Support, Counselling & Useful Websites

Useful apps

  • WYSA (Google Play/Apple store) – an ‘emotionally intelligent’ penguin  that learns to react to the emotions you express. Over time it gets to  know you better and proactively reaches out to help you. It uses  evidence-based CBT techniques to help you feel better. You can chat  with WYSA using text and photo responses. 
  • Headspace is a site which uses meditation and mindfulness techniques  to reduce stress and help relieve anxiety.
  • Calm Harm provides tasks that help you resist or manage the urge to self-harm. It’s completely private and password protected. It uses ideas  from an evidence-based therapy called DBT. The focus is to help learn  to identify and manage your ‘emotional’ mind with positive impact.  The app enables you to track your progress. (Google Play/Apple store) 
  • SAM (Self-help for Anxiety Management) – SAM is a friendly app that  offers a range of self-help methods for people who are serious about  learning to manage their anxiety. (Google Play/Apple store) 
  • Pacifica gives you psychologist-designed tools to address stress,  anxiety, and depression based on CBT, mindfulness, relaxation, and  mood/health tracking. Calm down in moments of stress or anxiety using  deep breathing, muscle relaxation, positive visualization, mindfulness  meditations, and more (Google Play/Apple store) 
  • Moodjuice has lots of information to help you think about emotional  problems, and work towards solving them. 
  • What’s Up? helps you quickly check-in to find perspective with your  thoughts and feelings. When you feel negative thoughts taking over,  use the app to help you overcome them. The app also has grounding  techniques to help you re-center (Google Play/Apple store) 
  • Minded – Free educational resource on children and young people’s mental health for parents and carers. 
  • Stop, Breathe & Think Kids-  is a mindful games app designed for kids  age 5-10. Kids can check how they are feeling using emojis and try  mindful meditations around those emotions. Stickers reward progress  and keep mindful activities engaging. (Google Play/Apple store)
  • Mind Shift can help teenagers and young adults manage their anxiety. Gives useful advice and strategies.
  • CBT Thought diary will help you evaluate, understand and change your  thoughts and feelings. You can identify your emotions, analyze how and  why you’re feeling this way, challenge negative beliefs, and change  your thinking patterns for future situations (Google Play/Apple store) 
  • Catch It – Learn to manage feelings of anxiety and depression with  Catch It. The app will teach you how to look at problems in a different  way, turn negative thoughts into positive ones and improve your mental  wellbeing (Google Play/Apple store) 
  • Worry Watch aims to capture and reflect on momentary self realizations. By logging ‘what might happen’ and then tracking it to ‘what did happen’, we can challenge our perceptions and change  future thought patterns (Google Play/Apple store) 
  • Wellmind is designed to help with stress, anxiety and depression.  Includes advice, tips and tools to improve mental health and wellbeing.
  • The Worry Box helps you manage your worries. Keep a personal  diary in the app. The Worry Box then helps you decide if the worry is unimportant, important, controllable, or uncontrollable. The app  will give you techniques to help manage it, like next steps or coping  statements to tell yourself. (Google Play/Apple store) 
  • SilverCloud is an online course to help people manage stress, anxiety  and depression. You work through a series of topics selected by a therapist to address specific needs. The eight week course is designed to be completed in your own time and at your own pace. 16+ 
  • Sleepio helps people overcome sleep problems. It’s based on  cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Evidence suggests that it can even help people with long-term sleep problems sleep better.  (Google Play or Apple store) 
  • Kids Sleep Dr: The app helps parents understand and improve the  sleeping and waking patterns of children and young people from newborns to teenagers 
  • MindFresh is an App and a website designed to meet the growing  need for better communication and support in children and young  mental and emotional healthcare.

mental health & counselling

  • If families or children are not sure of what Mental Health support is needed, then you can call the Single Point of Access (SPA) on 0300 123 4496 to talk through what information, advice and support might be appropriate. This is also the number to call if a child needs urgent mental health support.
  • For people of all ages needing immediate mental health support, just text the word “Kent” or “Medway” to 85258. This is a new 24/7 text service provided by SHOUT and the Crisis Text Line as part of the Kent and Medway Release the Pressure campaign.
  • Accessing www.moodspark.org.uk or www.kentresiliencehub.org.uk to learn about mental health and find tips and resources to keep emotionally healthy.
  • Texting ChatHealth for support around physical and mental health on 07520 618850. The number is monitored Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
  • Self-referring to the Children and Young People’s Counselling Service at www.kentcht.nhs.uk/forms/school-health-service-referral-form
  • Zero Suicide Alliance is a collaboration of NHS trusts,  businesses and individuals who are committed to suicide  prevention in the UK and beyond. The alliance raises awareness  and provides free suicide prevention training.
  • Papyrus – Are you, or is a young person you know, not coping with life?  For confidential suicide prevention advice contact: Tel: 0800 068 4141 / Email: pat@papyrus-uk.org
  • MindFresh is an App and a website designed to meet the growing  need for better communication and support in children and young  mental and emotional healthcare.
  • Big White Wall – The heart of Big White Wall is its  community of members, who support, help each other and share  what’s troubling them in a safe and anonymous environment. The site is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You can  find support simply by logging on.
  • Kooth offers emotional and mental health support to 11-19 year olds  (or 25 with SEND). Young people choose an avatar and can have ‘drop  in’ chats with a counsellor or therapist, book a 1:1 session, or talk to  other young people anonymously.
  • Mind provides advice, support and information on an extensive set of  topics from sleep problems to suicidal thoughts.
  • The Mix provides support and information for the under 25’s on a range  of topics including, mental health, substances, your body, relationships  and others. Also has a free phone number: 0808 808 4994; and a Crisis Messenger service.
  • Live Well offers advice for improving mental and physical wellbeing for  those aged 17+. Provides useful contact numbers if you are in  emotional distress and require urgent support.
  • Samaritans is a charity dedicated to reducing feelings of isolation  and disconnection that can lead to suicide. You can call Samaritans  free on 116 123 from any phone, 24hrs a day, 365 days a year. You  can also email jo@samaritans.org – someone will reply within 24hrs.
  • ChildLine is a counselling service for children and young people up to their 19th birthday in the United Kingdom provided by the NSPCC. Get help and advice about a wide range of issues, talk to a counsellor online, call us on 0800 1111, send ChildLine an email, or post on the message boards.
  • Mental Health Foundation – Key information around supporting young people with mental health difficulties – also including further links to other organisations & support available
  • Young Minds – NHS services that assess and treat young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties
  • With You – Mind and Body in Kent, supports children and young adults who are self-harming, at risk of self-harming or struggling with their mental wellbeing
  • imoves – offers a structured programme of mental health & wellbeing activities for 5-11 year olds, that puts physical activity at its core (28 day free trial is available to see resources available)

Children’s Mental Health Week Resources

bereavement & loss

  • Holding On Letting Go is a Kent-based charity that helps  children to cope with the death of someone close to them. Tel: 03445 611 511 / Email: info@holg.org.uk
  • Cruse Bereavement Care is the leading national charity for  bereaved people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We  offer support, advice and information when someone dies and  work to enhance society’s care of bereaved people. Tel: 0808 808 1677 
  • Slide Away offers support to children and young people in West  Kent who have been bereaved of a family member or  friend. We also support children and young people who have a  parent or sibling with a life limiting illness. 

SEND

young carers

A carer is someone of any age who provides unpaid support to  family or friends who could not manage without this help. This could be caring for a relative, partner or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or substance misuse problems.  

  • Carers Trust helps young carers to cope with their caring role  through specialised services across the UK

transition & careers