“We have just submitted our first report to OSCR,” says Dr. Magda Diaz, the charity’s Clinical Lead and current Chair. “It feels like a real milestone – it shows we are moving forward.”

That sense of steady progress is shared by Operations Manager Magdalena Mikołajewska, who laughs as she describes the reality of running a small charity. “Sometimes I wake up and I completely forget that we are running an organisation,” she says. “Then I open my email… and I realise that it’s all happening.”

Based in Aberdeen, MindLink provides counselling and mental health support to people who may otherwise struggle to access it, particularly those facing barriers such as language, cost or wider experiences of marginalisation. Its core service is one to one therapy for people aged 16 and over, delivered both online and in person, alongside group sessions and wellbeing activities.

The organisation offers counselling in multiple languages, including Polish, Ukrainian, Russian and Mandarin, as well as English, allowing people to access support in the language and cultural context they feel most comfortable in.

What began as a small, community led project has grown into a multi-language service supporting individuals across different backgrounds and experiences.

From a community project to a registered charity

MindLink’s origins lie in earlier voluntary work through the Polish Association in Aberdeen, where both Magda and Magdalena were involved in delivering a psychology service. When that service came to an end, the level of need made it clear that something more permanent was required.

“We didn’t expect how overwhelming it would be,” says Magdalena. “People were asking for help on a daily basis.”

The result was MindLink, a grassroots organisation shaped directly by the needs they were seeing in the community. From the outset, the focus was on creating a service that people could access easily and feel comfortable using, particularly those who had struggled to find support elsewhere.

“From the beginning, we wanted to make sure the service was professional, ethical, accessible and transparent in how it works” Magda explains. That focus continues to shape how the charity operates today, with an emphasis on accessibility, flexibility and meeting people where they are.

Early support and building confidence

Alongside counselling, MindLink has developed group-based support to help people engage with their mental health earlier. This includes the MindLink Café, a monthly session designed as a more informal introduction to mental health support, supported through the Scottish Government’s Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults, distributed locally by ACVO.

“It’s an early support space, before formal therapy,” Magda explains.

For Magdalena, this is about addressing a common barrier. “People often wait a long time before they look for help,” she says. “They think they should manage it on their own… or they worry about what it says about them.”

Addressing barriers and minority stress

A key part of MindLink’s work is supporting people who may feel excluded from traditional mental health services.

“There are many reasons why people don’t feel that the main routes into mental health support are for them,” Magda says. “Sometimes it’s about language, sometimes finances, and more generally about experiences of marginalisation or minority stress.”

Providing support in someone’s preferred language is important, but it is not the only factor. “It’s about shared cultural understanding… the memories, the references, the ways people make sense of their experiences. All MindLink counsellors are sensitive to issues of oppression, and the structural barriers people may face when accessing mental health support,” Magda explains.

To reflect this, MindLink’s therapists work in a person-centred, integrative way, adapting their approach to each individual. “MindLink counsellors offer different evidence-based therapeutic approaches,” Magda says. “Their work is guided by each client’s needs and preferences.” This may include working in the client’s preferred language, adapting or translating materials, and, where appropriate, drawing on cultural resources – such as creative forms of expression – to support understanding and engagement.”

Impact: one person at a time

Although MindLink remains a small organisation, the impact of its work is already being felt.

“We support one person at a time,” Magda says. “But that change doesn’t stay with one person – it extends to their family, their relationships, the people around them in general.” She describes seeing clients reach a point where things that once felt unmanageable begin to shift. “Something that once was unimaginable suddenly becomes possible.”

Magdalena sees that impact in the feedback they receive. “People come back,” she says. “They say they feel safe, and that they’ve gained a lot from the support.” In some cases, clients return for further support at a later stage or recommend the service to others. “People are referring each other,” Magdalena says.

The charity delivers workshops that combine psychoeducation with opportunities for connection, particularly for people who may feel isolated. “They create space for people to meet, talk and build relationships,” Magdalena says. The first year’s workshops were supported by the Ethnic Minority Development Fund (EMDF), part of the National Lottery Community Fund.

MindLink has also begun extending its work into community settings, reaching people less likely to access mental health support. This included a recent wellbeing session at a construction site, because “working-age men often struggle with accessing mental health support,” Magda explains.

Looking ahead

As MindLink moves into its second year as a registered charity, the focus is on building connections and increasing visibility.

“We would like to connect more with other organisations,” Magda says, “so that other organisations are aware of our work and can collaborate with us through signposting and joint initiatives.”

Reaching more people is also a priority. “We want to make sure that more communities know that we are here,” Magdalena adds.

There are also practical challenges to address. “While group activities can take place in community settings, counselling requires a consistent, private, and comfortable environment,” Magda explains. “So far, this has been made possible through support from the EMDF. Maintaining a consistent space depends on continued funding.”

Despite this, the organisation is clear about its direction. “We build things step by step,” Magdalena says. “At our own pace, but in a way we can be proud of.”

With its first year as a registered charity complete, MindLink is focused on continuing to grow its reach, strengthen partnerships and make its support more visible to the communities it aims to serve.

This article originally appeared in the May 2026 edition of ACVO News, our free monthly digital magazine for and from the the third sector in Aberdeen. Read the current and past editions, and sign up to our mailing list, at acvo.org.uk/acvo-news