Artist Stuart Semple is backing a radical new campaign from Timewith, an organisation on a mission to deliver the life-changing potential of good therapy to every human being on the planet. The project, ‘1000 hrs for 1000 people’, is offering 1000 people each an hour of free therapy, in the hopes to break down the barriers that hold someone back from seeking the right care and to open the life-changing potential of therapy to a much wider audience.
The campaign comes in the lead up to World Mental Health Day, 10th October, which has the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues and mobilising efforts in support of mental health. According to the charity Mind – of which Semple is an ambassador and with whom he set up the Creative Therapies Fund in 2012 – approximately one in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem every year. Despite this, around a third of all people with a mental health problem seek no professional help at all, according to the Mental Health Foundation. What is it that prevents people from seeking the help they need?
The ‘1000 hrs’ campaign aims to open up a sometimes seemingly enigmatic world, to help people understand what therapy is and how they might benefit from it themselves. As with other areas of life, taking care of yourself should not be felt under the weight of stigma.
“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. Talking through my own experiences with a trained professional in a therapeutic environment was a really enlightening experience and besides helping with my healing it also helped me to get to understand myself better. With this amazing idea, there really is no need to continue to suffer on your own because the help is there if you need it.”
Stuart Semple
To claim your free session, go to www.timewith.co.uk , choose a therapist and use code SEMPLETHERAPY at checkout.
