ACCEPT is an evolving Christian charity whose vision is to bring hope to people experiencing mental health problems. Their work includes facilitating support networks and raising awareness of mental health issues within schools and churches.

ACCEPT’s innovative approach to tackling isolation for individuals suffering from mental health-related problems includes the development of ‘social support groups’. The social support groups consist of individuals referred to ACCEPT by the NHS and other mental health service providers.

Training is provided to volunteers from local churches, who take on the responsibility for weekly meetings where ongoing friendships are established. Group members have often experienced isolation from families, friends and wider society because of mental health problems. These support groups meet in public places, such as pubs and cafes, empowering group members to become part of the wider community and begin the process of change in their lives.

ACCEPT was set up by occupational therapist and counsellor Aidan Lucas, who believes that the key to life is finding acceptance. “To accept that we are of significant worth and all experience times of poor mental health is the foundation on which the work of the charity is based,” he explains.

ACCEPT ran a one year pilot project in 2004, responding to unmet needs in the field of mental health in Hinckley, Leicestershire. The pilot was a remarkable success, with ACCEPT receiving support from the NHS and input from a number of local professional staff from the community mental health team.

Part of ACCEPT’s success is down to the projects focus on forming lasting relationships with group members. A number of people struggling with mental health problems have benefited greatly from being involved with ACCEPT’s social support groups.

Having identified the need for mental health education in local primary schools, ACCEPT has also been instrumental in establishing an initiative known as Y4U?. The project involves providing thought-provoking and challenging mental health education to Year 6 pupils.  Y4U? received a national award in 2005 for raising awareness of mental health issues to hundreds of young people through a drama called Two halves make a whole, written by a local scriptwriter.

ACCEPT is also unique in that it partners with a similar project in Nigeria, which supports adults with mental health difficulties in a country where those with mental health problems are often shunned entirely from their communities. ACCEPT has now secured an ongoing partnership between Edawu and the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust. This will provide opportunities for healthcare professionals from the trust to experience African culture and provide training to staff at the Edawu project.

As a local mental health charity, ACCEPT is exceptional in many ways. It has succeeded in winning the support of the NHS, local churches and the wider community.  By situating many of its activities and support groups in public places such as pubs, with minimum input from professional staff, ACCEPT has been pioneering in showing that peer support in the community can be effective for individuals experiencing mental heath problems.