In the wake of Mental Health Aberdeen’s sudden closure after 75 years, there are now dedicated efforts underway to save, restore, and potentially reimagine crucial mental health services for young people across the city.
The charity’s abrupt shutdown left nearly 1,000 children and adolescents without access to vital counselling and support, sparking widespread concern and calls for action.
Former staff and counsellors have responded by launching a bid to preserve some of the most valued youth services previously offered in all city schools, as well as broader counselling support for students.
They are working towards establishing a new charitable organisation, aiming to fill the gap left by Mental Health Aberdeen’s demise.
This move follows the initial reporting of the closure, which highlighted the “devastating” impact on families and school communities and emphasised a complex mixture of rising operational costs and shrinking funding.
These efforts illustrate the determination of the local community and professionals to prevent vulnerable young people from being left without support.
The purpose of this initiative is to protect and rebuild essential mental health provision – ensuring that, despite the organisation’s closure, attempts are being made to ensure continuity of care and maintain a lifeline for those most in need.
As reported by BBC Radio Scotland’s Drivetime programme, Alan McTamney who worked for the MHA’s ACIS Youth scheme which offered free counselling services.
He said: “There are no other services in Aberdeen city that do what we do.
“We would be very worried about how that escalates mental health issues.
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“Last year we offered in excess of 12,000 appointments, and that only gets bigger the more we’re able to attend to the needs of children and young people.”
This development shows that, while the situation is deeply challenging, it is not being accepted as inevitable. Rather, it has prompted a surge of community-led action, hope, and collaboration focused on delivering new solutions for Aberdeen’s young people
