Meet Hansa Raja-Jones, founder of Holding Space
With ‘Time to Talk’ day coming up and reminding us of the importance of talking openly about mental health, we meet Hansa Raja-Jones, founder of Holding Space, an organisation that offers parent peer support to those whose children are struggling with their mental health in East Sussex, to discover the transformative impact these conversations can have…
What is your background Hansa?
I spent the first 20 years of my career in cancer nursing before becoming Operations Director at Eastbourne Foodbank. I’ve always wanted to make a difference to peoples’ lives.
What inspired you to change direction and set up Holding Space?
My daughter went through several very tough periods with her mental health and it was truly heartbreaking to watch. The experience shatters your life as well as theirs, but there was a complete lack of parent support.
It was the loneliest journey I’ve ever been on. I set up Holding Space because I didn’t want other parents to experience isolation at the toughest point in their lives.
In a nutshell what do you offer parents?
We offer parents a safe, non-judgemental space where they can come together with others and know that they’re not alone. We run regular coffee mornings where parents can meet up and connect with each other. We signpost to other organisations to ensure they’re getting all the help they possibly can, and we offer one to one (fortnightly take out) wellbeing calls. It’s so important that parents have someone checking in on them and that they know they’re not alone.
How acute do you think the need is for your service?
Very! We’ve only been going for three years (two of which coincided with the pandemic) and we’ve had nearly 800 families through our doors.
We couldn’t do the work we do without support from funds like the SLN Community Fund and we rely heavily on the incredible generosity of our amazing team of volunteer counsellors. They are all hugely respected professionals who give up their time because they know how much this support is needed and valued.
What are your coffee mornings like?
They’re very informal and that’s the beauty of them. You don’t have to book. You just show up knowing you’ll find a supportive group. Friendships for life are formed here. We also have guest speakers from time to time speaking on everything from understanding the adolescent brain to navigating grief (or coping with physical tics. Take out)
Can anyone access the support you provide?
Absolutely! It’s free and people can self-refer or many come to us having been referred by schools, doctors and or other support services.
There are no criteria. The child you’re supporting doesn’t have to be a particular age and they don’t have to have been officially diagnosed, because we recognise that even securing official diagnosis can be tough. Our doors are always open as well. Parents leave, but then sometimes return months later if the young person they’re supporting is going through another rough patch. Everyone is always welcome.
How can people support your work?
We’re always looking for volunteers and particularly for parents with lived experience who can offer peer support. Because we’re totally reliant on funding we’d also love to hear from anyone with experience of organising fundraising events or of raising awareness across social media.
Where would you like to see Holding Space in five years?
The support we provide is already holistic, but I’d love to extend that further and open a wellbeing hub for families where they can pop in for a coffee and chat and access a range of interventions form yoga art, exercise etc. Ultimately, I’d love to see mental health hubs become as normal as shops on the High Street.
What would you say to anyone considering approaching Holding Space for support?
I’d say get in touch. We can’t change your journey. And we haven’t got all the answers. But we’ll walk together and you will get through this.
SLN has supported the work that Holding Space does in a number of ways over the past few years. We commissioned Holding Space to deliver low cost confidential counselling for 7-16 year olds during lockdowns, and are currently part funding Holding Space's drop in sessions through our SLN Community Fund. To find out more about how our funding is helping Holding Space's many valuable initiatives check out our projects page.
To find out more about Holding Space or to start a conversation, go to their website. Holding Space hold coffee mornings once a month. Their Eastbourne session is held on the fourth Thursday of every month from 10am – 12pm and their Bexhill & Hastings session is held on the second Friday of every month from 10-12pm. Find out more about each of these sessions as well as online workshops and sessions on the Holding Space website.