It’s another win for wellbeing in Otago, with the South Island's second Crisis Recovery Café opening in the North East Valley. Operated by the Otago Mental Health Support Trust (OMHST), the café shares spaces with the Valley Project. Critic Te Ārohi sat down for an exclusive with Craig de Beer, the manager of the new café.
The Crisis Recovery Café provides peer support for those experiencing mental distress. But don't let the word ‘crisis’ have you standing outside, wondering whether you're in enough of a state to enter. In a suburb full of stressed out students far from home, Craig was keen to emphasise that they’re “open to anybody at any point in their distress”. Those plagued by late-night demons can find a nice, quiet corner in this space to relax in, or, if they need a sympathetic shoulder to cry on, they can talk to a Peer Support worker.
We're all on our own mental health journey, so at the café you can have that conversation about next steps, or just allow yourself to chillax for a bit. That conversation might lead to a referral to other services the Trust offers, including peer support, advocacy, and education. However, “it's not that the café doors are closed [after a referral],” Craig explains. “[We] walk [alongside] people on their journey, wherever that journey might take them.”
That “we” is the Peer Support team who work with OMHST. The Trust, which operates the café through a Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand contract, is celebrating its fortieth anniversary this year. For the team running the café, it’s a "validation [that] we know what we're doing.” Trusted with the frontline work are four part-time Peer Supporters. They are in the process of recruiting a fifth Peer Supporter, and will appoint a Coordinator with such vital responsibilities as venue relationships and coffee stocks, and are exploring volunteer options. It’s still early days, with the development of the community space only just beginning.
The café is a peer-led facility, which means the service, governance, and design centres those who have lived through mental distress. That lived experience is number one for Craig. "That's not to say if you have lived experience, you know absolutely everything," Craig confessed. "But you will have a better appreciation of what [someone in distress] might be experiencing." As well as being peer-led, the café features warm lighting and colours. The entire place is designed to make you feel welcome and at ease.
And we young ones (prone to a crash out) have been kept in mind. Craig explained to Critic that the secret sauce for the café was the location. They could have settled in Central Dunedin, and only covered adults, or they could have set up near the campus to focus more on the younger student demographic. But in the North East Valley, there is a unique intersection of demographics, including those facing socio-economic struggles, to retired professionals, students, and everything in between. The café covers it all from the valley.
Alongside the recent opening of Te Pou Whirinaki (Student Wellbeing Hub), some may wonder “why now?” Has the mental health crisis passed a tipping point? To that, Craig explained that there has been no sudden shift – this initiative has been a long time coming. The conversation might have started some years ago, but they’ve finally achieved the funding (after a “very, very long time”) needed to achieve a reality.
That reality is ease of access. Craig is under no illusion that Crisis Cafés are an instant cure, suited for everyone, or anything but part of a bigger solution. But with the often-daunting image of emergency departments, afterhours healthcare and long waiting times, this helps to get your foot in the door. It’s a third option over just sitting at home and not doing so well.
Craig de Beer leaves us with what you'll find behind those doors. "We operate on a free service. We do not charge for entry, we do not charge for service, we do not charge for coffee. The coffee's pretty good. And please – if you just have the inkling that you need somebody to talk to, stop by. Don't wait until you're in crisis. We've got the space for you. So, join us." Cool bananas.
The North East Valley Crisis Recovery Café will be open at 262 North Road on Tuesdays (6:30 PM-10:00 PM) and Saturdays (5:30 PM-10:00 PM).
Going through it mentally? Free help is available, 24/7. Gumboot Friday provides free counselling for under-25s, with no doctor’s referral required. Young people can book directly and access support quickly via gumbootfriday.org.nz. Text 1737 for free mental wellbeing support. Student Health and OUSA Student Support can both provide in-person care as well.
