The Ōtepoti Community Wellness Hub provides space for people experiencing mental health challenges in Dunedin.
Open every Tuesday and Thursday, the hub has space for people to spend time socialising with others, exploring arts and crafts, playing games, making music or simply gathering for a meal.
Wellbeing educators Tash Squire and Rob Willers run the space with the help of about a dozen volunteers.
Ms Squire said the hub had been open for about three months.
"We are focusing a lot of what we do on prevention, so we are working with people that are ready to come in and talk to us and ready to have their wellbeing journey guided by us."
The hub could help people identify their own mental health triggers during one-to-one sessions.
"We work alongside them to figure out their own self-reflections and how they can live better in the community."
"It is really non-judgemental."
Volunteers included students completing the Otago Polytechnic’s bachelor of social services.
"We’ve got a real diversity of students as well, which is really beneficial.
"Everyone that comes in, feels comfortable talking to someone," Ms Squire said.
One initiative that helped people open up were sessions of the fantasy role-playing game Pathfinder, run by a student on placement, Kai Rapana.
Mx Rapana said research on role-playing games had shown there were mental health benefits for people playing the games.
"It has shown there are a lot of benefits, whether it is in a group therapy type of session or whether it is playing just casually."
One of the advantages was game masters or story tellers who ran the games could tailor the experience.
This could be to avoid specific triggers that might remind people of past trauma.
The games could also provide a way to explore challenging situations in a non-threatening environment, Mx Rapana said.
The hub helped people experiencing mild to moderate distress levels, but it could also help people who were experiencing a higher level of distress.
Mr Willer said as a registered social worker he was able to help if someone was distressed.
"If there is a risk I will get involved and make sure everybody is looked after."
"We recognise that we need to have the right kind of risk management and clinical management [operating] in the background."
Wellness hub
Ōtepoti Community Wellness Hub:
Tuesdays 9am to 3pm
Thursdays 1pm to 8pm
150D Kaikorai Valley Rd
All welcome
