Rachel Fergusson, External Affairs Intern, Money and Mental Health

Introducing: Rachel Fergusson

8 September 2021

Starting a first job after graduating is daunting. From outfits to office etiquette, everything is a bit of an unknown. Mix it in with bouts of self doubt and all the other stresses that come with newly acquired adult status, and starting a first job becomes a formidable prospect. While I wasn’t expecting the team to be any less lovely than everyone says they are, my first week at the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute has been a pleasure.

Meeting my team face to face on the first day set a relaxed tone, and already I feel like a part of this small team. I’ve had a full-on week of catching up on current projects and getting to grips with how things work at Money and Mental Health, and I’m excited to get properly stuck in. One of the things I feel grateful for already is the team’s attention to wellbeing (yes, they practice what they preach!), having spent time drawing up my wellness action plan to help me feel supported and mentally healthy at work.

My Background

I have always had a strong interest in social issues, and mental health was a common thread that ran through them all. Through volunteering for a local food project in Edinburgh, where I grew up, I became acutely aware of how poverty and financial instability could affect mental health and reinforced each other to keep a person locked in a cruel cycle.

When I moved to London for university, I was immediately struck by the severity of the mental health crisis amongst young people, and frustrated by the culture at my university which prioritised academic success and career prospects over wellbeing. As a result, I became involved in an initiative which aimed to alter this culture, opening up spaces where honest discussions could be had about mental health at university and beyond. One thing that became quickly apparent was that the conversation around mental health on campus was confined to circles of white, middle class British students. Given the diversity of the student population in London, it was important to put those experiences at the heart of the campaign, with a focus on how race, nationality, culture and faith shape mental wellbeing as well as people’s experiences of services. As we continue to expand discussions around mental health, we must push to diversify those conversations so they reach and reflect the people who need them most.

A proactive and practical approach to mental health

Everyone has mental health. This seems like an obvious concept, yet so much of society’s response to mental health is based on a reactive rather than proactive approach to wellbeing. The gap between the number of people reporting mental health problems and the capacity of health services to meet that demand is growing. Last week, The Guardian reported that the official NHS waiting list for mental health services stands at one and a half million people, while a further eight million people experiencing mental health problems who would usually be treated are missing out on care.

As the mental health crisis continues to worsen, it is vitally important to set our sights on ways to alleviate sources of stress that can contribute to, and exacerbate, mental health problems. Given the substantive link between financial difficulty and poor mental health, minimising the stress around problems like debt – and making it easier for people with mental health conditions to interact with essential services – plays an important role in equipping our society to deal with the crisis we face. The actions proposed by Money and Mental Health will not only help those who live with mental health problems, but will benefit everyone by making mental health and wellbeing a central concern of service providers.

I was particularly drawn to Money and Mental Health because of its emphasis on practical policy solutions. In recent times, it’s so easy to feel bogged down by overwhelming and seemingly insurmountable societal problems – not least the mental health crisis. Through engagement with its Research Community, Money and Mental Health formulates tangible solutions which speak to the everyday lives of people with mental health problems. Sometimes it’s the small changes that have the biggest impact.