Feeling Lost in Your Mental Health Journey?

YOU’RE NOT ALONE

I’m Seth, your mental health buddi™

Are you or someone you care for struggling with mental health issues? Experiencing emotional distress? Confused about navigating health systems? Struggling with addiction issues? In these tough times, let me guide you or your family through the maze.

How Can I Help?

Be your compassionate companion in turbulent times.
Alleviate confusion and power imbalances in the health system.
Rapidly intervene at crucial moments.
Provide a clear view of your options, rights, and resources.
Support you or your family to prepare for meetings and appointments.
Explain the types of support and therapy options in simple terms, to find what works for you.

Background

Experience
Leadership
Support
Experience That Matters

Bringing over 25 years of experience in the fields of mental health and addiction recovery. Working closely with individuals and families, offering support and guidance through times of crisis and transformation. Rooting the approach in empathy, deep listening, and a commitment to lasting well-being.

Innovative Leadership

Serving as the Founding Project Manager of the Dragon Café, helping bring to life an award-winning initiative that promotes recovery through creativity, community, and mental health support. Establishing the Dragon Café as a leading model for inclusive and imaginative approaches to mental health care - a testament to visionary thinking and compassionate leadership.

Trusted Support

Training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and completing the Foundation Course in Group Analysis at the Institute of Group Analysis (IGA). Bringing a compassionate presence and practical effectiveness to every interaction - serving as a powerful ally on the path to recovery and personal growth.

Why Choose Me?

Fast, Flexible Support
No Red Tape - Global Reach

Unlike larger organizations, I’m independent and agile. You won’t face long waiting lists or referral hurdles - I aim to respond within 48 hours and act fast when you need support most. I offer emergency out-of-hours support in times of crisis - something most agencies do not provide. I’m based in the UK, but I can help you wherever you’re based, as long as you have access to Zoom or WhatsApp and speak English.

Truly Personalised Support

No two people are the same so why should recovery paths be a one-size-fits-all approach? I offer tailored, one-to-one advocacy with no agenda, no box-ticking, no long forms to complete and no pressure. I’ll listen carefully, champion your rights, and adapt to your needs.

From Complexity to Clarity

I’m particularly skilled in helping people with ‘co-morbidity’, that is, those who experience both addiction and mental health issues - a niche area of expertise that many services fail to address adequately. Regardless of the nuances of your situation, I offer a one-stop support service, helping you avoid the common experience of being passed from one service to another.

Holistic Insight

I draw from a wide range of therapeutic knowledge and systems understanding gained over 25+ years. While many professionals work within narrow specialisms, I help you step back and see the bigger picture. If all you have is a hammer, then all you see is nails - I offer you a variety of tools so you can navigate the ‘specialty silos’, understand all your options, and get the right help at the right time.

Invest in Your Peace of Mind

I charge a competitive £100 per hour and will stand alongside you for as long as you need the support - whether that’s for a brief overview of options or for longer in-depth advocacy to help navigate the system.

Over the long term, getting timely advice now is likely to save you significant amounts of time and money later.

All support is via Zoom or WhatsApp only to ensure rapid response times and keep prices competitive.

I honestly can’t recommend Seth and his service enough. When I contacted him for support, I not only felt truly heard and understood. The advice I received was super professional—it came from a place of real care and insight and lived experience. It was exactly what I needed at the time when I reached out. You can tell Seth genuinely wants to help people, and that made all the difference for me. If you’re even slightly considering reaching out, just do it. I’m so glad I did.

Maike, personal testimonial

Say Hello!

Let’s find your center. Fill out the form or email me directly to start the conversation.
+44 7869 256 183
seth@buddibench.org
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Help for tricky chats and Useful Resources

Most conversations on a buddi bench™ are relaxed, fun & uplifting. A book or a film is recommended; a tip about a resource in the neighbourhood is given; a joke is shared.
Once in a while a conversation on a buddi bench may prove more challenging. Sometimes one or both people chatting on a buddi bench may be experiencing a degree of distress. So what should you do if you are concerned about a difficult conversation? What to do if you are worried about the wellbeing of the other person?
The key thing to keep in mind is the limit of your responsibility. You are not their therapist or counsellor & are not expected to diagnose mental health conditions or make a risk assessment. buddi bench™ is a form of adult peer support & no-one need be ‘the expert’ in anything, nor be responsible for anyone’s wellbeing other than your own. buddi bench is a resource to encourage short, friendly chats between strangers.
It is worth remembering that simply listening to someone attentively for 10 minutes can be a great gift. Less important are profound insights or significant action. There are plenty of other resources that can be accessed if a person requires more than a friendly short chat with a stranger.
We at buddi bench advise that, unless it’s an emergency, you suggest the person check this website & make use of the resources given below. You being aware of these options & mentioning them to others when appropriate is also likely to be helpful.

In descending order of urgency

An immediate emergency - dial 999
In the very unlikely case of a life-threatening situation phone the emergency services (dial 999) & request immediate help. Examples of such a scenario include you fearing for the immediate safety of yourself or the other person, such as talk of self-harm or suicide or violence against others.
Non-emergency but urgent:
Follow NHS advise
If you need more information than is available online call 111 (free) & ask for assistance.
Samaritans
If someone needs additional support, a very good service to suggest they contact is the Samaritans.
Samaritans provide free 24-hour listening support. They can talk to a person about anything that's troubling them, no matter how difficult.
Call for free, anytime: 116 123
samaritans.org
CALM
CALM is the Campaign Against Living Miserably, for people in the UK who are down or have hit a wall for any reason.
Call for free: 0800 58 58 58 (daily, 5pm to midnight)
thecalmzone.net
Hub of Hope
No matter what you're going through, you should not have to do it alone. The Hub of Hope is a national database that brings together local mental health services.
Shout 85258
Shout offers confidential 24/7 crisis text support for times when you need immediate assistance:
Text "SHOUT" to 85258
giveusashout.org
GP
If you or the person you are worried about do not require immediate help but you are still concerned about your/their mental health, contacting your/their GP is a good place to start. Get treated as soon as possible, as early treatment is more effective.
Free NHS psychological therapies services
If you live in England, in most areas you can refer yourself for free, non-urgent NHS psychological therapies services, also known as IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) services, which provide evidence-based treatments for depression and anxiety.
nhs.uk
You’ll also find some good tips from the NHS here
We hope these tips and resources help encourage you to confidently chat | connect | care on your local buddi bench!
For non-urgent issues that you feel buddi bench™ should be aware of please email us: seth@buddibench.org