Blogs
Read our recent blogs for perspectives on the VCSE mental health sector and our mental health policy priorities - including contributions from our member organisations and people with lived experience.
Can AI Be Trusted With Our Mental Health?
Ella Dunthorne
Published: September 30, 2026
In the first blog in our artificial intelligence (AI) series, we explored why people are turning to AI for mental health support. In our survey, we found that most people who responded had used an AI platform for help with their mental health or wellbeing – noting that AI can be an accessible, low cost,…
Read moreClimate Cafés, Listening Circles, and Why We Should Engage with Our Climate Fears
Association of Mental Health Providers
Published: July 30, 2026
by Martina LeevenRegistered Counselling Psychologist and Accredited EMDR Consultant Feeling anxious about the changing climate? Recent heatwaves have once again brought to the fore concerns about the changing climate and what this might mean for us more specifically here in the UK. It is easy to believe the climate crisis is happening to other people…
Read more5 reasons people are turning to AI for mental health support
Ella Dunthorne
Published: June 30, 2026
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in workplaces, public services and charities is developing rapidly. New tools are being introduced to support everything from administration to service delivery. As AI becomes used more frequently in daily life, mental health charities are considering how this technology might be used safely, ethically, and effectively. We have been working with our member organisations to better understand their approaches to AI…
Read moreThe future of AI in mental health charities: with Anxiety UK
Naomi Graves
Published: April 1, 2026
Mental health charities support people from all walks of life, everyday, on their journey to better health and wellbeing. Our workforces are in person, over the phone, online, supporting people when they need it most. So where does AI come in? In the first blog in our series on AI in mental health charities, Lee Hall from Everyturn Mental Health told us about the importance…
Read moreAmplifying Our Voices: What Mental Health Providers Must Do to Truly Support Racialised Communities
Association of Mental Health Providers
Published: March 31, 2026
By Isaac Samuels Let’s start with the truth. Suicide prevention and mental health support are not working equally for everyone. And for racialised communities, that gap is not just noticeable, it is deeply felt, consistently experienced, and too often ignored. This blog builds on the learning and lived experience shared through Amplifying Our Voices: Racialised Perspectives in Suicide Prevention. But this…
Read moreThe future of AI in mental health charities: with Lee Hall from Everyturn Mental Health
Naomi Graves
Published: March 19, 2026
Mental health charities support people from all walks of life, everyday, on their journey to better health and wellbeing. Our workforces are in person, over the phone, online, supporting people when they need it most. So where does AI come in? At our recent Members’ meeting, we discussed how we can make the most of AI as mental health charities, without compromising on the quality…
Read moreCommunity in Recovery: Why No One Should Face an Eating Disorder Alone
Ella Dunthorne
Published: February 24, 2026
By First Steps ED Eating disorders thrive in silence and isolation. Recovery, however, grows in connection. This Eating Disorders Awareness Week, as we reflect on the theme of community, we are reminded that healing rarely happens alone. Whether someone is eight or eighty, newly diagnosed or years into recovery, the presence of safe, understanding people…
Read moreWriting for Recovery
Ella Dunthorne
Published: January 28, 2026
When I was a teenager, I experienced a severe mental illness that left my whole world in pieces. The first time I started writing poems, it felt like the fragments of myself, that were normally left hidden, I could piece back together. It was during my time at university whilst studying Creative Writing that inspired…
Read moreEight Years On Since Discharge
Association of Mental Health Providers
Published: November 19, 2025
Written by Catherine West-McGrath November 2025 marks the eighth anniversary since I was discharged from an acute in-patient mental health ward. I’d spent four weeks in there, preceded by one week in an assessment ward. At the beginning of October 2017 I went to my nearest A & E department. I felt extremely unwell. I’d…
Read moreYou Don't Have to Do It Alone - Utilising Support Systems
Association of Mental Health Providers
Published: October 30, 2025
Anonymised Guest Blog Many people, especially carers or those dealing with mental health challenges, fall into the belief that they must carry the weight alone. Whether it’s pride, fear of judgment, or simply not knowing what help exists, the idea of reaching out can feel overwhelming. But here’s the truth: we are not designed to…
Read moreThe Climate Crisis and Mental Health
Ella Dunthorne
Published: October 10, 2025
This World Mental Health Day, the World Health Organization is focusing on “Access to Services – Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies.” For us, that means asking a vital question: How do we ensure that mental health is not left behind in the face of the climate crisis? Floods, heatwaves, and wildfires are no longer…
Read moreReimagining Suicide Prevention for Autistic People
Ella Dunthorne
Published: September 10, 2025
Today, on World Suicide Prevention Day, it is vital not to overlook neurodiverse communities, particularly autistic people, who face alarmingly high suicide rates. “Whilst 1 in 37 non-autistic people ever attempt suicide, approximately 1 in 4 autistic people do so,” said Dr Rachel Moseley, Principal Academic in Psychology at Bournemouth University. A recent study led…
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