A mental health centre for teenagers has opened a second site in Gateshead due to increasing demand.
The Nook, which first opened at the Beacon Centre on Westgate Road in Newcastle in April, now operates a second centre at Regent Terrace in Gateshead. The service offers walk-in counselling for young people dealing with relationship and family issues.
Two-year pilot project
The two-year pilot is funded by the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board. The centres are run by non-profit Everyturn Mental Health in partnership with Children North East.
Both centres are open to young people aged 13 to 17, and 18 if in full-time education. The Newcastle hub operates Monday to Thursday, 16:00 to 20:00. The Gateshead centre is open Friday to Sunday at the same times.
Young people's perspective
Nineteen-year-old Molly from Newcastle helped design the new facility. She struggled with anxiety from the age of seven, which initially manifested as a phobia of sickness and prevented her from leaving the house.
Molly said young people often need "someone to listen" rather than immediate solutions. "Sometimes you don't need a solution right there and then — just someone to listen so you can offload," she said.
Pasha Tanriverdi, strategy and development director at Everyturn, described the centres as "a mental health safe haven for young people who are experiencing a mental health crisis or distress and a safe place for young people to come to off the street."