1st October 2025
SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health) has unveiled a central Aberdeen location for The Nook: a groundbreaking initiative that provides free mental health support without referrals, rejections or waiting lists.
The Nook is SAMH’s response to the national mental health crisis, which sees tens of thousands of people wait too long for the help they need.
Designed to be a welcoming, friendly and accessible space, The Nook operates on a walk-in basis, removing the need to book appointments or receive a referral from a GP. It offers non-clinical, stigma-free mental health support for adults, young people and their families, so that people with mental health problems can ask once and get help fast.
The Nook in Aberdeen will be housed on the ground floor of Marischal Square and will welcome anyone through its doors to talk about mental health and receive non-clinical support. Construction work is due to start in the New Year, with a planned opening towards the middle of 2026.
Aberdeen residents will also benefit from an extensive outreach programme that will accompany The Nook, bringing vital support into even more communities.
The choice of location, in a building owned by Aberdeen City Council, continues the charity’s strong partnership with the local authority. SAMH already works with Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership (ACHSCP) to deliver mental health support to local residents through suicide prevention, GP link workers, and children and young people’s services.
The largest mental health charity initiative in Scotland’s history, Nooks across the country will be funded by SAMH’s first ever major appeal, which seeks to raise £10 million to revolutionise mental health support across Scotland. They will become Scotland's first national network of walk-in mental health support hubs.
This will be the second Nook from SAMH, with the first launching at its Glasgow headquarters later this month, and Nooks to follow in Edinburgh, Inverclyde and Lanarkshire.
Billy Watson, Chief Executive of SAMH, said: “We are so pleased to bring The Nook to Aberdeen. We know that early intervention and prevention are essential when it comes to caring for our mental health, but we have waited long enough for investment in better community mental health support, so we are taking matters into our own hands.
“The Nook is here to make sure no one faces a mental health problem alone, and to help everyone get the support they need. Better community mental health support is good for all of us. It supports people’s recovery, creates new social connections, and relieves pressure on the NHS and other services.
“The roll-out of The Nook is only possible thanks to tireless support from our partners, fundraisers and the public. This is the second of our five planned Nooks, but we want to do even more. Our vision is a Nook in every community in Scotland, so barrier-free mental health support is never far away. Please consider supporting us if you can.”
DJ Beth Wallace, an Aberdeen resident with experience of mental health problems, said: “The Nook is an incredible initiative which breaks down barriers when it comes to gaining support. As someone who’s worked in the industry and had her own mental health struggles in the past, I know first-hand what a difference this will make to Aberdeen. Quite often when people do reach out for help it’s because they are at breaking point. They need support there and then, and not to join waiting lists where they won’t speak to someone for weeks. The Nook will be life-changing for so many in this city.”
Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership Chief Officer Fiona Mitchelhill said: “Our IJB, the Health and Social Care Partnership, and our City Council colleagues, are delighted to support this imaginative initiative for Aberdeen. ACHSCP and Aberdeen City Council worked closely with SAMH to bring this model of in-person mental health support to the city. It is testament to the hard work of everyone involved that this groundbreaking and accessible new service is now taking shape in our city, to the benefit of young people and adults alike.
“We already have a long-standing and much-valued relationship with SAMH in suicide prevention and through our link worker network in all of our GP practices. The Nook initiative builds upon this positive collaboration and will be a much-valued addition to the range of vital services SAMH provides in Aberdeen.”
SAMH will raise £10million through donations to pay for the set up and running of The Nooks for three years. To find out more about The Nook and to donate, visit samh.org.uk/the-nook.
Pictured are (from left): Alex Cumming, Executive Director of Delivery and Service Development at SAMH; Claire Wilson, ACHSCP Chief Officer for Adult Social Work; Hussein Patwa, Chair of Aberdeen Integration Joint Board; Billy Watson, Chief Executive of SAMH; and Kevin Dawson, ACHSCP Community Mental Health Lead.
