A new mental health group for men has started in Sheffield and will be supporting the community with free meetings.
Men in Need Together (MINT) is launching a new mental health group in Sheffield which will be offering weekly meetings to the community.
Meetings will take place at Hillsborough Morrison’s every Tuesday at 7pm until 9pm and are expected to start from the end of July.
John Nicol will run the Sheffield group as Head Facilitator for Sheffield, who will also be studying his masters at the University of Sheffield in Urban Studies and Planning.
John said: “Once running, the group will provide weekly opportunities for men to come together in an open and safe space to speak and listen about their own and others mental health struggles.
“We hope that by providing this space on a weekly basis in Sheffield, men will feel less alone and stigmatised by whatever they’re going through.”
There are trained counsellors at MINT group meetings, and others who can offer support through their own lived experiences.
The organisation was founded in 2018 by CEO Joshuwaa Sturgeon after his close friend took his own life, and the organisation currently has seven groups in cities across the UK, including in Wakefield, Morley and South Leeds.
Joshuwaa said: “During lockdown we started receiving a lot of incoming messages from men in the Sheffield area looking for support, and whilst we could support them online, it just wasn’t the same as the work we do through our support groups.”
“All of our groups run simultaneously, and Sheffield will be no different. The key is to create a routine to keep the support constant. We create families in each area we move into because the connections between all attendees is so strong, it’s really wonderful to see and be a part of.
During the pandemic, MINT started offering online video support groups and only ran groups of up to 15 to meet the increased demand they were receiving.
MINT aims to prevent suicides and help others overcome the mentality that many men have, that they need to suffer silently and hide their emotions.
To find out more about MINT Sheffield and its services, look at their Facebook page MINT – Men In Need Together Sheffield or their website.
