How Skipton Building Society’s partnership helps us provide vital support for managing mental health and money
There is a strong link between mental health and money worries. Almost one in five (18%) people with mental health problems are in problem debt. People experiencing mental health problems are three and a half times more likely to be in problem debt than people without mental health problems (5%).
Enter the Mental Health & Money Advice service — the first UK-wide service to combine support for both mental health and financial problems.
We’re here for anyone with a mental illness who is struggling with their money, as well as anyone whose financial problems are affecting their mental health. Our service consists of one-to-one support by *referral and a dedicated website that seeks to break the link between mental health and money.
With such a core part of the Mental Health & Money Advice service occurring behind closed doors, we asked one of our advisers to tell us a bit about what they do to help their clients access support.
What have you been up to today?
This morning, I had a phone call with a very distressed man. It was the first time he’d contacted the service and he was struggling with a very large debt to his energy company that had built up over time. He lives with depression, PTSD, anxiety, autism, and ADHD. The situation had affected his mental health, and he had been worried about picking up the phone. For the last few months, he’d been scared to answer the phone or open emails as he didn’t know how to face the growing mountain of debt. He was terrified that it was spiraling out of control and that he might end up losing his home.
How do you support someone who is worried about opening up?
You listen. It’s understandable that someone might be nervous talking to a stranger about intimate issues like their mental health and finances. My job is to make it a conversation, not an interview. There’s information I need to know to be able to help but the biggest job is to break down barriers. I want the person on the other end of the phone to know they won’t be judged, and that I’m on their side. The man I spoke with had faced stigma – he felt his family treated him as “the mad relative” and also experienced negative feedback to his diagnoses. I explained I understood what he was going through, I told him I knew people in his situation and that I could empathise. As soon as he realised I was connecting with him as a person and that he wasn’t a case number, those barriers started to fall.
What support were you able to give him?
Well, firstly I explained he wasn’t going to lose his home. Together we reframed negative thoughts and worst-case scenarios in order to focus on the present and what we could be achieved. I explained we would contact his supplier and, since he was unable to pay the debt, we would manage a payment plan with them so he could still pay for his monthly supply while also paying off his outstanding bill. He gave me permission to contact his GP for evidence of his mental health diagnoses which I could present to his energy company to ensure they go through our service in future. He’s now a client and I’ll be meeting him to talk about the payment plan and to identify any funds he could access for further support.
– Advisor - Mental Health and Money Advice service"The financial worries had become overwhelming for him. Building trust was imperative and this meant he was happy to share. He felt understood and knew that we genuinely wanted to help.
Knowing we were supporting him, he felt he could answer calls and emails again."
Do you get complex cases and what do they involve?
This particular case wasn’t complex but we often support clients accessing benefits and liaising with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). If clients come to us early and want support in filling out benefit applications, then it can be relatively smooth. We can support them throughout the process and we are able to explain what they need to do to access what they are entitled to. It can become complicated when they come to us having had an application rejected. This requires going back over historical information with both client and DWP to understand what was submitted, how decisions were made, and to work through the appeals process. We have to go through everything with a fine-tooth comb, especially if we are looking to challenge a decision.
Are you seeing any trends in people coming to the service at the moment?
Yes. There’s been a massive influx of people needing support to access Personal Independence Payment (PIP) cases. Applying for any benefits, particularly PIP, isn’t easy. The process is difficult, especially for people living with complex mental health or other hidden disability needs. The people who most need support often struggle the most to access it. It’s such a hard system to navigate alone. Often people feel that a decision is final, and they have no option but to accept it. When we are part of the PIP assessment process, we ensure it’s recorded so we can review decisions effectively. By listening back, we can check the final report matches the assessment. It isn’t always the case that they match and we try hard to get the support people deserve.
What is one of the hardest situations you’ve experienced recently?
I worked with a client with schizophrenia and experienced particularly challenging periods of psychosis. She left school young, worked every day of her life, and paid her taxes. But now she was struggling to balance her mental health alongside full-time work. She needed help to get back to a place where her mental health was positive but felt denied and let down – that all the work she’d done throughout her life equalled nothing. We are continuing to work with her to get the benefits she is entitled to.
What do you enjoy about your work?
I get to make a difference. I can build an amazing rapport with my clients. People might come to me anxious or upset but I get to see their journey through to the end and. When they are awarded what they deserve it truly is an amazing feeling.
– Advisor - Mental Health and Money Advice service"This service is so important and the people we support rely on it. They need us. But for everyone we help, there are so many who still slip through the net — people who receive a PIP decision or a bill from their energy company and don’t know they can turn to someone for support.
We will continue to help people at every stage, and we want to grow and do more.
Mental Health & Money Advice wouldn’t be possible without the support of our partner, Skipton Building Society. Since 2020, Skipton has helped us to provide support for thousands of people every year.
Interested in becoming a partner with Mental Health UK?
Becoming a partner with Mental Health UK is beneficial on so many levels. Not only will you be supporting us to grow our services and improving the lives of thousands across the UK, you will also be deepening your company’s commitment to mental health, driving staff engagement and loyalty.
– Charlene Marks - Head of Mental Health & Money Advice“We know that mental health and money are closely intertwined, and with Skipton’s generous support we have been able to expand our service to offer more support to those who need us.”
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* The Mental Health and Money Advice telephone service can only be accessed by referral via 7 organisations listed below:
- National Debtline: 0808 808 4000
- StepChange: 0800 138 1111
- Money Helper: 0800 011 3797
- Adferiad (Wales): 01792 816600
- Change Mental Health (Scotland): 0808 8010 515
- Mindwise (Northern Ireland): 028 9040 2323
- Rethink Mental Illness (England): 0808 801 0525
