An innovative mental health clinic has opened in East London, fuelled with the hope of making therapy more affordable and accessible to all.
The Wanstead Mental Health Clinic (WMHC) was opened earlier this month in the borough of Redbridge after nearly 14 weeks of planning and has gained support from former athlete and campaigner Fatima Whitbread and leading psychologist Irvin D. Yalom.
It offers a variety of services including therapy, walk-in support, peer support spaces for specific groups and an assessment and referral system which aims to allow clients to pick the best therapist for their needs.
Director of the clinic and mental health coach David Sleet said: “We are in a mental health crisis, a mental health war.
“I’m really proud to say that Siobhain [Crosbie] and I have worked together at finding a solution to the mental health crisis within the immediate community and London in a wider sense.”
David and Siobhain, who is a co-director and therapist, believe the solution is providing people with experienced therapists for drastically cheaper than the norm, intending to offer counselling services for as little as £20 per hour.
The need for mental health services has only increased in recent years, with seven percent of the population of Redbridge, Wanstead’s borough, dealing with diagnosed depression in 2023-2024 according to the Borough’s annual public health report.
To combat the inaccessibility and stigma surrounding therapy the clinic will begin producing seminars and educational videos to provide further information about mental health and the WMHC.
WMHC client Paul, 42, said: “Being able to walk in and see a councillor, just for that one session, has really helped me to look at the pressures and relieve the stress that was making life so hard.”
Another client Sarah, 66, added: “This Clinic is a god-send, the team really do care, from the moment you walk in.”
There are currently only two functioning therapy rooms at the clinic which are designed to create a more relaxing and personal space than typical therapy rooms.
The clinic is hoping to secure more funding which will be used to open a wheelchair accessible therapy room, an assessment room and a therapy room catered for children.
It is currently funded by ticketed events, grants and crowd funding but the initial opening of the clinic was entirely self-funded.
Believing in the vitality of someone’s environment to their psychological state, Siobhain said that the clinic’s premises in Wanstead was perfect, pairing a view of George Green with welcoming and warm interior designed by Siobhain thanks to the landlords Araf and Shahara.
Siobhain said: “We would love to have centres like this all over the world.”
The pair are hoping that the model of the WMHC will be replicated as a move away from the impersonal and clinical structure of current therapy solutions.
She added: “This isn’t us waving a flag saying, ‘look what we can do’.
“If there is any flag waving, it is about showing what can be done with psychological awareness.”
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting said: “We must ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health.”
Streeting, who began his political career in Redbridge, also promised a £26m investment in new mental health crisis centres and an aim to recruit 8,500 more mental health workers.
WMHC marks a move in the right direction as Redbridge council reports a 10% increase in mental health knowledge since the launch the Time to Change campaign in 2009.
Featured image courtesy of Aaron Edwards.
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