Category: Thurso, Wick

  • Distress Brief Intervention (DBI)

    About

    Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) is a 365 days a year service for people experiencing mental distress, aiming to reduce the pressures on frontline staff.

    DBI offers a quick, connected and compassionate response to people in distress. It’s a self-management proramme with face-to-face or virtual appointments, ensuring that an effective response to people’s distress with ensure it’s more likely for them to engage with and stay connected to support that may benefit them over time.

    There are two levels of distress:

    • Level 1 is provided by frontline staff and involves a compassionate response and signposting
    • Level 2 is when a referral happens, with supported provided by highly trained staff who contact the referred person within 24 hours. People will receive self-management, community-based support, wellness and distress management planning, and signposting for longer-term support.

    The programme runs in different areas of Scotland, with a lead agency in each area facilitating the cooperative work of a large number of different local partners. Change Mental Health is the lead agency in Highland.

    Referrals

    Referrals are made by frontline services, including GPs, A&E, Police Scotland and Scottish Ambulance Service.

    Contact

    Call the DBI team to find out more: 01463 710 963.

  • 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

  • WithYou

    About

    WithYou is a drug, alcohol and mental health support charity. With over 80 services across England and Scotland, we provide free and confidential support and advice to more than 100,000 people a year. Here’s what we’re all about.

    Contact

    Drug and Alcohol Support | WithYou

  • Unpaid Carers

    NHS Highland logo

    About

    NHS Highland recognise the essential role that unpaid carers play and wants to provide support to unpaid carers to live a life alongside their caregiving role.

    This is a centralised hub to help you find the services and resources for your need to keep caring.

    Contact

    Unpaid carers page on NHS Highland website

  • Big Health

    About

    Big Health’s digital treatments for insomnia and anxiety are safe, effective, and drug-free. No prescription is required. Big Health’s website’s include a resource page, which includes a Scotland pack and training videos

    Big Health has also offered to deliver training sessions or host a Q&A about these programmes, should you find that helpful.

    Contact

    Big Health Website

  • 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.

  • BEAT – Eating Disorders

    About

    Eating disorders can affect anyone at anytime. If you think you – or somebody you know – might be struggling with an eating disorder we are here for you.

    In addition to a dedicated helpline for Scotland (0808 801 0432 or via email), Beat offers a range of services for people in Scotland who may be supporting someone with an eating disorder.

    You can self-refer into a service by visiting HelpFinder, inputting your postcode and the age of the person with the eating disorder. This will show you a list of Beat services available in Scotland and you can choose one to self-refer into.

    Contact

    Website: BEAT Eating Disorders Information and Support

    Phone: 0808 801 0432 , 3 – 8pm Monday to Friday

    Email: scotlandhelp@beateatingdisorders.org.uk

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