Meet the woman aiming to make a difference with her new mental health wellbeing hub in Bridgnorth

The Stay Mentally Healthy Hub, based on Faraday Drive in Bridgnorth, launched earlier this year, and provides one-to-one sessions, group sessions, workshops and events through a team of qualified Self Empowerment Journey (SEJ) volunteers.

Serving Bridgnorth and surrounding areas, the hub offers services including a free personalised wellbeing plan, with no referral necessary for an appointment.

The hub's founder, Mary Phillips, previously experienced mental health challenges including depression, anxiety, and self-harm that culminated in a suicide attempt.

Mary has been depression-free for more than 28 years, and is overjoyed with interest in the new service so far.

The Self Empowerment Journey (SEJ) process which is used at the Hub was born out of Mary’s own experiences. She said her SEJ consultants work closely with an individual to create a wellbeing plan that focuses on their individual wellbeing goals that can help them to find purpose and direction, address money worries, gain support with relationship issues, address emotional health, provide help with recovery and mental wellbeing, and end isolation by making friends.

She said: "We are delighted with the response we have received since launching at the beginning of the year and interest in our self-help services are growing all the time.

"Good mental health and positive wellbeing are extremely important in today’s full-on, fast-moving, world and most of us need some help in achieving and maintaining that level of where we need to be mentally. What we offer is a fast, effective, easy-to-use, life-changing self-help process that really works.

"We are a not-for-profit organisation and are dedicated to empowering people through self-help to stay mentally healthy and find purpose and direction to reach their full potential.

"Bridgnorth is our flagship Stay Mentally Healthy Hub and the place where we initially piloted the SEJ process in schools, before expanding to London and Higher Education.

"The Bridgnorth area community now has the opportunity to acquire skills for improving and maintaining good mental health, especially as local mental health services are often overstretched. Everyone deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential.

"We are keen that everyone should have access to our services and fully-funded sessions are available, but there is a minimum low cost fee for those people who can afford it - we endeavour to keep our prices as low as possible.

"The wellbeing plan is free to all and, to ensure we are being fully inclusive, people can apply for free funded services via a simple application process online."

Mary added: "We are filling a very important gap in the current services which are available to those who need support.

"We are literally helping people who are depressed to live a normal life free from depression in as little as one to three sessions which is life-changing and often life-saving.

"Many of our clients don’t want to see their GP or speak to therapists due to stigma or they don’t meet the criteria needed for that support but here at the hub, we can help them."