Social prescribing is the practice where health professionals, including GPs, have the resources and infrastructure to link patients and clients with social groups – in a bid to address what determines strong mental health that develops resilience. A GP may, for example, suggest a patient join a local running group to enjoy the benefits of exercise and interaction. However, there is more to this than simply being social.
Up to date research on resilience and wellbeing has shown that people who have recovered well from physical and mental health conditions have higher levels of competence to get through the inevitable difficulties and unexpected challenges of life for all of us and these are linked to a specific formula of social connections.
The Resilience Centre recommends and supports providers with an understanding and commitment to our evidence-based resilience model of ‘The Resilience Doughnut’, with the aim of helping people to identify their own already existing strengths, and then to connect them socially, to thrive during times of adversity and after.
Some of these examples are:
HOPE Street Woolloomooloo
LINK Services Lithgow
Pro Patria Centre Wagga Wagga
However, our own model of resilience – The Resilience Doughnut also shows there are individual and tailored social prescribing activities that are better suited to the individual. Here at The Resilience Centre in Sydney, we use an online assessment program to establish the strong social supports and resources in a person’s life and then we work on ways to link these resources in a community or social activity. This program enables a conversation that easily taps into the person’s social resources, as well as their skills and interests. The conversation can then quickly turn to how to tailor a social prescribing activity to enable better health and wellbeing, especially during times of adversity.
The recognition that resilience and wellbeing are linked to specific formulas of social connections underscores the importance of initiatives like social prescribing in promoting holistic health. It’s exciting to see how these innovative approaches are reshaping our
understanding of mental health and wellbeing and opening up new avenues for support and empowerment for individuals.
