions such as Autism or Learning
Disability.
Parenting Programmes
I am accredited to deliver 4 parenting programmes.
 Incredible Years:
 Incredible Years Autism
 Triple P
 Mellow Parenting
These are manualised parents ranging for 8- 13 weeks and the aim is to support parents 1)
understand their child’s behavioural issues 2) help them to build positive relationships with their
child 3) give them strategies to manage there child’s behaviour. Most CAMH services in the UK
offer these to parents who have children with behavioural issues/ADHD, and will not consider
diagnosing children without parents attending (as these often change a child’s behaviours so much)
Memberships
I am a member of the British Psychological Society
I am a member of the British Association Of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies
Value Add
1) Bringing a general knowledge of how to identify a young person with a mental health
condition and support referrals to mental health service. These conditions include, but are
not limited to: Anxiety, Depression, OCD, Autism, ADHD, FASD
2) Upskilling/consulting with staff members on the way to work with a young person with a
mental health condition/making the environment mental health friendly
3) Delivering therapeutic interventions to parents/guardians/key workers/teachers of young
people with behavioural issues
Ian Gosling and Embers
Embers Bushcraft is owned and run by Ian Gosling. As a fully qualified and experienced bushcraft
instructor, Ian’s aim is to develop a business that not only feeds his passion for the outdoors and the
subject of bushcraft and outdoor living and what it has to offer but more importantly, to offer it as a
means to engage, educate and inspire young people and adults alike.
With an incredibly diverse life experience that has taken him around the world through travel and
working abroad, Ian has also been afforded a variety of working experiences and career
opportunities from banking to agriculture and hospitality to charity work, with a great deal of these
roles in a managerial capacity. Over the last 15 years year he has been heavily involved in working
directly with vulnerable client groups and now wants to use the subject of bushcraft as a medium of
engagement that can reach hard to reach groups and mainstream alike. Ian understands that through
outdoor education, which involves stimulating, creative and inspiring topics we are able to reconnect
with not only the natural world around us, but more importantly how we feel and perceive
ourselves. ‘Working in this environment gives us the opportunity to separate ourselves from the
daily grind and responsibilities that define our daily lives, therefore allowing us to reflect upon or
lives, review our life choices and directions and redefine who we choose to be and what we wish to
achieve.‘
‘Activity for activity’s sake is limited without, passionate, dedicated and focused engagement.
Empowering others with motivated and supportive engagement is key, as it’s the catalyst for
inspiring change. Accept nothing less!’
Ian continues to pursue his passion for the outdoors with further education and experiences that he
hopes he can continue to share.
•NCFE Level 3 Advanced Bushcraft Award
•NCFE Level 4 Bushcraft Leadership Award
•NCFE Level 4 Wildlife Identification and Tracking
•Deer Management Qualification Level 1
•Cybertracker, Level 2 Track and Sign
•Cybertracker, Level 1 Trailing
•Cybertracker, Level 1 Tracker
•NCFE Basic Counselling
•NCFE Level 3 Advanced Counselling
•ITC Certificate in Outdoor First Aid
•Level 2, Food safety
•Designated Safeguarding Officer
•Midas
Liz Edge
Liz Edge is a professionally qualified Youth Work Practitioner holding a First-Class BA (hons)
Degree in Youth Work and Theology with JNC recognition. She has contributed to the work of local
and national organisations which most recently includes Romance Academy and selfharmUK.
Liz is an author, trainer and speaker on mental health and the christian church. Her work is offered
to youth workers, school staff and other professionals working with young people. Her debut book
‘Exploring Emotional Health: six workshop outlines for youth leaders’ is an essential resource for
anyone involved in Youth Ministry.
As a freelancer, Liz is able to offer a wide range of innovative youth work through education,
training and intervention. Her practice is made authentic by drawing from her own life’s adversities,
including living with depression and anxiety for over a decade.
In all her pioneering work, Liz’s ethos is to provide holistic support to adolescents in their
relationships and promote positive well-being; with themselves, with others and with the wider
world.
Stephanie Sheen-Boniface
Steph has been a care support worker, team leader and health and safety advisor for Leonard
Cheshire Disability for over 10 years. She has a great amount of experience in the support and care
of disabled adults of varying levels of ability. Her health and safety experience also enables her to
look for risks and hazards that others may overlook as well as implement control measures to
reduce unfortunate outcomes. She also has a lot of experience in the woodland as well assisting in
the running of bushcraft courses.
She does her job for the love of caring, and assisting of those who desperately need her help. She
finds this ultimately rewarding.
Charities
Although Prometheus would like to be, but is not a ‘not for profit’ company, we recognise the need
for charity and we want to do all we can to help charities raise both money, awareness and
recognition for their respective causes.
We like to help raise money for charity by offering ‘survival weekends’. In true Bear Grills style we
put together gruelling (or not so gruelling, that’s up to the charity!), weekends and day events where
the charity can ask sponsees to raise money by getting friends and family to sponsor them to stay an
amount of time in the wilderness and participate in some back country living. There are usually
winners and prizes and it is great fun for the participant, as well as raising money for their favourite
charity. The sponsee just needs to pay a small amount to the contribution of the event, a slight
percentage that the general public would normally pay for such a course. A popular weekend would
be as follows:
• Fire lighting
• Small game butchery and cook your own dinner (vegetarian options of course)
• Make and sleep in a shelter you build
• Axe throwing
• Bugs for breakfast
• Primitive hunting equipment
• Lots of fun related games and challenges
• Points win prizes
• BBQ to finish
This is just a suggestion that has worked well in the past. You may wish to look at the ‘design your
event’ tab for more ideas. If there is any way Prometheus can help you raise money or awareness if
at all possible, please get in contact. We honestly want to help.