Juliet Snell joins Thea Joshi to discuss how we can better support children's mental wellbeing. Drawing on our evaluation of a BBC Children in Need programme, Juliet talks about the rediscovering the power of relationships, fun, creativity, and self-expression in building children's mental health.

Show notes and full transcript: https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/blogs/podcast-juliet-snell

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Thea chats with Steve Gilbert about his own experience of the Mental Health Act and how this shaped his work as Vice Chair of the Independent Review (led by Sir Simon Wessely). Steve discusses the weathering effect of racism on mental health and the way the pandemic shaped our understanding of racial inequalities.

Show notes and full transcript: https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/blogs/podcast-steve-gilbert-obe

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Thea speaks to independent policy expert Tom Pollard about the fundamental issue of poverty, mental health and the benefits system. They discuss his recent research on how using food banks impacts people's mental health, why he decided to retrain as a mental health social worker, and what is needed to truly address the vicious cycle of poverty and poor mental health.

Show notes and full transcript: https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/blogs/podcast-tom-pollard

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Author and campaigner Hope Virgo joins Thea Joshi to discuss her experience of anorexia, her campaigning around BMI and menu calorie labelling, and how she is navigating pregnancy while in recovery from an eating disorder. They also discuss the challenges and frustrations that come with campaigning, and what Hope does to maintain her own wellbeing. 

Full transcript: https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/blogs/podcast-hope-virgo

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Thea Joshi hears from Amarno Inai and Androulla Harris about their recent work on Shifting the Dial, evaluating a Birmingham-based project to promote young Black men’s mental health. In light of the risk factors facing Black men’s mental health, they explain how, community-based, culturally informed spaces for young Black men have made a massive difference. They also discuss the way peer research shaped the evaluation, and the need to decolonise research.

Transcript and show notes: https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/blogs/podcast-amarno-inai-and-androulla-harris

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Thea Joshi chats with Poppy Jaman OBE, CEO of the City Mental Health Alliance, founder of Mental Health First Aid England and trustee at Centre for Mental Health. Reflecting on her own lived experience of mental health problems and growing up in a Bengali Muslim family, Poppy talks about some of the individuals who supported her at pivotal points in her life. Together they discuss the root causes of mental ill-health, and why we need to stop thinking about systems of change as immovable things “out there in the ether”, rather than being made up of people who can make change happen. Poppy also shares the things she does to maintain her mental health and look after herself.

Show notes and full transcript: https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/blogs/podcast-poppy-jaman-obe

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For too long, children's mental health has been underfunded. Children face a postcode lottery when it comes to mental health care, despite the clear moral and economic benefits of early intervention. In this episode, Thea hears from Nick O'Shea, the Centre’s Chief Economist, and Charlotte Rainer, Lead of the Children & Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, about our new research, 'Time for action'. It sets out the need for a strategic investment strategy for 0-25 year olds to prevent more young people falling through the gaps. Nick and Charlotte highlight what support is needed at each age, and how we'll be working over the next year to fight for children's mental health.

For show notes and full transcript: https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/blogs/podcast-nick-oshea-and-charlotte-rainer

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Sarah Hughes, the Centre's chief executive, joins Thea to look back at 2021 and the impact our work has been having through these extremely challenging times. From supporting the NHS to get vaccines to people with severe mental illness, to advising the Government on the mental health impact of the pandemic, to sharing people's own stories of Covid, we've been continuing the fight for equality in mental health across our work.

For show notes and full transcript: https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/blogs/podcast-sarah-hughes-0

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Shuranjeet Singh, founder of Taraki, joins Thea to talk about how his organisation is working with Punjabi communities to reshape approaches to mental health. We discuss what led him to create the organisation, the role of faith centres, and the need for an intersectional approach to mental health inequalities. Shuranjeet reflects on the barriers to accessing mental health support, and the need for health services to engage the communities they seek to serve.

For show notes and full transcript: www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/blogs/podcast-shuranjeet-singh

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This episode, we hear from Alex Augustine, one of the Centre’s peer researchers, on what genuine peer involvement and coproduction should look like. He shares his own journey to working for the Centre, how his own experience shapes the way he works, and the corrosive impact racism is having on the mental health of Black men. Alex also highlights the urgent need for organisations to put lived experience centre-stage, and for commissioners to fund community and grassroots organisations who can best meet the needs of people in the Black community.

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View the full transcript and show notes: https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/blogs/podcast-alex-augustine