Programmes
Being a healthcare worker brings a lot of joy, but it also comes with emotional difficulties. This is totally normal.
Doctors in Distress provides a range of support for any healthcare worker who feels like they need it. We are not a crisis service nor are we a therapy service. However, we can provide community and a space to come if you feel burned out, overwhelmed, stressed, scared about exams or your future, facing a complaint or tribunal process and much more.
Our charity’s mission is to protect the mental health of healthcare workers. If you are struggling, you are not alone. In fact, in the latest NHS Survey, over 30% of staff reported feeling burned out. 1 in 4 doctors experience mental illness in their career. This rises to 2 in 3 nurses and midwives.
Since Autumn 2020, Doctors in Distress has supported over 4000 healthcare workers with their mental wellbeing through our programmes.
All the groups we provide are confidential and free of charge. You will be treated with respect and kindness as we take an empathetic and reassuring approach to ensure you feel at ease in this space. If you would like to find out more about our facilitators, please do contact us.
Below are some of the groups we run. Our programme activity varies as these groups rely on external funding.
Please keep checking this page and our social media channels for further updates. If you would like sponsor or fund a programme, please get in touch here.
Weekly Support Groups
Our Weekly Support Group is a free, online group, where healthcare workers facing any mental health challenges such as burnout or exam anxiety, can share their concerns and experiences with peers in a safe space.
The group is professionally facilitated and is entirely confidential. There is no pressure to share or have your camera on.
It takes place every Wednesday 12.30-1.30pm, via Zoom.
Burnout Recovery Course
This course, devised by Dr Claire Ashley, an NHS doctor with lived experience of burnout, offers a compassionate, evidence-based approach to recovering from burnout. The aim is enabling and empowering you to rebuild a fulfilling career and life.
The unique programme can be done at your own pace, at times that suit you. Once registered there is an introductory webinar, and then you be given access to bite-sized videos and course materials to support you to identify burnout risks, manage your selfcare, and maintain your wellness.
Doctors 1in4, Nurse/Midwife 2in3
Mental illness affects 1 in 4 doctors and 2 in 3 nurses and midwives. Our webinar series features healthcare workers sharing their lived experiences, helping to reduce stigma and offer hope to colleagues.
These events are interactive, providing participants with another pathway to access mental health support.
Creativity Groups
We run a number of different creativity groups, ranging from photography to creative writing. These workshops enable health workers to use their creativity as a way to improve wellbeing, switch off from work and process any emotional struggles through creative means.
We are currently running Writing For Self-Expression; a 4-week free creative writing programme for medical students, which allows them to connect with fellow students, enhance writing skills and take a break.
It takes place on Mondays, 12.30-2pm, via Zoom, until 21 October.
Doctors in Distress speakers
We have an excellent team of knowledgeable speakers, who are available to do talks on a range of topics covering wellbeing, mental health, lived experience and our charity’s work.
If you would like us to speak at your organisation or an event, please reach out to us here.
What others think of our programmes…
“During a time when I was struggling both personally and professionally, this support was a lifeline. Without it, I wonder whether I would still be a doctor.”
“Nurses care for others but often forget to care for themselves. This webinar opens the door to honest conversations about the struggles nurses face.”