Deaf4Deaf

17/12/2025

Workshop on Emotion Recognition
A great session with a fantastic group — interactive, engaging, and full of thoughtful reflection.

Participant feedback included:
Solidarity • Powerful • Worthy • Happy • Satisfied

Thank you to everyone who joined us.
We’re really looking forward to delivering more D4D workshops in 2026.



Pictures show examples of slides shown.

16/12/2025

Christmas can bring joy, but it can also bring loneliness, grief, and difficult memories.
We’re thinking of everyone in our community who may be finding this time tough. 💙

16/12/2025

Survive the holiday period.
Tips below:

12/12/2025

For self- referral for counselling/ therapy-

Self- Funded
NHS funded
Employment support funded
Etc…

this is the link:

Visit the post for more.

02/12/2025

Join our new monthly signing-safe space for Deaf mental health.

Online via google meet (video platform similar to zoom)

01/12/2025

Going no contact or low contact with your family can be a necessary step for your safety and wellbeing. 💚

No one would ever choose to do this without a strong reason. Setting boundaries is a valid and important way to protect yourself.

You are allowed to prioritise your safety and mental health.

01/12/2025

Who gets you?
It’s the relationship that heals.
❤️

Who in your life really gets you?

Feeling truly understood by someone else is a powerful part of the human connection. It’s these relationships that help us feel seen and supported.

30/11/2025

Locked Out.
That’s the title of the new UK Government report exposing the continuing exclusion of Deaf and Deafblind BSL users from health and social care across the UK.

Its findings are powerful — and painful:
• BSL users are still unable to book GP appointments
• Interpreters are still refused or unavailable
• Deaf people continue to be misdiagnosed or discharged without informed consent
• Access to mental health support remains inconsistent and often inaccessible

For many in our community, this is not surprising.
It simply names what we have lived.

And it is exactly why Deaf4Deaf exists.

As we approach 10 years of providing therapy by Deaf therapists, for Deaf clients, this report reinforces what we have known all along:

Deaf people need — and deserve — culturally competent, BSL-accessible, trauma-informed mental health care.

Mainstream services still struggle to meet these needs.
Deaf4Deaf was created to close that gap.

For nearly a decade, we have provided:
• Direct BSL therapy and supervision
• Deaf-centred clinical models
• Trauma-informed, culturally grounded practice
• A safe space where Deaf experiences do not need to be explained or justified
• Support that recognises the impact of systemic audism, exclusion, and moral injury

The Locked Out report is not just evidence — it is a call to action.

Deaf-led mental health services are not an optional extra.
They are essential, effective, and life-saving.

As Deaf4Deaf moves into its next decade, we remain committed to:
• Challenging systemic exclusion
• Providing accessible therapeutic support
• Training clinicians to work ethically with Deaf clients
• Developing Deaf-led supervision and clinical models
• Advocating for long-overdue structural change

Deaf4Deaf exists because our community deserves better.
And we will continue leading the way.

InclusiveHealthcare TraumaInformedCare DeafCommunity HealthInequality DeafLed

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bsl-user-experience-of-health-and-social-care-in-uk/locked-out-exclusion-of-deaf-and-deafblind-bsl-users-from-health-and-social-care-in-the-uk-full-report-bsl-and-english-versions

23/11/2025

A fierce and beautiful AGM weekend with the British Deaf association in Derry/Londonderry. Seeing old faces felt like looking up at familiar constellations—steady, reassuring. Meeting new people was like catching sight of new stars appearing at the edge of the sky. The stories we shared—tough, proud, funny, painful—moved through the room like a heartbeat, something alive that we were all part of.

Deaf culture was everywhere. You could feel it breathing in our hands, in the quick glances we exchanged, in the rhythm of signing that never once dimmed. It felt like standing inside a fire that refuses to go out—a reminder of who we are, where we come from, and why we keep pushing to keep our community strong.

And experiencing all of this in Derry/Londonderry—a place shaped by politics, faith, and history—made it even more powerful. BSL and ISL moved together so naturally, like two flames leaning into each other. In that moment, it was clear: we are one community, one story, one beating heart.

Thanks Derry/Londonderry for an unforgettable weekend. A special mention to Foyle Deaf Association, & the gorgeously fun Northern Irish deaf community who provided us with stories, poems, their history, laughter & memories.

26/10/2025

Problems will always exist - it’s part of being human. The real strength is learning to live, laugh, and love through them. Don’t wait for life to be perfect to start enjoying it.

12/10/2025

We’ve hit 8K on Facebook and 2.8K on Instagram!
Thank you for being part of the Deaf4Deaf community 💙

We’d love your ideas — what would you like to see more of here?

Short BSL videos explaining mental health terms?

Real therapy stories (with permission, of course!)?

Tips for wellbeing and Deaf identity?

Tell us what helps, inspires, or interests you — your feedback shapes what we share!



⸻
Picture of a winking tree - This old tree seems to wink — a quiet sign that healing and humour can live side by side.
Even when parts of us feel weathered, there's still life, beauty, and connection within.



What you're seeing is a natural example of pareidolia, which is when our brains recognise familiar shapes (like faces) in objects or patterns - clouds, trees, rocks, etc. The "eye" effect comes from the knots, textures, and bark scars that resemble human features.

12/10/2025

For those with aphantasia this is interesting.


Aphantasia — ever heard of it?

It’s when someone can’t picture things in their mind’s eye. No inner movie, no mental images — just thoughts and concepts.

You say “imagine a beach,” and they know what a beach is, but they can’t see it in their mind.

It’s not a disorder — just a different way of experiencing the world. People with aphantasia often think in words, logic, or feelings instead of pictures.

It can shape memory, creativity, and emotion in fascinating ways.

Have you ever realised you might have it?

Neurodivergent therapist Olena Baeva discusses how people with aphantasia experience empathy and connection, showing that reduced imagery doesn’t mean reduced compassion. 👇 http://ow.ly/XRnO106nrhA