Here to Help: Supporting Autistic Individuals in Teesside
Here to Help is an initiative from SJOG dedicated to raising awareness and providing crucial information, advice, and guidance on autism and suicidality across Teesside. This project addresses a significant local need: autistic individuals are nine times more likely to die by suicide than non-autistic individuals, and the North East has the highest levels of suicide across the country, reinforcing the urgency of our mission. We operate across all five Tees Valley regions: Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool, Darlington, and Redcar & Cleveland.
Our Services
We provide support for autistic individuals aged 14 and above through a variety of tailored workshops:
- Psychoeducation Workshops – Focused on emotional recognition and understanding how the autistic brain differs from a neurotypical brain.
- Wellbeing Workshops – Centered on sensory activities, creativity, and physical engagement based on individual preferences.
- Parent & Carer Information Workshops – Available both online and in-person, covering topics such as supporting children’s mental health, self-harm, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.
- Carer Wellbeing Sessions – Designed to provide carers with valuable time to focus on their own well-being.
All sessions are advertised on our platform: Here to Help. If you don’t see a session that fits your needs, email us at heretohelp@sjog.org.uk, as we also arrange sessions on request.
Professional Training
We offer tailored professional training sessions designed to meet the specific needs of organisations. Past bespoke training topics include:
- Gender Identity, Autism, and Mental Health (for counsellors)
- Autism and Anxiety During the Transition to College
- Adapting Communication for Autistic Individuals (for crisis services)
Since launching our training program, 100% of attendees have recommended our sessions. Here’s what they had to say:
“The activities were the best part. They were explained very well, easy to understand, and can be put into practice immediately.” – Autistic Adult
“I will definitely be spreading the word – fantastic presentation. You are clearly passionate about the topics, and it shows.” – Parent/Carer
“Lots of opportunities for good engagement and questions. The presenter made a great effort in delivering the message in an interesting and engaging way.” – Professional
About Us
As a grant-funded initiative, all of our sessions and platform resources are completely free of charge. Our sessions are delivered by Rachael, the Service Manager, a qualified teacher with six years of experience in Special Education and training. Rachael also has lived experience of neurodivergence, having received late diagnoses of dyspraxia and dyscalculia at age 28. While our project team is not autistic, we collaborate closely with autistic individuals, professionals, and researchers with lived experience of mental health challenges to ensure autistic voices remain central to our work.
We are always looking for individuals with lived experience to help shape our project. If you are autistic, a parent/carer of an autistic person, or a professional working with autistic individuals, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at heretohelp@sjog.org.uk.
Collaboration
We work alongside local organisations, including MAIN, which supports us in delivering our sessions.
For more information, please contact Rachael and Lynn, the Here to Help Project Team, at heretohelp@sjog.org.uk.
