Sea Sanctuary

Sea Sanctuary is a unique charity that offers health education on board a large classic yacht.

The Sea Sanctuary team has had years of success combining evidence-based therapies and counselling methods with marine-based activities that give people an invigorating sense of adventure along with the help and support they need to lift their spirits, overcome issues, and find their sense of wellbeing.

Sea Sanctuary takes therapy out of the office and onto the water—it's a recipe that has helped hundreds of people improve their mental and emotional wellbeing since the charity was launched in 2006.

We offer individuals an opportunity to experience life afloat through our residential programme, where our clients are encouraged to participate in one of our programmes. We support the needs of a variety of people of different ages, abilities, and levels of wellness.

We have a very simple remit as a service; we want to support as many people as possible through the medium of sail training and health education.

Many of the people we support will present with poor mental health; others may wish for basic respite; some will want to increase their level of self-awareness; and some will simply want to experience improved well-being in one of the most stimulating environments available.

Some people refer to this type of intervention (non-clinical) as wilderness therapy, and it is often referred to as adventure therapy. However, Sea Sanctuary's service is unique and not offered anywhere else in Europe. We offer a combined approach that brings together sail training with evidence-based interventions (interventions that have been evaluated and are known to work), which are delivered in an informal style within a group setting. We do not offer intensive therapy.

You will not find any other organisation offering this type of support, and we are the first marine-based charity to ever receive formal and financial backing from the NHS.

Sea Sanctuary creates the ideal setting for promoting positive mental health, offering hope and purpose through dynamic, therapeutically-based education amidst Cornwall's stunning coastal environment. We provide a safe and naturalistic environment as an alternative venue for mental health care. We work in partnership with statutory and non-statutory mental health service providers as an adjunct within the community to their existing services.

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