Pathways - Ahakoa Te Aha
Mental health and addiction is our priority
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Values and purpose
We’re proud to be a Peak Performing organisation. This is a practice underpinned by research that helps us continuously be the best we can as we pursue our inspirational purpose: to support people to live full lives; hopeful and connected to what matters to them. Our purpose and values influence our practice all day, every day. Our spirit ahakoa te aha: whatever it takes, is often heard from our kaimahi when they talk about their mahi.
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We’re passionate about supporting tāngata whai ora and taiohi to achieve their very best outcomes. Working within many communities across Aotearoa we support people to live full lives; hopeful and connected to what matters to them.
We began offering residential services, alongside respite care in Ōtautahi in November 2003. Since then, we’ve grown the services we offer in response to community needs.This includes support for tāngata whai ora experiencing mental distress while managing earthquake repairs, health coaches and community support kaimahi mobile wellbeing support, a peer led acute alternative to hospital, forensic housing and recovery and community youth services.
Our services are mainly within Ōtautahi city limits, with our primary wellbeing support taking us across the North Canterbury and Selwyn District.
We pride ourselves on understanding the tāngata whai ora and taiohi we support and providing the Southern hospitality our region is known for.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi - Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the foundation document of Aotearoa. Pathways recognises the need for Te Tiriti o Waitangi to be threaded through the fabric of our organisation and informing our behaviours. In doing so, Pathways identifies itself as an akonga as we play our part to authentically strengthen equity. We apply our resources to build capability and confidence of our kaimahi.
We have established a rautaki Māori to guide the direction of our work with Māori and to play our part in addressing equity.
Peer inspired services - We believe in the power of lived experience and the impact of a peer workforce. It’s integral to everything we do. We know how the power of peer support can change lives. Peer support helps to build recovery skills, hope and wellbeing.
Over a third of our workforce have their own lived experience and we strive to embed lived experience and peer principles through all our services. We have used peer principles and Aotearoa’s own peer competencies to develop our own successful peer training programme, called Kia Mataara. Many of our graduates have joined recognised peer support roles across our teams.
Living well - Living well is our goal and mental health and addictions is our priority — for our tāngata whai ora and taiohi, as well as our own kaimahi and whānau. We take a holistic view of health by supporting everyone to achieve emotional, mental, nutritional, physical and spiritual wellbeing. This focus has led us to build and deliver our health strategy Being Well. It’s also why we developed and use our evidence-based wellbeing outcome measure.
We know that increased independence is faster and more successful if tāngata whai ora and taiohi focus on living well in all areas of their lives.
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Sometimes tāngata whai ora need additional support if their distress becomes too great. This is when we offer our respite or acute care services.
At Pathways’ our acute care and respite services offer welcoming, home-like environments where people can have a short break when they need to rest and focus completely on their wellbeing. Supportive staff are on hand to help to get them back on their feet.
Some use our respite care services as a planned break away when they’re struggling with life at home, or as a place to go instead of an inpatient hospital. How long tāngata whai ora stay varies depending on their own personal needs. Usually it’s just a few days, but at some of our services people may stay for a few weeks.
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Our group wellbeing programmes help tāngata whai ora and taiohi develop skills to improve their own wellbeing and to live well in their community.
These programmes are based around activities and learning opportunities. They’re based in places where people feel safe, relaxed and open to new experiences. They include activities like yoga, art, healthy cooking and nutrition, music and physical activity. There is also support to assist people back into the workplace.
The programmes are mainly offered during the day and some are delivered as part of our Acute services.
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Our mobile services come to you. It may be in your home, work place or community, where tāngata whai ora or taiohi choose. We provide one to one or group support to meet the needs of the people we support, and their whānau to live full and connected lives.
We also provide it when you most need it, so we’re normally available seven days a week.
Our support includes :
talking and connecting
understanding your needs
helping you achieve everyday activities
identifying goals and helping achieve these goals
creating a connection with the community
living a healthy life and improving physical health
medication support
securing and thriving in training or a job.
As tāngata whai ora, taiohi and whānau all have different needs, we tailor the amount and types of support we provide to each person. This changes as needs and preferences change.
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Our primary mental health services are set up to respond early to the needs of tāngata whai ora and taiohi who may not yet be using mental health and drug and alcohol services. Our kaimahi are a mix of clinical, youth and peer workers to help meet your needs.
Pathways and Real deliver a wide range of primary mental health services. These services increase access and choice for people in need of mental health and alcohol and other drug services. These services support tāngata whai ora and taiohi when they’re experiencing or needing things such as:
support to overcome social isolation
access to food and financial resources and support
accommodation
skills to cope with distress or anxiety
support to address a range of wellbeing issues.
Services can include short term intervention therapies, learning how to use social services, advocacy, peer support, coaching, support to develop plans, budgeting, and housing support. It could also include support to gain employment, remain in education, or to improve community or whānau connection.
These services are normally referred via an enrolled GP practice, or for taiohi may also be from local schools that we partner with. We can provide support in your own home, in the community or at the GP practice. Even if we see you at a GP practice, our services will remain free.
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Our residential services provide a home in the community. The goal is to optimise independence and support our tāngata whai ora to live a full and flourishing life.
Kaimahi are onsite during the day and provide support at night. People may share a house or have a separate unit in a group of units. Staffing levels vary between different services depending on the level of support needed and what is required for the tāngata whai ora and taiohi staying there.
This service supports tāngata whai ora and taiohi towards full lives, connected to what matters to them. How long people stay depends on their individual needs.
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We value the importance of whānau and friends in the journey of tāngata whai ora and taiohi to being well. All of our services aim to support whānau as well as tāngata whai ora and taiohi.
Feeling connected helps wellbeing
Whānau, friends and community provide the much-needed connections, love and support a person needs on their journey to enjoy positive mental health, wellbeing and tuakiritanga.
We work with our tāngata whai ora and taiohi to build strong and supportive relationships with whānau, friends and significant others in their recovery and care. We know that everyone’s journey is different. It’s therefore everyone’s own personal choice about who is involved in their care, how and when.
Support for whānau and friends
It can be distressing when someone close to you is experiencing mental health or alcohol or other drug challenges. If you’re whānau or a friend of someone we’re supporting, it’s likely you’ll have lots of questions. We’ll do our best to provide you with the information and resources you need, so you can help support your loved one and look after your own wellbeing also.
We regularly hold events and celebrations in communities across the country which whānau are invited to come to. Our regular Harikoa magazine is also a way of keeping our whānau informed of news, activities and events.
We’ve also put together a list of other organisations you can access for additional support here.
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Real, our youth services provider, has a range of services to meet the needs of taiohi and their whānau. These services have been developed with and for taiohi, to reflect what matters to them.
We’re continuing to expand our services across the motu to meet the ongoing needs of taiohi in our communities.
