SWEDA Pen-Pals Scheme
Would you like to write to someone in a similar situation to yourself, or with similar interests? Being a Pen-Pal gives you the opportunity to discuss ideas, share thoughts and feelings and give and receive support in your struggle with Eating Disorders. You will need to think about what you are hoping to gain from your Pen-Pal relationship and perhaps also what you can offer as a Pen-Pal yourself, before writing a short statement about yourself:- eg. "I am an inpatient in an acute unit, I have had an eating disorder for 7 years and would like to hear from anyone willing to write." "I write a lot of poetry and would like to exchange poems and discuss them with someone who also has an eating disorder." "Do you have experience of having CBT? It's in my Care Plan and I want to know how useful other people found it."
The information that you give about yourself will be made available to members of the scheme looking for a Pen-Pal. Guidelines The Pen-Pal scheme is intended to be a complementary to an individual's recovery process and as such should not be considered, or used as, a substitute for medical advice, counselling or any other form of professional support.
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If, at any time, you wish to stop corresponding with a Pen-Pal,
you should let them know as a matter of courtesy. Advise SWEDA and
we will return any further letters sent to you by that person.
If you would like to be involved in SWEDA’s Pen-Pal Scheme, you
will need to register with us. To do this you can write into SWEDA,
call the helpline or download the form here ~  .
The registration process requires you to have read the Pen-Pals scheme
Disclaimer. The Pen-Pals Leaflet which contains the Disclaimer as well
as further information about the scheme is available here  .
A master copy for printing the leaflet is available to download here
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Once we have received and accepted your completed form you will be
allocated a SWEDA box number which you will need to include on the outside
of all your Pen-Pal letters. You will receive confirmation of your box
number and the information you supplied about yourself will be placed
in the SWEDA Bulletin and the Pen-Pal updates.
To reply to your Pen-Pal, please put your letter in a blank, sealed
and stamped envelope. On this envelope be sure to mark clearly in the
middle of the envelope To:- Your Pen-Pal’s box number
From:- Your box number. Put this in another envelope and
send it to Pen~Pals Co-ordingator at SWEDA‘s address, they
will then address the inner envelope and forward it on to your Pen~Pal
unopened. We would encourage you to reply to letter within a fortnight
whenever possible.
Please be aware that if you are under 14 you will need parental permission to register with the scheme.
Disclaimer
SWEDA's role within the Pen-Pal scheme is to enable sufferers or
carers to contact one another for the purposes of mutual support. The
correspondence remains private at all times and is not viewed by SWEDA.
Consequently any advice or opinions are those of the letter writer only
and SWEDA cannot be held responsible or liable for anything contained
within a Pen-Pal Letter or anything arising from it.
It is a condition of using the SWEDA Pen-Pal Scheme that you do
not exchange addresses, phone numbers or anything else that would make
you identifiable or directly contactable. If you do so you will be deemed
to be operating outside of the SWEDA Pen-Pal Scheme.
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