Change Mental Health is the relaunched name of Support in Mind Scotland. 

The national mental health charity previously known as Support in Mind Scotland has relaunched as Change Mental Health to meet its ambitions of breaking down barriers, supporting more people and providing transformational services in more parts of the country.

In its 50th year of delivering care and support to people affected by mental illness across Scotland, this exciting change accompanied by a new brand and website, and a refreshed vision, mission and values, puts people with lived experience at the heart of the work the charity does.

The charity has introduced a fresh and dynamic brand as part of a push to become more public facing and accessible to better reach people affected by mental illness. 

Including the phrase “mental health” has erased the need for a strapline and will fundamentally lower barriers to people who don’t necessarily identify with mental illness.

Even though the charity has rebranded with a new identity and name, the mission remains the same: making sure that people have the support they need, when they need it and in a way which works best for them. 

These person-centred approaches have been at the forefront of the charity since its inception, which has a significant footprint in delivering support to communities across Scotland – including the Highlands, Edinburgh, Tayside, Fife and Dumfries & Galloway.

Change Mental Health also supports people nationally, through its Information, Mental Health and Money Advice service as well as the National Rural Mental Health Forum to tackle poor mental health in rural communities and educating educators in schools and colleges with its Bloom and Your Resilience programmes.

Dawn Wellins, a service user supported by Change Mental Health in Tayside, said: “If I hadn’t got the support I get right now, I’d probably be in a corner somewhere. When I started coming to Change Mental Health, everyone immediately made me feel comfortable. It’s the bedside manner, they just know. 

They do stuff off their own backs and they do care. It’s like having a friend as well as somebody to support you.

“I don’t feel alone anymore – I feel like if I have a problem there’s somebody there to help me. They make you feel wanted and they make you feel like a person and they don’t make you feel any different from anybody else. They actually make you feel like a human. I can’t thank them enough. From how I felt the first time I met them to now, there’s a massive change in me.”

The charity’s new look is being complemented with a new strategy, and a rearticulated vision, mission and values, and website. This significant change has been led by CEO, Nick Ward, who joined the charity in November 2021.

Mr Ward said: “We have grown so much over the past number of years and so have our ambitions to support more people in more parts of the country. With this new identity, we want to pay homage to our past and represent the different types of support we can offer along with the tapestry of different people we work with.

“The name Change Mental Health is a call to arms. We want to see changes in mental health support and provision for everyone and we want to change society by changing attitudes, fighting stigma and influencing government. Ultimately Change Mental Health wants to build a future where no one needs to face mental illness alone.”