Joy
Our founder and CEO Joy Hibbins was named in the Queen’s New Year Honours list in 2019 for services to vulnerable people. In the previous year, she won the Janey Antoniou award for an “outstanding contribution to addressing stigma and improving the lives of people affected by mental illness”.
She has had two suicide prevention books published, and she has written articles about suicide prevention for several national newspapers including the Huff Post UK, The Guardian, The Independent, The Telegraph and The Metro. Her articles include “Please Don’t Call Us Difficult To Engage” which has been widely shared. Links to her articles are below.
Her new book “The Suicide Prevention Pocket Guidebook” has been a number 1 bestseller in its suicide prevention category on Amazon. It’s a comprehensive 220-page guidebook which explains how to support someone who is having suicidal thoughts. It is available to buy from most booksellers including Waterstones and Blackwells.
Her previous book “Suicide Prevention Techniques: How A Suicide Crisis Service Saves Lives” explains in detail about our methods, approach and ethos and why all our clients survive: the different elements which have contributed to our zero suicide achievement: Suicide Prevention Techniques: How A Suicide Crisis Service Saves Lives: Waterstones
A number of her articles/blogs have made the front page of the Huff Post UK including
“Men and Suicide: What They Are Telling Us About The Kind Of Care They Want”
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/joy-hibbins/men-and-suicide-what-they_b_13201682.html
Please Don’t Call Us Difficult To Engage“, focuses on why some people find it hard to engage with services. It has repeatedly attracted the comment “All mental health professionals should read this”.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/joy-hibbins/please-dont-call-us-diffi_b_10988746.html
“If Clinicians Feel That A Patient’s Suicide Is Inevitable, What Hope Is There For The Patient?” has been widely praised. Joy writes from her own experience as a patient, and from a professional perspective: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/if-clinicians-feel-that-a-patients-suicide-is-inevitable_uk_5aa7c9b6e4b082994459d033
You can find Joy’s other blogs on her Huff Post author page. There is some info about Joy followed by all her most recent Huff Post UK pieces:-
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/joy-hibbins
Joy has also written articles for The Independent, The Guardian, The Metro and The Telegraph:-
The Independent 24 Hours In A Suicide Crisis Centre: How we deal with emergencies as a heatwave brings increasing numbers of clients and NHS mental health services staff shortages create an even greater need for our service.
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/suicide-crisis-centre-mental-health-prevention-nhs-iapt-a8446011.html
The Independent More Women Than Men Are Dying By Suicide In Psychiatric Hospitals The article focuses on the impact of traumatic events on women and how sectioning can be re-traumatising.
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/women-suicide-psychiatric-hospitals-mental-health-prevention-symptoms-crisis-a8497091.html
The Independent What It’s Like To Work At A Suicide Crisis Centre over Christmas
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/suicide-depression-christmas-working-at-the-suicide-crisis-centre-a7479846.html
The Independent This Is What Happened When I Set Up A Suicide Crisis Centre
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/after-a-bad-experience-with-mental-health-services-i-set-up-my-own-suicide-crisis-centre-and-i-a7159721.html
The Guardian After My Suicide Crisis I Set Up A Centre To Give Others The Safety Net I Needed
https://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2017/mar/15/suicide-crisis-centre-safety-net?CMP=share_btn_tw
The Guardian Reinventing Mental Health Care: Putting Patients In Charge>
https://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/views-from-the-nhs-frontline/2017/sep/25/reinventing-mental-health-care-putting-psychiatric-patients-in-charge-suicide-crisis-centre
The Metro Inside The Suicide Crisis Centre: “People often think it’s depressing working here but it’s the opposite” ‘It’s the opposite of depressing’: Inside the Suicide Crisis Centre | Metro News
The Metro What It’s Like To Work In A Suicide Crisis Centre During The Pandemic What it’s like to work in a suicide crisis centre during the pandemic | Metro News
The Metro The Kindness Of Strangers Saved My Life World Kindness Day: The kindness of strangers saved my life | Metro News
The Telegraph “When Mental Health Services Tell You It’s Your Decision To End Your Life: A Kinder System Could Save Lives”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/12/want-kill-nhs-wont-stop-kinder-system-could-save-lives/
The charity has also created a blog website where Joy writes articles: Saving Lives Blog savinglives.blog. Her articles include “The myth that “when someone is asking for help, they don’t really want to end their life” : The myth that “when someone is asking for help, they don’t really want to end their life” (savinglives.blog)