The Dolphin Shopping Centre in Poole is supporting World Mental Health Day to raise awareness of the professional support available to residents.
World Mental Health Day takes place on Thursday, October 10 and aims to encourage more people dealing with mental health disorders to seek advice to boost their personal wellbeing.
The team from Dorset HealthCare will be hosting a stand in the mall outside of Marks & Spencer from 10am to 4pm, where they will have information, leaflets and sweets to hand out to members of the public.
Statistics published by the charity, Mind, report that one in four people will experience a mental health problem each year. In England alone, one in six people report experiencing a common mental health problem, such as anxiety and depression in any given week.
Nikki Dawson, a mental health practitioner for Dorset HealthCare, said that herself and the team will be wearing yellow as part of the #HelloYellow campaign by the cause, Young Minds, in support of children and young people’s mental health.
She added: “We are really pleased to have the support of the Dolphin Shopping Centre to enable us to promote the services we offer during World Mental Health Day. It will be a good opportunity for people to come along on the day and get more personalised guidance in terms of us signposting the services that can help them.”
Information provided on the day will feature a range of information and guides including how to improve your sleep and self-help resources for low mood, anxiety and self-esteem. The Dorset HealthCare team will also be celebrating the launch of the new Connections 27/7 phoneline on Thursday to mark World Mental Health Day, which is open to people of all ages in Dorset who are needing mental health support.
John Grinnell, centre manager at the Dolphin Shopping Centre, said: “We are proud to back World Mental Health Day and are pleased to welcome the Dorset HealthCare team to the centre to spread awareness of the support available to people of all ages. We are keen to play our part in raising the profile of the mental health support services available across the county and hope that this will help to further reduce the stigma of accessing the help provided.”
For more information about the Dolphin Shopping Centre, visit www.dolphinshoppingcentre.co.uk