Resources for Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing

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Self-harm: A Guide for young people

Self-harm: A Guide for parents and carers

NHS Greater Manchester have created this advice for young people, parents and carers about why people may self-harm, how to talk about it and strategies to help young people manage their emotions:

If a child has taken an overdose or needs urgent medical help call 999 (or take them to the nearest A and E)
If you need urgent mental health support or advice, call CAMHS 24 hour mental health helpline 0800 014 9995 or contact your GP for advice
If you have noticed physical injuries such as deep cuts or burns contact 111.nhs.uk or your GP for advice.

MindShift is a free app designed to help teens and young adults cope with anxiety. It can help you change how you think about anxiety. Rather than trying to avoid anxiety, you can make an important shift and face it. Lists symptoms of anxiety. Offers strategies to manage worry, panic, conflict, ordinary anxiety, and three specialised categories of anxiety: test anxiety, social anxiety, and perfectionism. Also contains relaxation exercises.

MindShift for Android. MindShift for iPhone.

Child Bereavement UKoffer support for young people (up to the age of 25) when someone important to you has died or is not expected to live, and parents and the wider family when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying.

Child Bereavement UK

Beat is the UK's eating disorders charity, their website has lots of information about eating disorders and advice on getting help and how to talk to people.

Beat eating disorders

Samaritans volunteers listen in confidence to anyone in any type of emotional distress, without judging or telling people what to do.

Phone 08457 90 90 90 (24 hours, 7 days a week) or Samaritans

YoungMinds Parents’ Helpline is a free, confidential helpline for any adult who is concerned about the emotional problems, behaviour or mental health of a child or young person up to the age of 25.

Phone: 0808 802 5544

YoungMinds Crisis |messenger provides free 24 hour crisis support. Text YM to 85258. Texts are free from most phone networks.

ChildLine is the UK’s free helpline for children and young people. It provides confidential telephone counselling service for any child with a problem. It comforts, advises and protects.

Phone: 0800 1111 (24 hours, 7 days a week) or ChildLine

SHOUT provides free, confidential, 24/7 text message support for anyone struggling to cope and anyone in crisis.

Text SHOUT to 85258 OR SHOUT

Papyrus runs a national helpline, HOPELineUK, including text and email services, staffed by a team of mental health professionals who provide practical help and advice to vulnerable young people (under 35 years) and to those concerned about any young person who may be at risk of suicide. Hopeline UK is for young people experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Call 0800 068 4141, 9am to midnight every day of the year or Papyrus

Online and face to face support groups, workshops and mindfulness sessions.

Calm Connections

Offer a self-care hub where you can access lots of tips and resources to support your own wellbeing.

Home - Mind

Have centres in London and Manchester and support young people and families with mental health conditions. Their parent champions have shared more advice about the importance of self-care.

Anna Freud

SuperBetter is a free web and app-based programme created by game designers. Playing SuperBetter helps build personal resilience: the ability to stay strong, motivated, and optimistic even in the face of difficult challenges. Resilience has a powerful effect on health - by boosting physical and emotional well-being. SuperBetter is for young people over the age of 13 who want to feel happier, healthier, and more able to reach their goals.

SuperBetter on Google/ Android. SuperBetter on Apple / iPhone.

SmilingMind is modern meditation for young people from 7 years up. It is a free web and App-based program, designed to help bring balance to young lives. Smiling Mind was created in Australia and is aimed at helping young people de-stress and stay calm. There are tailored programmes for different age groups.

SmilingMind on Google/Android. SmilingMind on Apple/iPhone.

Kooth is a free, safe and anonymous online support and counselling service to support emotional and mental health support for children and young people aged between 11 – 24 years and is available up to 10 pm every day.

Kooth

Mental Health First Aid England is an educational course focusing on young people’s mental health and how to identify, understand and help a young person who may be developing mental health problems

MHFA England

To complement the existing MindEd e-learning, dynamic new resources have been produced to provide expert information that families can trust. MindEd for Families provides materials for parents and carers of children and teens struggling with mental health issues, covering such topics as: What to do in a crisis, parenting difficult children, everyday parenting and keeping ourselves strong.

MyTutor teen mental health guide for parents

Rise Above helps 11-16-year-olds build emotional resilience by equipping them with knowledge and skills to deal with pressures they may face. It also provides an online platform through which young people can converse with peers alongside professional support.