“We’re more a part of the recovery process rather than the destination”, says Steve Mayes, deputy chief executive of the charity ‘Health in mind’.

Having worked in various health and social care roles since the late 80s, in both local authorities and the private sector, Steve has always had one constant; “My work has always been strongly focused on the service user and figuring out what’s the best way to help the individual”. And this ethos has served him well in his present role, as Health in Mind prides itself on being able to help people recovering from mental illness in a multitude of ways depending on what they want, “we don’t label people. We talk to them and find out what kind of support they want”.

More human than clinical

Steve’s role as deputy chief executive means that his primary concerns are supporting the objectives of ‘Health in Mind’ and ensuring that its philosophy is adhered to, “It’s about working with the individual, finding out where they are going and helping them on the journey that they want”.

Typically a person might be referred to ‘Health in Mind’ by their doctor and would then begin their journey to recovery. When asked what the most important thing is when helping someone recovering from mental illness, Steve says that “it’s important to be there for them. Be alongside them and with them. Listen to their needs.” He goes on to describe the wide range of services and the knowledge that the service users can tap into, “recovery will not mean the same thing to everyone”. Steve also works to build practical relationships with other organisations in order to make ‘Health in Mind’ more wildly known and therefore more accessible.

Modern developments

In relation to another bespoken feature, and given that ‘Health in Mind’ prides itself on offering lots of different kinds of help, I ask Steve for his thoughts on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. “I’m open to anything that offers help to someone who needs it. I do worry though that it could be the latest in a long line of ‘new wonder things’ that’s going to solve everything. But if it can help alleviate someone’s suffering, then that’s fine by me.

Other work

In recent years there has been a growing campaign to end discrimination and stigma surrounding mental health (remember the outrage when a couple of well-known chain of stores had the ‘mental patient’ and ‘psycho ward’ costumes on the shelves for Halloween? All in the best possible taste obviously). In this vein Steve has been closely involved with See Me Scotland, an organisation whose key purpose is to combat cruel attitudes towards people with mental health issues. Similarly, ‘Health in Mind’ trains both volunteers and health care professionals in helping people with mental illness.

Let the service user decide

Throughout our talk the recurring motif is Steve’s commitment to communication and understanding in his work. All through his career in health and social services he’s strived to let the service user take the lead on their treatment as much as possible, and allowed them to grow in confidence and self-esteem. “The focus always ought to be on what a person could do rather than what they can’t”.