Across East Lancashire, people experiencing mental health crises are waiting months to access NHS talking therapies. Some are told they face waits of months or more before their first appointment. For someone in acute distress, that gap can be the difference between coping and collapse.

Casual Minds Matter is filling that gap. The organisation currently offers an average wait time of no more than five weeks from first contact to first session, a fraction of the time many people report waiting through statutory services. For those in immediate need, same-day drop-in support is available at the Howe Walk base without any referral or appointment.

Frontline agencies have started sending people directly. Lancashire Police officers attending mental health-related incidents have begun directing people to CMM when immediate clinical intervention is not available. GPs in the Burnley area are making informal referrals for patients who cannot afford to wait for NHS pathways to open up. The Department for Work and Pensions has also referred claimants whose mental health is a barrier to engaging with the benefits system.

"We are not trying to replace the NHS," said Dave Burnett, CMM's founder and director. "But when someone is in crisis and they are told to wait three months, something has gone wrong. We can see people quickly because we are small, we are local, and we do not have the bureaucracy that larger services have to deal with. That is not a criticism of those services. It is just a reality of where things stand."

CMM's model relies on qualified volunteer counsellors, low overheads, and a premises that doubles as a clothing shop to generate income. The result is a service that can offer free or heavily subsidised one-to-one counselling without the funding constraints that limit statutory provision.

The organisation says demand has increased steadily since the pandemic, with referrals now coming from more sources than ever before. Housing associations, probation services, and schools have all made contact in recent months.

For anyone who needs support, CMM can be reached on 01282 222290 or by visiting the Howe Walk drop-in during opening hours.