Community Spotlight - Anxious Minds

We are proud to collaborate with a network of community partners that provide additional mental health and wellbeing support to jobseekers accessing our government-funded employability services. By collaborating with specialist support providers, we can better help individuals to overcome their barriers to employment and support them to improve their lives through work.

Since October 2020, Anxious Minds has provided their support to unemployed jobseekers across the North East on our Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Restart Scheme, Better Working Futures and Work Routes services. Anxious Minds is a multi-award-winning mental health charity that provides peer support, counselling and workshops for individuals impacted by trauma, abuse, suicidal crises and mental health challenges.

After referral from one of our Employment Advisers and an initial assessment, counselling with Anxious Minds can commence in as quick as a week. Support can be delivered via telephone, without the need for a GP referral, removing the long waiting times that are often faced when accessing some mental health services. The charity also operates two long-term recovery centres - one for veterans and one for the wider community - providing a safe space for ongoing support for those who have completed initial interventions.

Laura Stutt, Integration Manager for our Better Working Futures service (our name for the DWP’s Work and Health Programme) in the North East, commented: “Working with Anxious Minds has been a positive collaborative experience. All the staff are welcoming and regular contact with the management team ensures there is no gaps in the partnership. Their person-centred interventions have been key, and friendships have been formed following years of collaborative work.

“Anxious Minds are committed to supporting our participants who are in crisis, as well as veterans and families which can only have a positive impact to the North East. I feel proud that Reed in Partnership is working with an amazing charity based in my hometown.”

Edward Dean, CEO of Anxious Minds, added: “For several years, we have proudly partnered with Reed in Partnership, delivering high-quality counselling and mental health support to individuals returning to work.

“We were recently honoured with the 2025 MARKEL 3rd Sector Care Award for Making a Difference, recognising our commitment to meaningful impact. At Anxious Minds, we believe that collaboration is key. By working together, we can reach and support more people than ever before and every penny we raise goes directly back into vital community projects.”

At Reed in Partnership our collaborations play an essential role in ensuring participants on our employability services are provided with the tools to get them back into employment. We look forward to empowering more people on their journey to sustainable employment, as we continue our mission to positively transform the lives of people and their communities.