A Rotherham service is encouraging local people to take time to talk about mental health as part of Time to Talk Day on February 6.
Staff at Centenary Clinic on Effingham Street in Rotherham is using the national awareness day to encourage those attending the clinic, their family and friends to chat and share their thoughts about mental health.
The Centenary Clinic is the new base for Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) services for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT). The clinic also provides outpatient appointments for adults and older people with mental health needs, a Memory Service; Rotherham Access Team and Depot clinics.
James Bell, RDaSH Team Leader for IAPT, said: “We are using Time to Talk Day to encourage everyone to take time out to chat about mental health. There will be plenty of top tips and information to pick up which is designed to get people talking and start conversations between 9.30am and 12noon.”
Cllr David Roche, Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Public Health at Rotherham Council said: "Mental health affects us all and we should feel able to talk about it.
"Talking is one way we can look out for one another and do our bit to help those who may be in distress. In Rotherham, the Be The One campaign works to reduce the number of lives lost to suicide in the borough. It encourages people to talk, listen and care, so Time To Talk Day is a great opportunity to start those conversations which may feel awkward, but could really make a difference or even save, someone's life."
One in four people will experience a mental health problem in any given year. Time to Talk Day provides the opportunity to generate conversations about mental health to bust myths and break down the barriers that people experiencing a mental health problem can face.