The Nook - a free, walk-in mental health support hub - opens its doors in Marischal Square on Wednesday, June 17, making quality, non-clinical mental health support easily available to people in Aberdeen and beyond.
Created and run by SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health), anyone will be able to drop in to The Nook from today for barrier-free mental health and wellbeing support, seven days a week.
There is no waiting list, no cost, and no need for a referral or appointment.
The Nook is designed to be flexible, so it offers a range of support options including one-to-one sessions with a practitioner, talking therapies and group events.
It will also be accompanied by an extensive outreach programme in surrounding communities, helping even more people to access support.
Eilidh Hunter, 22, from Alford, a mental health campaigner who sits on the SAMH Young People’s Panel, said: "It can be really hard to seek help if you're struggling, and when you do you might face barriers like waiting lists and confusing systems. With The Nook, you can walk in when you feel ready and someone will be there to help you there and then.
"My friends and I talk about our wellbeing and how we're doing quite a lot, but I think people our age will really benefit from having somewhere like that we can go to easily access proper support.
"There's so much information about mental health out there but actually this can be quite overwhelming and difficult to navigate. The Nook allows you to chat to someone face to face and you can even come in with friends or family. It also provides help to people supporting a loved one with poor mental health, which I think will be so important for people across the North East.”
Felicitas Fischer, The Nook’s Service Manager, said: “The Nook is your place for mental health support. Our door is open seven days a week and you can drop in to suit you – there's no need to book and no waiting lists.
“Please come and see us if you are looking for support, going through a tough time, supporting someone else, or if you just have questions and are looking for information about mental health and wellbeing.
“When you pop in, you'll be greeted by a friendly face who can chat about the range of options we offer, so you can find what suits you best. Our door is open!”
The Nook will welcome visitors for walk-in support from 10am to 4pm daily, including weekends. Over time, there will be additional bookable activities and sessions taking place in the evenings.
This is the second Nook in Scotland’s first national network of walk-in mental health hubs, representing the largest mental health charity initiative in Scottish history.
The Nook network is supported by SAMH’s major appeal, which will raise £10 million over three years.
The first Nook, launched in Glasgow last year, supported more than 3,000 people from all parts of the city and beyond in its first six months. These high visitor numbers demonstrate a clear need for quality mental health support that is available at the point of need and promotes early intervention and prevention.
A third Nook will open in Edinburgh next year, with more to follow in communities across Scotland.
Alex Cumming, Executive Director of Delivery and Service Development at SAMH, said: “The response to our first Nook in Glasgow shows clear demand for our walk-in model, including from communities that are too often underserved by mental health services. Our early data also shows that The Nook is starting to relieve pressure on statutory services by providing an alternate route to accessing support.
“The Nook is our response to the mental health crisis and I’m delighted that it is now open in Aberdeen. This is a huge step towards our ambition that anyone in Scotland should be able to ask once and get help fast with their mental health. The Nook opening in Marischal Square today makes that a reality for people across the North East.”
SAMH has been supporting mental health in the North East for many years, including though its supported accommodation service, work to prevent suicide, and the provision of mental health link workers to Aberdeen GPs.
The Nook builds on these existing services, providing immediate, accessible and non-clinical support at the point of need.
More information is available on The Nook website.