Mental health charity Bristol Mind is launching a fundraising campaign

A Bristol-based mental health charity has said it wants to “remove the stigma of seeking help”.

Bristol Mind is running a two-week campaign called Kind2Mind to help it raise £20,000 for free counseling sessions for 18-25-year-olds.

The charity’s chief executive Emma Brech said it was seeing an increase in young people withdrawing from society with depression, stress and anxiety.

She said: “We’re moving away from the medical model of things being done to you – we want to work with you.”

Ahead of the launch of the campaign, which started on 14 May and runs until 28 May, Bristol Mind worked with a small group of students at Bristol University to provide an insight into the issues facing this age group.

French and politics student Lucy Otway, who led the research, said: “Everyone is ready to admit they struggle with mental health, but there is still a stigma around what is considered to be a valid enough problem to therapy”.

Ms Otway, who was assisted by the research team at Bristol University, said that of the 40 respondents to the survey, they found a big difference between people who say they struggle with mental health and those who are prepared to benefit from counseling.

Of all respondents, 20% said they had been in therapy, with the majority of this group accessing free sessions.

If you have been affected by the issues in this article, support can be found at BBC Action Line.

Salome Stuttard, 23, said she was helped from a “dark place” by people at Bristol Mind after struggling with her mental health during the pandemic.

“I was in a deep depression,” she said.

Originally from south London, Ms Stuttard came across the charity while searching online for affordable therapy.

She emailed the charity in late 2022 and within a month saw a health professional.

“The speed was amazing. I’ve never experienced anything like it,” she said.

She received 16 sessions lasting until mid-2023, after which her mental health improved.

However, after losing a friend late last year, she reapplied for another batch of sessions.

“I honestly don’t think I’d be alive if I didn’t have Bristol Mind,” she said.

“We desperately need free or low-cost advice.”

The Kind2Mind campaign is supported by Big Give, which means any donations made to Bristol Mind between 14 and 28 May will be matched.

While the charity already offers a system of increased fees for clients, the money raised from the campaign will help fund the free advice.