Café Therapy
Cafe Therapy is a quarterly community support group offering health information, physiotherapy advice, and virtual reality rehabilitation games in a café style format.
We are delighted that thanks to the David Gibbons Foundation we have received enough funding to run our Cafe Therapy groups over the last few years. We are now trying to keep the group going without the grant funding.
Cafe Therapy Dates 2024/5
10th January: Reversing Cognitive Ageing
28th March- Mindfulness for Health
4th July – The Foot- the foundation of our health
All places need to be pre-booked due to space constraints. Unless you are a member tickets cost £8 to help cover costs. Tickets can be bought directly from us at the clinic or online here.
Cafe Therapy membership
We have now introduced three new membership options to help keep our community thriving without relying on ongoing grant funding. You can choose the level that suits you best, with benefits like priority booking for our talks and free access to our online learning hub built from past Café Therapy sessions — or even enjoy both! If you prefer, you can still simply book individual sessions as you go for £8 per ticket.
£25/ year Café Therapy groups only – Will get access to Priority booking for all talks.
£20/year ( Online unrestricted access to all courses/videos on our learning site and from previous Café Therapy talks)
£40/year Café Therapy group priority booking and free online access to all content on the learning website.
Please contact us if you would like to opt for one of the memberships and we will get you set up.
The Problem- Why we started Cafe Therapy
30% of the population are living with 1 or more long term conditions. Increasing pressures on the NHS mean people are being discharged home earlier and more people are living at home with significant disabilities.
Dear Jenny, I was thinking that few people have made such a difference to the quality of my life as you have. Thank you very much.
BG – Plymouth
In 2001, people who had a stroke stayed in hospital for an average of 34 days. Today, half of all stroke patients are discharged within just 7 days (Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme). That’s a huge change — and it means many people are going home much sooner, often before they feel fully ready.
Yet nearly half of stroke survivors say they feel abandoned once they leave hospital (Stroke Association). Recovery doesn’t stop at discharge, but for many, the support does.
Here in South Devon, we have a larger-than-average older population. Many people are living with neurological conditions, balance difficulties, or an increased risk of falls. The need for ongoing rehabilitation and practical support in the community has never been greater.
Sense Ability Therapy CIC was created to help bridge this growing gap in rehabilitation services, particularly for those living with significant disabilities.
We believe everyone deserves access to clear information, specialist advice, and compassionate support — close to home. Somewhere you can ask questions without feeling rushed. Somewhere you don’t need a referral, an appointment, or to sit on a waiting list.
A place that understands the full picture — supporting not just physical recovery, but also the emotional and psychological challenges that can come with it, whatever your age or level of disability.
Because recovery is about more than leaving hospital — it’s about rebuilding confidence, independence, and quality of life.
Our Solution
We run a quarterly club called Cafe Therapy. This is a place where you can come and get the answers and support you are looking for as well as physiotherapy support in a friendly, social café style environment. Over the two hours there will be talks, the opportunity to exercise with support and the chance for you to chat and meet new people who may be experiencing the same challenges as you.
The Benefits
The potential benefits to the Community and you are proven. Not only will you have a place you can turn to for support both socially and clinically, you will get support in improving your activity levels and potentially preventing the occurrence of secondary problems that often occur with long term conditions such as; depression, anxiety, pressure sores, falls and contractures. This has the added benefit of reducing costs and pressures on the NHS.
The Future
Our hope is for this to become a real hub for the Community and to serve as a template for others to be run around the country.
Sense Ability Therapy CIC have successfully kept the group running for 7 years and through the challenges of COVID. We are continually getting your feedback to improve the group and to look for ways to increase its impact and accessibility.
Registration on each group is essential due to limited space and parking. Please see above for details of the next group or contact us.
Cafe Therapy Online
If you are interested in any of the topics that have come up in the past please visit our learning site. There you can access a number of free resources as well as short courses based on the subjects that have been covered during previous Cafe Therapy sessions. All profits from our online resources go towards funding future Cafe Therapy groups.
If there are any topics you would like covered in future sessions please just let us know.