Welcome to Proper Mental episode 60 with my guest, Lee Pennington who is the Director of The Open Door Charity, a multi-award winning mental health resource that is delivered by young people, for young people.
The Open Door is one of the largest independent providers of talking therapies in Merseyside and one of the most progressive organisations of its kind in the UK.
They offer free, immediate access to an innovative range of creative therapeutic support options which are delivered by a frontline team of up to 100 Peer Mentors.
Lee and I chat about how and why he started the charity 10 years ago and the unique approach that they use to support young people with their mental health.
We chat about the bigger picture of mental health support and the need for collaboration and change in the current system and we chat about the importance of culture, art, community and empowerment.
I also get an insight in to the future of The Open Door and how they have secured a huge financial investment to build the national centre of excellence for mental health support.
It’s an inspirational story that really shows what’s possible when you want to make a difference and the plans that are in place for the next few years are incredibly exciting!
You can follow ODC on social media @theodcharity or @bloom_building and read more about them on www.opendoorcharity.com.
You can watch Lee chatting with Dr Alex here:
BBC iPlayer - BBC Children in Need - 2021: Dr Alex: Our Young Mental Health Crisis
You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.
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If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk.
Thanks for listening!
Enjoy!
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