This World Mental Health Day we launch some Shelf Help!

This week we celebrate World Mental Health Day with a special launch from our counselling team. 

A new ‘Shelf Help’ library has been installed at our Youth Services site on the Westgate Road. The library will give children, young people and their families the chance to dip into or borrow books that support them to understand and manage different aspects of mental health. 

The novel idea was dreamt up and delivered by the counselling team, with Meera Vedhara being appointed the official librarian. 

The library already boasts an exciting range of useful, inspiring and specialist books handpicked by the team for a range of ages and subjects, including anxiety, managing stress, dealing with trauma, neurodivergence and grief, even on how our brains works. 

The team hope to grow the collection over time and that the libraries place within the waiting area of the service will encourage both people accessing support and visitors to explore its shelves and find something helpful or encouraging. 

Meera commented, “It’s been really exciting seeing the books arrive over the last few weeks. Our hope is that the library will become a valuable part of people’s experience with Children North East. Sometimes understanding more about your experiences can help you find different ways to help yourself and to feel less alone along the journey.” 

World Mental Health Day is an international day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma. It’s a chance to talk about mental health in general, how we need to look after it, and how important it is to talk about things and get help if you are struggling. 

Claire Austin, Clinical Coordinator at Children North East, commented, “The library is a space to offer books that may not be as accessible and give ideas to allow more open communication and understanding to better understand the problems faced by young people. These are the books we love, use and feel underpin our work and if parents can take some of that home and offer that away from counselling then we can only hope complexities lessen and emotional understanding is gained.” 

If you have any books or resources relating to mental health which you would like to donate to the library, get in touch with Meera at [email protected].