Category: Bereavement

  • Outreach and Resource Centres – Change Mental Health

    About

    Change Mental Health delivers outreach support and has resource centres in Highland.

    Outreach support ensures people across rural communities get access to the help they need, offering self-management tools such as coping strategies, and providing signposting to refer people to relevant support. Change Mental Health delivers outreach support in:

    • Ross-shire
    • Sutherland
    • Lochaber

    Resource centres offer safe and welcoming environments with opportunities take part in a diverse range of one-to-one and group support.

    Our resource centres are based in:

    • Invergordon
    • Golspie
    • Fort William

    Group activities can help to develop skills, increase skills and improve integration to achieve goals. These can include:

    • Structured groups: increasing knowledge and learning about practical tools for personal development.
    • Open groups: laidback activities such as music, arts and crafts, or creative writing.
    • Community engagement groups: interaction in the community with organised visits to places of interest.
    • Wellbeing groups: finding ways in which you can improve your wellbeing.

    Contact

    To find out more about outreach support and our resource centres in Highland, contact HighlandOutreach.Resource@changemh.org.

    Website: Change Mental Health’s support in Highland

  • Fort William resource centre – Change Mental Health

    About

    Change Mental Health has a resource centre in Fort William, which offers a safe and welcoming environment with opportunities to take part in a diverse range of one-to-one and social group activities aimed at recovery and building self-confidence.

    Support is person-centred and builds the support around what people need to move forward with their lives.

    Group activities can help to develop skills, increase skills and improve integration to achieve goals. These can include:

    • Structured groups: increasing knowledge and learning about practical tools for personal development.
    • Open groups: laidback activities such as music, arts and crafts, or creative writing.
    • Community engagement groups: interaction in the community with organised visits to places of interest.
    • Wellbeing groups: finding ways in which you can improve your wellbeing.

    Outreach

    Change Mental Health also supports people with outreach support in Lochaber to make sure people across rural communities are getting access to the help they need. Outreach support can help with self-management using coping strategies and signposting.

    Contact

    To find out more about our resource centre in Fort William, contact HighlandOutreach.Resource@changemh.org or reach out to our National Advice and Support Service for more information on 0808 8010 515.

    The resource centre is based at An Aird, Nevis Centre, Fort William, PH33 6AN.

    Website: Change Mental Health’s support in Highland

  • Golspie resource centre – Change Mental Health

    About

    Change Mental Health has a resource centre in Golspie, which offers a safe and welcoming environment with opportunities to take part in a diverse range of one-to-one and social group activities aimed at recovery and building self-confidence.

    Support is person-centred and builds the support around what people need to move forward with their lives.

    Group activities can help to develop skills, increase skills and improve integration to achieve goals. These can include:

    • Structured groups: increasing knowledge and learning about practical tools for personal development.
    • Open groups: laidback activities such as music, arts and crafts, or creative writing.
    • Community engagement groups: interaction in the community with organised visits to places of interest.
    • Wellbeing groups: finding ways in which you can improve your wellbeing.

    Outreach

    Change Mental Health also supports people with outreach support in Sutherland to make sure people across rural communities are getting access to the help they need. Outreach support can help with self-management using coping strategies and signposting.

    Contact

    To find out more about our resource centre in Golspie, contact HighlandOutreach.Resource@changemh.org or reach out to our National Advice and Support Service for more information on 0808 8010 515.

    The resource centre is based at The Gatehouse, Lawson Memorial Hospital, Golspie, KW10 6SS

    Website: Change Mental Health’s support in Highland

  • Invergordon resource centre – Change Mental Health

    About

    Change Mental Health has a resource centre on the Invergordon high street, which offers a safe and welcoming environment with opportunities to take part in a diverse range of one-to-one and social group activities aimed at recovery and building self-confidence.

    Support is person-centred and builds the support around what people need to move forward with their lives.

    Group activities can help to develop skills, increase skills and improve integration to achieve goals. These can include:

    • Structured groups: increasing knowledge and learning about practical tools for personal development.
    • Open groups: laidback activities such as music, arts and crafts, or creative writing.
    • Community engagement groups: interaction in the community with organised visits to places of interest.
    • Wellbeing groups: finding ways in which you can improve your wellbeing.

    Outreach

    Change Mental Health also supports people with outreach support in Ross-shire to make sure people across rural communities are getting access to the help they need. Outreach support can help with self-management using coping strategies and signposting.

    Contact

    To find out more about our resource centre in Invergordon, contact HighlandOutreach.Resource@changemh.org or reach out to our National Advice and Support Service for more information on 0808 8010 515.

    The resource centre is based at Murray House, 62 High Street, Invergordon, IV18 0DH.

    Website: Change Mental Health’s support in Highland

  • Community Link Worker Service

    About

    The Community Link Worker service works within 62 selected GP surgeries across Highland, supporting adults over the age of 18 to improve health outcomes for people experiencing stressors in their lives due to social problems.

    The service uses a social prescribing model, which is a non-medical approach to improving health and wellbeing. It connects people with community services, groups and activities that provide the support people need, which could include counselling, financial advice, social groups, physical activity programmes, befriending services, and more.

    This could people who face multiple and complex challenges, including mental health, social isolation, loneliness, poor housing conditions, unhealthy relationships, poor physical health, discrimination, and more.

    Referrals

    Referrals are received from the GP to a Community Link Worker when there might be a concern caused by social factors, rather than a medical problem.

    Support

    The service is person-centred in its approach, getting to know the person referred by understanding their interests and needs. Up to eight sessions are offered with a plan of action to help feel a sense of achievement while increasing confidence to reach goals and overcome barriers.

    It’s important for Community Link Workers to build a relationship and shape support around the person supported. Progress is discussed after each meeting, focusing on a review of goals, outcomes and priorities. From there, people are socially prescribed to relevant services.

    Contact

    Contact the Community Link Worker Service to find out more:

    Email: CLWHighlandAdmin@changemh.org

    Website: Change Mental Health – Community Link Worker

  • Canmore Trust

    About

    The Canmore Trust is a charitable company committed to impacting the suicide community with both suicide prevention and suicide postvention.

    • Working with schools, colleges and universities to raise awareness of suicide and to prevent suicide.
    • Establishing facilities in which individuals challenged by suicide and families affected by suicide can be assisted to rebuild their lives.
    • Training individuals with “lived experience” of suicide to provide support and assistance to others.
    • Facilitating a programme of research across UK universities investigating and identifying psychological and physiological risk factors in suicide.
    • Working across the suicide charities sector to co-ordinate and facilitate a unified approach to funding and action against suicide.

    Contact

    If you find yourself in a personal crisis, text ‘CANMORE’ to 85258.

    Email: admin@thecanmoretrust.co.uk

  • Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide

    About

    Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide offer UK peer-led support to adults impacted by suicide loss.

    Those who have experienced this terrible tragedy truly understand. No-one needs to suffer alone. Together those affected can help each other.

    SBS help individuals support each other, at the time of their loss and in the months and years that follow. They aim to provide safe, confidential environments where people can share their experiences and feelings, giving and gaining support from each other.

    Contact

    Support line: 0300 111 5065

    Open everyday from 9am to 7pm.

  • CLB Highland

    About

    It is hard as a parent knowing how best to approach a discussion about suicide, especially when it is talked about in the media or within the communities that we live in and spend time in. NHS Highland Health Improvement and Highland Council Primary Mental Health Worker and Education Psychology teams have put some information together to help parents have discussions in a way that can best support children and young people in conversations about suicide.

    There are links to various resources including their own book list which will provide a wider range of resources that might be helpful. 

    Website: Talking to young people about suicide

  • CRUSE Scotland

    About

    Cruse Scotland provides bereavement counselling and listening services to adults and children who are struggling with their grief. They also provide information, advice and training to many organisations and workplaces.

    CRUSE Scotland currently have a project in Highland to FAST-TRACK support to people bereaved by suicide until end November 2025.

    They have ongoing government funding for workplace support where there has been a bereavement by suicide. More information on this and other training services can be found on the CRUSE Scotland website.

    Contact

    Website: Cruse Website

    Free Bereavement Helpline: 0808 802 6161

    Available Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm.

    Saturday and Sunday 10am to 2pm.

    Access bereavement support via the GriefChat function on Cruse Scotland’s website.

    Available Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm.

  • Suicide Bereavement Support Service

    About

    The Suicide Bereavement Support Service is provided by Change Mental Health in Highland and Argyll & Bute. The service has been set up to support for anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide.

    Their friendly and compassionate staff­ provide personalised support based on your specific needs. They can provide you with a space to talk through the many and complex emotions felt after a suicide, and o­ffer emotional support as you navigate your loss.

    They are also here to help with practical things, such as making funeral arrangements, or talking to GPs or the police.

    All support is free and confidential, and there is no waiting list.

    Contact

    Phone: 0800 471 4768 and leave a message

    Email: suicidebereavementsupport@nhs.scot