About Us

Minority ethnic people who have already had, or have known other people who have had, a negative experience of statutory mental health care services in the past, and now mistrust or fear making contact with statutory and/or other voluntary mental health care services, are less likely to seek psychological help and support at the earliest opportunity. This means that, minority ethnic people are more likely to come into contact with statutory mental health care in a state of crisis, detained under the Mental Health Act 1983/2007, (i.e. mental health institutions like Lambeth, or the Maudsley Hospitals), diagnosed with schizophrenia, and given psychotropic medication and/or ECT. This clearly has wide ranging negative effect on the individual; their families, minority ethnic people as a community, and society as whole.

‘VADM Centre for Ethnic Mental Health’, is to improve access to, and availability of, an ethnically and culturally sensitive primary mental health care services to people of African, Caribbean, Asian, and other ethnic minority descent living and/or working in south London who fear, and/or mistrust statutory mental health care services, and/or have had a negative experience of statutory mental health care in the past. In doing so, we hope to help improve the mental health, wellbeing, and resilience of minority ethnic people in London Borough of Lambeth , and help reduce health inequalities that persist between minority ethnic people and others in the UK .

‘VADM Centre for Ethnic Minority Mental Health’ will focus on the procurement of mental health and wellbeing, and the prevention of mental disorder in those ethnic minority people who fear and/or distrust statutory mental health care services. The service will consist of an ethnically and culturally-sensitive mental health helpline, information and advocacy, education, counselling and psychotherapy, and mental health research service to black and other minority ethnic people living and/or working in south London. The service will eventually be provided free of charge at the point of delivery in a safe and secure setting by qualified practitioners. Clients will be encouraged to reach some clarity about their issues; identify their own limitations and possibilities; and choose for themselves what they will or will not do to resolve presenting issues within the context of their everyday lives. Clients will be empowered and encouraged to take responsibility for their own mental health, and to seek out information that will help them meet this responsibility. The project will establish working relations with statutory and other voluntary agencies to ensure that the public know they have a choice of mental health care.

The plan is to develop a working model and expand service provision nationally in three to five years. In the first year, we intend to establish the project, and develop best practice for service provision, locally. With increasing demand for the service, we intend to expand to include offices in key areas of London and the South East. In year three, we intend to explore the possibility of establish a service in other areas of south London. In years four and five we intend to establish a service in the Midlands, the North, Wales, and Scotland . At the stage we will be able to truly call ourselves a national charitable organisation.