New mental health service for young people in Highlands has provided more than 400 sessions
A new mental health service for young people in the Highlands has delivered hundreds of sessions since opening its doors.
Brent Centre Highlands, one of the area’s newest charities, says it has had an “incredibly busy” first nine months, offering accessible psychotherapy and mental health support to 14 to 21-year -olds.
It anticipates that by the New Year it will have received more than 100 referrals while its small team has already offered over 400 psychotherapeutic sessions to young people.
• New mental health service for young people in Highlands a step closer to opening
• 200 young people in the Highlands waiting more than a year to see a mental health specialist
Brent Centre Highlands, which opened its doors in Stephens Brae in Inverness in March 2024, is affiliated to the charity, Brent Centre for Young People which opened in London in 1967.
The service is for young people who need mental health support and talking therapies, free at the point of access.
It has also linked up with the sports community in Inverness and Nairn to offer help to young people.
It was set up against a background of warnings by many experts of a mental health crisis across the UK, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic and the impact of the rising cost of living.
But Sarah Fielding, head of service for Brent Centre Highlands, acknowledged they did not anticipate the speed at which it has taken off.
“We knew there was a real need for accessible, community-based support and psychotherapy for young people here in Highland, especially against the backdrop of long waiting lists and scarce resources,” she said.
“What we hadn’t expected perhaps was just how quickly our service would take off.
“As we head towards Christmas, we anticipate we’ll have received over 100 referrals before the New Year.
“As a small team, we’ve already offered over 400 psychotherapeutic sessions to young people.
“We know there’s much more to do, and we’re already working on how to build the service, and our funding, to be able to offer help to all those who need it.”
The service is designed to meet the developmental needs of teenagers and young people, and is flexible and aims to offer young people a first assessment appointment as quickly as possible, once a young person has decided they want help.
Mrs Fielding said: “The service understands that sometimes young people ‘dip a toe’ in, before perhaps using the service – that adolescent services work best when they have some fluidity for young people to engage and re-engage as needed.
“Most young people are offered an initial assessment, and then a series of open-ended psychotherapeutic consultations, a space to explore whatever is on their mind.
“The service can also offer family and parent consultation, and longer-term psychotherapy for young people with more complex difficulties.”
It works closely with NHS services and GPs, where needed, and is also available on the end of the phone for referrers, young people, and parents with queries.
Young people can approach the service with a range of issues, from low mood, anxiety, difficulties with friends, family or school, self harm, concerns about their body, suicidality or whatever is on their mind.
“The Highlands has one of the highest suicide rates within the UK, and Brent Centre Highlands has noticed just how much young people locally are impacted by this – and want to be part of the solution,” Mrs Fielding said.
“Not all young people feel like they can sit and talk about what’s troubling them, and Brent Centre Highlands have also been developing some creative approaches to how they offer help, using a blend of football and therapy with the Sport and Thought project currently running in Nairn Academy – a great way to engage young people and develop their capacity to think in a team, and know how they respond to things, alongside getting great football coaching with the Inverness Caledonian Thistle Community Trust.”
The service also runs a monthly frontline worker group, supporting staff from any workplace involved with young people, and also ran a sellout Psychoanalytic Adolescent Film night with Eden Court Theatre in August.
As the charity takes stock of the work so far, it acknowledges the demand for the service will continue to rise – it is already operating a short waiting list.
Looking ahead to 2025, it wants to expand and develop the service, to ensure that every young person who wants help, can access it.
“Funding is the big issue, but with the success so far in opening, the team hopes it can build and develop, with the support of the local community,” Mrs Fielding said.
“Brent Centre Highlands is incredibly grateful to all the funders, and community fundraisers who have supported this new initiative this year – it’s always a leap of faith to support a new project and it’s making a real difference here in Highland.”
