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Men’s care brand Harry’s, charity mental health service Shout and UK organisation Guild Gaming have announced the launch of Talk Squad.
These are trial mental health sessions, aimed at fostering mental health awareness within the gaming community. Through this initiative, gamers can access free, confidential mental health support from Shout’s trained professionals in a gaming setting.
Launching this November, in conjunction with Men’s Health Awareness Month, Talk Squad brings mental health support into the gaming space, ‘offering 1-to-1 sessions in environments where men feel at ease, helping break down barriers to support. This initiative aims to create a safe and engaging environment where individuals can openly share their experiences with mental health professionals, all while gaming’.
Maggie Hureau, Director of Social Impact at Harry’s, shared: “At Harry’s, we believe mental health support should be accessible wherever people feel most comfortable—whether that’s in the workplace, at home, or in the virtual worlds where many of us spend our free time.
“With Talk Squad, we’re excited to provide a platform where gamers can openly discuss mental health, supported by Shout’s skilled team. It’s an opportunity to make support more accessible, meeting people where they are and fostering open conversations in spaces that matter.”
Maggie Hureau
The Talk Squad initiative, created by creative company The Or, will run from Thursday, November 28th, to Wednesday, December 18th, during which gamers can schedule 1-to-1 sessions while playing popular games like Fall Guys, Apex Legends, and Halo, connecting directly with Shout-trained clinicians.
To launch the service, a livestream on Twitch on November 19th (International Men’s Day) will give the public an insight into how the sessions work. Influencers will play a 1:1 game of Fall Guys with a Shout clinician while simultaneously having a chat and getting support for anything that they may need a helping hand with.
The livestream will be hosted by Iain Chambers and the influencers attending the launch event will be Jaackmaate, Jae1ee, Stevie White and TN25. And AngryGinge will also make an appearance on the livestream on the Guild Esports Twitch channel.
Sarah Kendrick, Clinical Director at Shout, said: “Despite the prevalence of mental health challenges amongst men in the UK, men are often reluctant to seek help. But talking about mental health can strengthen emotional resilience and foster healthier coping strategies.
“Men are more likely to access support when they feel it meets their preferences, is easily accessible and engaging; – key reasons why they value Shout’s free, confidential and non-judgemental digital service.
“Through Talk Squad, we’re hoping to offer a way to support men that aligns with their interests and provides a relaxed environment in which to have a meaningful conversation about mental health.”
The news comes after Movember partnered with esports groups Blast Premier and BIG to improve mental health in esports, and after Guild and Sky Broadband hosted the Women’s Esports Finals.
Findings from Talk Squad will be evaluated to explore the potential for future mental health support initiatives within gaming and beyond.
Nick Westwood, Chief Creative Officer at Guild Gaming, commented: “We are honoured at Guild to be involved in such an important cause, one that has not been raised enough, particularly in the gaming space.
“We hope that Talk Squad will get the ball rolling for a wider conversation around mental health in gaming, whether that is talking things through with your online squad. This initiative will encourage men to talk more about their emotions, and provide them with a more comfortable space to speak in.”
Bookings can be made through giveusashout.org/talksquad.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
