The Nottinghamshire County Council service NottAlone has released a new podcast episode to help residents in Carlton and across the region start conversations about mental wellbeing. This resource arrives during Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from 11 May to 17 May 2026, and is organised by the Mental Health Foundation under the theme of Action.
The 22-minute bonus episode, titled Checking in: how to start a conversation about mental health, provides practical advice for people who want to support friends, family, or colleagues but feel unsure about how to begin. It is hosted by the service’s co-founders, Dr Maddi Popoola and Dr Órlaith Green, who draw on their professional backgrounds as educational psychologists to offer guidance.
Dr Órlaith Green, who serves as a Principal Educational Psychologist for the county council, emphasised that residents do not need to feel pressured to have perfect responses when talking to others. She noted that people simply need to be themselves when checking in on someone.
The episode outlines a five-point model to help guide these discussions: listen, reassure, validate, act, and remember that the responsibility does not rest solely on one person. NottAlone is a partnership between Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council, and the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
