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 0207 328 0918

An Interview with Valentina Levi, Brent Centre for Young People CEO

Date published: 07.08.2024

In April, the Brent Centre for Young People announced the appointment of our new CEO, Valentina Levi. Valentina has worked at the Centre for over a decade and brings a wealth of experience to the role. To help our audience learn more about our new CEO, we interviewed Valentina about her time working here and her aspirations for the Brent Centre.

What made you want to apply for the position of CEO at the Brent Centre?

I knew this organisation inside-out before applying, having worked in various roles as both a clinician and a manager for many years. I have always been struck by the real difference the Brent Centre is able to make in the lives of the young people we work with. I think that the dedication, level of skill and expertise of the staff is what makes the Centre really special, as well as its ability in reaching young people who otherwise would not be able to access therapeutic services. We are great at engaging young people and then make a real positive impact to their lives. I plan to expand this work, reach more young people, both directly and indirectly, sharing our expertise with others so they can use it to make a difference.

Reflecting on the decade you have been at the Brent Centre, where would you like to see the organisation in 10 years' time?

I think the Brent Centre will continue to make a huge difference in the lives of young people in Brent. Additionally, we have expanded into the borough of Westminster with a second London clinic and are working in schools in Ealing. We also have a third clinic in the Scottish Highlands.

I believe that 10 years from now, the Centre will be an even more important voice in the field of adolescent mental health. We will be making a difference to the lives of more young people and continuing to be a centre of excellence for the development of psychodynamic thinking and practice.

What are some of the main barriers/issues/challenges young people face today? How do you see the Brent Centre continuing and expanding our support in these areas?

The cost-of-living crisis has brought to the surface new challenges for young people, especially those who suffer high levels of deprivation, compounded by the period of isolation they experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic. These issues add to the challenges typical of the adolescence developmental phase, such as finding their identity, developing relationships and becoming functioning adults. The Brent Centre is aware of all of these interlinked issues and has been exemplary in adapting its services to the changing realities of our young people, particularly in developing services that reach young people where they are at, both in terms of outreach services in schools, youth clubs, youth offending services, but also offering therapies that are tailored to the individual needs.

What do you believe are the Brent Centre’s biggest strengths?

The Brent Centre for Young People has accrued over 55 years of expertise in the field of adolescent mental health. Our biggest strength is our staff; we attract individuals who are very passionate about young people's mental health. Our clinicians are leaders in the field, with incredible breadth and depth of experience. This expertise is passed on from senior staff members to the new generation of clinicians, who in turn bring fresh ideas and developments to our work. Through our clinicians' expertise, we have developed creative ways of reaching adolescents who need therapeutic support but may not seek out traditional consulting rooms, such as through our Sport & Thought and Youth Offending Service programmes, among others. This makes us confident and eager to expand our training programmes to other professionals, as we believe we are well equipped for that.

What are some of the biggest challenges the Brent Centre faces?

With the increase in demand for youth mental health support, our services are in high demand and we try to help as many young people as we can. Statutory services like CAMHS  are dealing with huge waiting lists and this has a knock on effect on the demand for our services. Unfortunately, funding does not match this increase in demand and the financial climate has not helped, as funding has been diverted from mental health. Covid and the financial crises have also seen an increase in the complexity of the problems experienced by our young people, making it even more imperative to be able to offer them support.