Supporting the Emotional Health and Wellbeing of Young People
General Information & Advice on Emotional Health and Wellbeing
Emergency/Immediate Crisis Support
The following services do offer support to individuals who feel they are a serious risk to themselves or others, or those in immediate danger:
Samaritans for 24/7 support and someone to talk to. This service is free and confidential. Phone 116 123
Sussex Mental Healthline for support and information if you are worried about your mental health. Mon-Fri 5pm to 9pm, 24 hours at weekends and Bank Holidays - phone 0300 5000 101
You can call the NHS 111 service if you urgently need help or advice but it is not a life-threatening situation
The Mental Health Rapid Response Service is a rapid assessment service for people suffering from mental health problems who are at risk and may not be able to keep themselves safe, or are considering attending A&E for help with their mental health. Available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Call 01273 242220
For emergency situations always call 999 or visit the local Accident & Emergency.
Right Here Brighton & Hove Support Guide for Parent and Carers
Right Here Brighton & Hove is an innovative health and wellbeing project led by volunteers aged 16-25. They support young people age 13 – 25 across Sussex in a range of ways, from offering free resilience building activities to making films and websites, from creating awareness raising campaigns to carrying out innovative research and consultation projects. They have produced an excellent Support Guide for Parent and Carers who are trying to support a young person who is struggling with their emotional and mental health. Find it via the link above.
YoungMinds is the UK’s leading charity committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of young people. Parents will find a wealth of information on their Parents Page, including details of a free and confidential helpline.
Mind provide advice and support to empower people experiencing a mental health problem. They have a fantastic A-Z of Mental Health and free, downloadable guides to many mental health issues, including a guide to seeking help which contains some useful advice on how to support someone else with their emotional and mental health.
e-wellbeing (was Find Get Give)
e-wellbeing is a digital wellbeing service for young people run by YMCA DownsLink Group. Our aim is for all young people to be able to access the right support and information around their emotional health and wellbeing, in the right place at a time that is right for them.
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents - rospa.com
We need to make sure we and our loved ones are safe from serious injury, wherever they are and whatever they are doing during the pandemic emergency. That’s why RoSPA has launched the Accident Free, Avoid A&E campaign to help keep everyone free from serious accidental injury in this new world.
rnli.org Beach 2020 helpful advice that will help to keep your family safe on the beach, from inflatables and rips to calling for help.
The Sussex Safer Roads Partnership offers free New Drivers Awareness workshops for young people in Brighton & Hove. The New Driver Awareness workshop (NDA) is designed to increase new drivers’ skills on the road, through informal and interactive workshops delivered by Road Safety professionals, and is perfect for those who have recently passed their driving test.
Shout is the UK’s first 24/7 text service, free on all major mobile networks, for anyone in crisis anytime, anywhere. It’s a place to go if you’re struggling to cope and you need immediate help. Shout is powered by a team of volunteers, who are at the heart of the service. We take people from crisis to calm every single day. Shout exists in the US as ‘Crisis Text Line’, but this is the first time the tried and tested technology has come to the UK. The anonymised data we collate gives us unique insights into mental health trends to help improve people’s lives.
If you’re experiencing a personal crisis, are unable to cope and need support, text 'Shout' to 85258. If your life is in imminent danger, please call 999.
We can help with urgent issues such as:
- Suicidal thoughts
- Abuse or assault
- Self-harm
- Bullying
- Relationship challenges
We will always try to respond to texters as quickly as possible, however our responses will be longer at times of high demand. We will always respond to high risk texters as a priority. If you are at imminent risk call 999 and if you need another form of support, please review other support agencies here – Heads Together.
Anxiety & Panic Attacks
Mind’s Guide to Understanding Anxiety and Panic Attacks.
This is a reliable source of information about anxiety disorders in children and teenagers.
Contains a page specifically for Family, Friends and Carers.
Royal College of Psychiatrists
Here you can find a Mental Health and Growing Up leaflet.
Bereavement
Grief Encounter is one of the UK’s leading bereaved child charities, providing free, pioneering services and support to bereaved children, young people and their families.
HopeAgain is the youth website of Cruse Bereavement Care, a national charity providing support, advice and information to children, young people and adults when someone close to them dies.
Providing free bereavement support for loss to Cancer or Covid-19.
County Lines/Criminal Exploitation
SPACE - Stop & Prevent Adolescent Criminal Exploitation - Campaigning to raise awareness of County Lines (Child Criminal Exploitation) and to keep all children and young people safe from criminal and violent harm.
Depression
Mind’s Guide to Understanding Depression.
Students Against Depression is a website offering advice, information, guidance and resources to those affected by low mood, depression and suicidal thinking, including the experiences and strategies of students themselves.
Eating issues
Beat is the UK’s leading eating disorders charity. Their website includes advice and support for people who are worried about someone.
Men Get Eating Disorders Too is a charity specifically focussed on supporting men with eating disorders.
Exam stress
Advice for parents and carers from the NHS.
The exam stress advice from Student Minds is targeted towards university students but is still relevant to 16-18 year olds.
Papyrus, the national charity for the prevention of young suicide, has helpful tips for both students and parents.
Family Relationships
www.capauk.org - Capa – First Response: is an online platform for parents/grandparents/carers and professionals dealing with a child or adolescent who is using violent or abusive behaviour in the home.
Capa – (Children or Adolescent to Parent Abuse) launched its new website to help breakdown the isolation many parents or carers talk to us about, when their child is abusive or violent towards them. We have resources and strategies available for those who cannot access local support as well as provide professionals working with families support and advice.
Relate have a Family Life and Parenting section on their website with lots of practical advice on how to tackle common teen issues, including drugs and alcohol, sex and relationships and mental health. They also offer free, instant online chat with a counsellor.
Provided by Sussex Police - If you have been affected by domestic abuse, stalking or any other crime, please note support services are still available.
A parenting programme featuring a toolbox of ideas, choose the strategies you need.
Family Mediation at YAC is a supportive services to mend relationships and restore communication for 14-18 year olds and their parent(s)/carer(s).
The Young Carers Project – support for any young person who cares for someone else.
Online Safety
The button has been developed to offer anyone living in the UK a simple and convenient mechanism for gaining access to reporting routes for commonly used social networking sites, gaming platforms, apps and streaming services alongside trusted online safety advice, help and support.
ThinkUKnow is an educational programme from the National Crime Agency’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP). Information, advice, resources and a reporting function are all available via their parents/carers page.
UK Safer Internet - Resources for 11-19's
UK Safer Internet Centre - Parents and Carers
parentINFO help and advice for families in a digital world in collaboration with NCA-CEOP
LGBTU+
Allsorts Youth Project provides a range of services for LGBTU young people and supports them to take in lead in raising awareness of, and challenging, prejudice and discrimination. The Parents and Carers section of their website contains information, resources and details of a support group for parents and carers.
Please see the new LGBTQ Online Safety Guide it aims to empower young people and give them the tools to protect themselves online.
Brighton and Hove SHAC can provide support for everybody on the LGBTU+ spectrum and connect you to other places in the city that can provide services and advice. They also run a specialist sexual health clinic called Clinic T for people who are trans and non-binary, as well as a specialist sexual health clinic called Clinic M for gay and bisexual men.
Loneliness / Isolation
Mind's Tips for Living with Loneliness.
Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, supporting children and young people coping with unexpected endings and loss
Self Harm
Talking about Self Harm, the guide produced by Right Here is available both online and as a download.
The National Self Harm Network provides a 24/7, closely monitored online forum which aims to reduce the emotional stress and improve the quality of life for people who self-harm. The forum provides crisis-support, information, resources, advice, discussion and distraction.
Self Harm UK is a project dedicated to support young people who self harm, including a 6 week online programme for anyone aged 14-18 who would like the opportunity to engage with trained staff and be challenged to think differently about self harm. Young people can self-refer and participation is completely free of charge. Self Harm UK is also currently working to develop practical resources for parents.
LifeSIGNS (Self Injury Guidance & Network Support) is an online, user-led organisation providing information and support to people of all ages who are affected by self harm, including guidance for family and friends.
Calm Harm is an NHS-approved app that helps people self-harm less often or not at all. The app was developed for teenage mental health charity stem4 by Dr Nihara Krause, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, using the basic principles of an evidence-based therapy called Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT). Calm Harm provides tasks to help you resist or manage the urge to self-harm. You can make it private by setting a password, and personalise the app if you so wish. You will be able to track your progress and notice change.
BlueIce is a prescribed evidence-based app to help young people manage their emotions and to reduce urges to self-harm. It includes a mood diary, toolbox of evidence based techniques to reduce distress and automatic routing to emergency numbers if urges to harm continue. BueIce was developed by Paul Stallard from Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and co–produced by young people with lived experience of self-harm.
Sexual Health & Relationships
SWISH provides information for young people about sex, sexual health and relationships. There is information about staying safe and a guide to local services, as well as a page specifically for parents and carers.
BHASVIC is part of the C-Card scheme run by NHS SHAC, which enables us to register students for the free app which gives them access to free condoms from pick up points across the city. SHAC also provides various services to support Under 25's with their sexual health choices, as well as provides free STI testing kits that can be sent to their home address.
Sleep Hygiene
These NHS links are both good if your young person is having sleeping issues:-
Sleep Self-assessment and LiveWell Sleep
Substance Misuse
ru-ok? Young People's Substance Misuse Service works with under 18’s whose lives are affected by substance misuse, including support for parents and carers to effectively engage with and support young people in this situation.
Keep Calm and Talk Campaign created to encourage parents and carers to start conversations with their young people around smoking, drinking and drugs, and to provide them with tools to make this easier and so help reduce the harm caused by substance misuse. You can find facts, tips and ideas for how to start the conversation and see what other parents and carers have said.
Suicide Prevention
Papyrus offers advice and support to people who are worried about someone feeling suicidal
Grassroots Suicide Prevention is a Brighton based charity who work locally and nationally with individuals, organisations and communities to support people at risk of suicide. The resources section of their website is excellent and has lots of links to further information and support.
The Samaritans are available 24/7, every day of the year.
Need further (non-emergency) support?
A GP would always be an excellent first point of call for support with any mental health enquiries. They can offer information, advice and support and can also refer to a range of other specialist services if required.
A mental health drop in is available at the YMCA’s Youth Advice Centre (YAC), every Monday at 4-8pm for 11-25 year olds in need of support, information, and advice around mental health, and parents, carers and friends concerned about a young person’s mental health. The focus of the drop-in sessions will be to offer low level emotional wellbeing support and to signpost and refer to local mental health, counselling and support services. The drop-ins will take place at YAC, 11 St George’s Place, Brighton, BN1 4GB, and be facilitated by emotional health workers, YAC advice and support staff, and other mental health professionals.
Online chat support and counselling can be accessed via these links:
Brighton & Hove residents West Sussex Residents
The Youth Advice Centre in Brighton offers a range of services including emotional and wellbeing support.
The Young People’s Centre in Brighton offers free counselling to young people living in or around Brighton & Hove.
The FindItOut Centres across West Sussex can offer information, help and support to young people on a wide range of issues. Some offer their own counselling services. Students should visit the centre closest to where they live.
Students wishing to find a private counsellor should look at the above links where they can search for therapists in their local area. There are advanced searches if you wish to filter the results to therapists working with different age groups, and with different specialties etc.