50 Voices
KEVIN 50 Voices captures the authentic voice of the people that use our services and our staff as Turning Point celebrates its 50th anniversary
50 Voices
Kevin Rozario-Johnson
50 Voices
Kevin Rozario-Johnson
Kevin Rozario-Johnson is the Operations Manager for Turning Point’s Health in Mind service in East Sussex as well as a Turning Point wellbeing service in Brighton.
What skill or personality trait do you have that helps you do your job to the best of your ability? I’d have to say it’s my approach. I like to have trust and faith in people allowing them to get on with their jobs. I believe in the staff that I have. I think for them to see the belief I have in them has a very positive impact on their confidence which ultimately means that our service users receive a much better standard of care.
What aspects of your services do you think are innovative for service users’ recovery?
It’s all about providing early support for people who are just like you and me!
50 Voices
Kevin Rozario-Johnson
Firstly there is a wide range of options available at the Brighton service and at Health in Mind but more specifically; we make all of our treatment available in convenient ways such as telephone sessions, out of hours and group sessions in the evening. The latter means that even people who have been at work all day can still attend. We’re flexible, trying to support those that need it in a way that suits them and is appropriate for them. We have also set up a course called “Being Me” which is aimed at supporting new parents of young children. The course is in partnership with local children’s centres that offer crèche facilities whilst parents complete the 6 week course. We understand that entering the world of parenthood is a massive change and being so preoccupied with a new child can mean that parents completely disengage with social networks. This disengagement can sadly lead to more serious problems down the line. It’s all about providing early support for people who are just like you and me!
What is unique about your services in the way that they support their service users? I think what makes both Health in Mind and the Brighton service unique is the culture there. There’s not a high turnover mentality which helps to create an environment where staff are valued and feel valued. Appreciated staff are happy staff and, to me, happy staff help provide the best standard of care for the people who use our services. The staff feel like they’re a part of the service and so probably don’t want to leave!
What do you think is the biggest misconception about people with mental health issues?
We all have our own problems and idiosyncrasies and we are all prone to difficult times.
50 Voices
Kevin Rozario-Johnson
People have different attitudes but I think there is a legacy of stigma where mental health is concerned. It’s definitely a generational thing; it wasn’t that long ago that people with mental health issues would have been locked away and ostracised from the rest of society. I’m never happy using the word “normal” because the opposite of “normal” is “abnormal” and I don’t think people who are going through difficult times and suffering with mental health issues should be described as “abnormal” because they’re not. We all have our own problems and idiosyncrasies and we are all prone to difficult times. Ultimately we’re all the same and life can throw different things at us at any time. When I talk about what I do some people are genuinely interested and some will throw in wildcard comments like “My grandmother doesn’t think mental health issues exist” or that these people should just get on with it because life’s difficult. However, the situation is not nearly that black and white. I think evidence that this is a generational mentality is the warm reception the Health in Mind service received from young people when we were at a recent fresher’s fair. There is a whole spectrum of misconceptions about mental health issues but I think it’s changing!
How have you grown and changed in your role? My work load has undoubtedly grown but then so have my skills! I started off just managing Health in Minded which needed some TLC as it hadn’t had a manager in a while. Needless to say the first year was tricky but ultimately I managed to establish a good team spirit at the service and as a result I later went on to take over as manager of the Brighton service in the hopes of making it as successful as Health in Mind. I’m now managing a lot of people and naturally you have to grow and develop in order to do that!
Why are you so passionate about being a part of Turning Point? Simply because this is what I do! Turning Point delivers this service and they’re doing something that I’m honestly passionate about. There is a misguided stigma out there about what mental health is and I think that people who are suffering have every right to get access to the right support at the right time. I want to be involved in the process of destigmatising mental health and I believe that being a part of Turning Point helps me to do this.
50 Voices
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