Newly-opened Brent Centre Highlands hopes to address youth mental health crisis
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A new Inverness-based charity, which aims to support young people with their emotional health, is anticipating high demand for its services.
Brent Centre Highlands, which is now officially open, offers psychotherapeutic help to 14 to 21-year-olds.
It hopes that if young people can access the service when they need it, it will ease the pressure on NHS services
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The service, based in Stephens Brae, is part of a larger charity, Brent Centre for Young People, which has been helping young people since 1967.
Sarah Fielding, head of service at Brent Centre Highlands, said it is officially open thanks to the generosity of funders and the local community.
The centre is anticipating the demand will be high as it has already been receiving referrals without any formal advertising.
Mrs Fielding hopes the local community will bear with the centre and give it support as it establishes a much-needed resource, and continues to raise funds.
"With the new clinical team of psychotherapists now in place, young people based in Inverness and surrounds can self-refer, or ask their GP, guidance teachers, youth workers or other trusted adults, to access the service," she said.
It offers help in the form of flexible consultations designed to be especially sensitive to adolescent development, alongside longer term psychotherapy where helpful.
"The centre can also offer family/parent consultations, practical support and is also reaching out to frontline workers, offering a work discussion group to confidentially discuss casework, aiming to address the crisis in youth mental health on a number of levels," said Mrs Fielding who worked with the Brent Centre in London as a specialist mental health worker and in management for about 20 years.
"The centre hopes that if young people can access this service when they need it, they will be able to deal with difficulties before they become more chronic problems, easing the pressure on NHS services, and ensuring that young people can get on with all the important tasks of growing up."
Last year, it was one of 51 charities across Scotland awarded funding from the Scottish Children’s Lottery. Its £5000 grant was put towards the estimated £70,000 annual running costs.
As the service builds, it hopes to offer its services more widely across the Highlands, collaborating with other charities and young people’s organisations.
Inverness MP Drew Hendry, who visited the centre this week, believed the new service would be a fantastic resource.
"Sarah and the team at the Brent Centre Highlands have done a brilliant job in setting up such a welcoming safe space for young people to access mental health therapy and practical support," he said.
"Our geography here in the Highlands is vast, which presents its own unique challenges.
"It is vitally important that young people have access to the right support when they need it.
"The Brent Centre are doing fantastic work in offering this, free of charge.
"I’ve no doubt that they are going to be a fantastic resource for young people who might be struggling, and I am very grateful to them for setting up the initiative."
Brent Centre Highlands has already enjoyed being part of the Skateboarding and Mental Health project in Inverness, and is to hear from the local community as to how its clinical expertise could be used.
