SAMH creates Scotland’s biggest community suicide prevention team
23rd July 2024
SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health) has expanded its team for suicide prevention in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray, more than doubling the number of dedicated team members working in the field.
The mental health charity’s Grampian team is now the biggest community engagement team working in suicide prevention in Scotland, with seven members.
This includes four Community Engagement Officers who work with events, shows, schools and other local groups to deliver training, reduce stigma and help people feel more comfortable discussing suicide, as well as the introduction of a dedicated Bereavement Link Worker, who works closely with partners such as Police Scotland to improve support for bereaved people and communities following a death by suicide.
SAMH has a long-standing commitment to suicide prevention, operating a national programme and working in close collaboration with the Suicidal Behaviour Research Lab at the University of Glasgow.
Liam Yule, Suicide Prevention Manager, who leads the SAMH suicide prevention team in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray, said: “Suicide can affect any of us and it's vital that we have support networks in place in as many settings as possible, from community groups and sports clubs to schools and workplaces.
“Our expanded Grampian team is here to deliver training, engage with communities and empower more people to have honest, open conversations about suicide, so that we can help anyone who needs it to access the support they need.”
SAMH’s team in Grampian works in partnership with local authorities and health and social care partnerships in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray to help prevent suicide.
The charity’s increased recruitment in the region has seen the creation of five new part-time roles.
Catherine Anderson has taken on the Bereavement Link Worker role alongside her position as Service Manager for the Aberdeen Links Service, also run by SAMH, which provides information and practical support to link people to services and their local communities, helping them to overcome challenges and barriers that are impacting on their life.
All four Community Engagement Officers are managed by longstanding SAMH colleague Louise Penfold and have decades of relevant experience along with vital connections in their respective regions. They are:
- Justine Dunbar, who previously worked in housing charities and covers Aberdeen City;
- Brian Johnston, who spent 30 years working for Police Scotland and now works across Aberdeenshire North and Central, in addition to running The Changing Room, a mental health service for men at Aberdeen FC;
- Michael Taylor, also a former Police Officer, who is responsible for Aberdeenshire South and Central;
- Tracy Sellar, who has ten years’ experience in the health charity sector and covers Moray.
Louise Penfold, Suicide Prevention Development Officer, said: “Our new colleagues have hit the ground running by getting to know their communities and attending more than 50 events, delivering suicide prevention to over 1,500 people and handing out over 50,000 pieces of literature throughout local communities.”
Every day, SAMH teams support people affected by suicide or suicidal thoughts through community-based services, and the charity is one of Scotland’s biggest suicide prevention trainers.
Last year, SAMH’s Scotland-wide Ask Them About Suicide campaign received an overwhelming response with its simple yet powerful message: if you’re worried about someone, asking them if they are having thoughts of suicide could give them the permission they need to open up. In fact, it could even save their life.
