The Tamworth-born man - who has since attained training in the discipline he had practiced for decades - has no idea how many lives he's saved in the decades since.

"It probably would be [a few]," he said.

"But I think that there was a time, might have been a few times in the younger years, that people have saved my life. So I just carry that. People helped me so why not help people."

After years of work throughout Tamworth's mental health system, earlier this year he became the first manager of the city's new Mental Health Safe Haven, a new drop-in mental health centre in South Tamworth.

READ MORE:

Mr Creighton said he sees the service as just an element of the informal 'mental health system', which is conducted around dining room tables every night of the week.

"This is like a service and it's work and there's positions attached. But in the community, there's so many families who do this stuff day in and day out.

"I gravitated into the clinical role, but there's thousands of local families who do this every night at the kitchen table .... and I just see myself as a part of that."

In just 11 weeks in business, the centre has already helped about 100 people, from all levels of need.

Some were just in need of a chat. Others were on death's door.

"You have someone who comes in the door, they may have an almost identical historical background to the next person, the next person may never contemplate suicide or any suicidal ideation," he said.

"So everybody comes through the door, there is no blanket approach, there is no formula, to A plus B equals C. So the person who comes through, we treat them as the individual they are. And we explore and we sit down with them and talk through stuff and gain information that they share."

Support the local news that keeps you informed - subscribe today.

Open three days a week from 4pm to 9pm, Friday to Sunday, the clinic covers a gap for people who experience a crisis on weekends, when GP clinics aren't open.

Featuring a bright and friendly lobby area, a de-escalation room, and a backyard, the centre is bright and friendly, rather than cold and clinical like a traditional mental health space.

Many of its employees are "peer workers", people who have struggled and overcome their own mental health challenges.

Peer worker Kelli Grace said "there's a lot of understanding" at the Safe Haven.

"The type of understanding that comes from stuff with lived experience," she said.

"We get it and we really care."

Jordan Cattana said it was a great place to work.

He said peer work was a unique type of work, because they could help others with their own experience.

"I've just always been fascinated with the idea of peer work, because I just thought, it's like a way to encourage people, role modeling [the way forward]," he said.

Nick Ryan said no two open days were alike.

"Some days we'll have a dozen or 20 people through on the day and then some days might have one, or two, or three," he said.

Want more local news? Subscribe to the Leader to read it here first

Mr Creighton said the city needed the entire range of services, from the highest-acuity new Banksia mental health unit, down to simple drop-in centres, community health clinics, GPs, psychologists and Headspace.

"Not one place can do everything. And that includes us," he said.

"But working together everyone can do their vital part."

The haven is one of 20 being trialed around the state as part of the state government's 'Towards Zero Suicides' strategy.

The haven is not able to give clinical advice and will aim to refer patients to other services to get them the help they need.

The safe haven is open Friday to Sunday from 4pm until 9pm and is located at 214 Bridge Street.

The service is managed by the Hunter New England Local Health District and funded by the NSW government.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: