The Dolphin Shopping Centre in Poole is supporting Mental Health Awareness Week, organised by the Mental Health Foundation, to help drive conversations on mental health.
Mental Health Awareness Week (Monday May 13 – Sunday May 19) is a campaign that aims to raise awareness about mental health issues. This year’s theme is ‘Body Image’ and as part of the campaign, the Dolphin will be welcoming the NHS to the centre.
The NHS will be prominently positioned in the centre, outside Marks & Spencer, and will have its own exhibition stand for the entire week. Retailers in the centre will also be encouraged to take leaflets to hand out to customers while they are shopping.
Rebecca Ledden, assistant psychologist at Poole Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, commented: “We are looking forward to visiting the Dolphin Shopping Centre next week to help encourage mental health conversations and to raise awareness by doing so.
“The majority of the team working on this campaign are clinicians from Poole Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. We have a range of clinicians that will be available to talk to, including our mental health nurses, assistant psychologists, CBT therapists, wellbeing practitioners and many more. Other teams will also be joining us, including other CAMHS teams, members of our inpatient CAMHS team and liaison psychiatry.”
The NHS will be hosting a variety of activities throughout the week based around Mental Health Awareness Week, as well as handing out self-help information sheets, leaflets for community services, information about CAMHS and information about the ‘Body Image’ theme. The team will also be encouraging positive affirmations amongst shoppers and handing out sweets.
John Grinnell, centre manager at the Dolphin Shopping Centre, commented: “We want to encourage our shoppers to feel open to discussing mental health issues and any difficulties they may be facing. We hope that by welcoming the NHS to our centre and getting involved with the UK’s awareness campaign drive, we will help open up conversations on mental health and body image to create lasting change.
“The ‘Body Image’ theme focuses on how we feel and think about our bodies. Mental health problems can affect anyone, at any time, and this campaign, organised by the Mental Health Foundation, aims to reach more people than ever.
“Our support of this campaign has been encouraged by Legal & General, owners of the centre, as part of its focus on social values and we’re more than happy to show our support and encourage shoppers to feel open to talking about mental health issues.”
Last year the Mental Health Foundation found that 30 per cent of all adults have felt stressed by body image and appearance and therefore felt overwhelmed and unable to cope. This equates to almost one in every three people. Mental Health Awareness Week aims to campaign for positive change and introduce tools to help improve the nation’s relationship with body image.
For more information about the Dolphin Shopping Centre, visit www.dolphinshoppingcentre.co.uk