Stuart Semple is better known for creating the pinkest pink after Anish Kapoor secured and hogged the blackest black in what has since been dubbed the art wars. He’s now using his platform to tackle the growing mental health crisis – Semple, it seems, wants to tackle the blackest black ... our minds.
Tomorrow (October 10) is World Mental Health Day, and to help us keep ourselves in check a new organisation wants to give a free hour of therapy to 1000 people. The project by Timewith is called ‘1000 hrs for 1000 people’ and aims to demystify mental health services and eradicate the stigma of talking to professionals.
Mind, a mental health charity, estimates that approximately a quarter of Brits experience mental health issues each year yet around a third of all people suffering don’t seek any professional assistance. More recently a report found that girls in the UK were self-harming at alarming rates.
“Talking therapies were one of the most powerful ingredients in my own recovery from the panic disorder I struggled with for decades. Hopefully the 1000 hours will encourage people to take the first step and get the support they need,” says Semple who is an ambassador for Mine and is teaming up with Timewith to promote the benefits of therapy.
He added: “This is a truly beautiful and generous thing. One of the biggest barriers people face in getting the help they need is the stigma of going to therapy in the first place, particularly in the UK. Talking therapies were one of the most powerful ingredients in my own recovery from the panic disorder I struggled with for decades. Hopefully the 1000 hours will encourage people to take the first step and get the support they need.”
There have been questions around the efficacy of online counselling in recent months, due to long NHS waiting lists more people are turning to apps for help but as we previously reported, they should be used as a crutch but not as a total replacement for the real thing. Read the rest of our investigation here.
Use the code SEMPLETHERAPY to receive a free hour of therapy, you can find more information here