Mental health: case studies and resources for local government

Curated case studies on helping residents and council staff alike with their mental health, plus selections of policy reports, resources and relevant organisations. Examples this week come from the UK, Germany, Austria and Spain.

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Case studies on mental health support

UK: Hackney mental health scheme recognised with four national awards
A scheme launched by City and Hackney NHS partnership received its fourth national award last month. The pioneering Tree of Life in Schools scheme supports young people from African and Caribbean communities based on a psychological intervention developed in South Africa, where groups who have experienced social suffering are brought together, instead of traditional therapy approaches. The Hackney model is an African and Caribbean specific offer, peer-led within secondary schools in the area using a whole school approach.
East London NHS Foundation Trust

GERMANY: Berlin expands anti-loneliness programme for senior citizens
Following a successful pilot scheme, the City of Berlin is working to expand its anti-loneliness scheme for older citizens to the entire capital. The scheme provides home visits and letters to people aged over 70 who are at risk of suffering loneliness, as well as a meeting with a trained staff member who can provide information on the possibilities for social interaction in their area. During the pilot, the programme visited some 350 people, with all interventions starting off with a letter sent by a local charity.
The Mayor

AUSTRIA: City offering therapy in the park
In a bid to reach people who have never tried therapy before, last year the City of Graz offered free consultations with a psychoanalyst to residents. The scheme aimed to help people get to know psychoanalytic approaches, while also providing a chance for further referral to visitors who needed or wanted it. These sessions were usually held in a park every two weeks across the summer, to make the act of seeking or finding out about therapy more open and low stakes.
The Mayor

SPAIN: Free, city sponsored counselling offered for Barcelona adults
In 2022, the City of Barcelona launched a program providing free psychological counselling to residents above the age of 22. The scheme is available in civic centres for several hours a week without previous registration. It is primarily aimed at people affected by social services, welfare subsidies, adult schools and job placement programs. The scheme is designed to help those affected by health inequality and have poor access to mental health services. It is based on a prior scheme for Barcelona’s youth aged 12 to 22.
The Mayor

Resources on mental health support

Report: Survey of Mayors: U.S. Conference of Mayors Releases New Data on Mental Health Crisis and City Responses
This major survey from the leaders of 117 American cities paints a stark picture of the “unprecedented” mental health crisis. In nearly all of the surveyed cities mental health service demand had risen, while few had the resources to respond. The pandemic exacerbated mental health issues, while growing challenges, including substance abuse and homelessness are becoming harder to respond to.

Organisation: Mentally Healthier Councils Network
The Centre for Mental Health has launched a new Mentally Healthier Councils Network to better support councils’ mental health efforts and resilience. The network, open to council officers as well as councillors, looks to create an innovative learning community for all council staff, elected members, and local government stakeholders and participants.

Resource: Be Mindful with Guildford Borough Council
This is a successful staff mental health and wellbeing initiative, based around solutions that reduce staff stress and increase resilience in the local government workplace. The key measure was a digital mindfulness programme, integrated into council wellbeing initiatives.

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