Youth mental health support services
Local Services
Below you will find a range of local mental health services along with details of the areas in which they provide specialist support. Click on the name of the service provider for more information and for details of how to contact them.
| Service | Mental Health | Homlessness | Sunstance misuse | Debt and Financial Advice | Parent and Carer support | Counselling | Domestic abuse | Sexual health advice and support |
| Mental Health Access Line | Yes | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| CAMHS | Yes | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| N-Compass | Yes | - | - | - | - | Yes | - | - |
| Key Unlocking Futures | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | - | Yes | - | - |
| Myplace Lancashire Wildlife Trust | Yes | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Lancashire Mind | Yes | - | - | - | - | Yes | - | - |
| The Zone | Yes | - | - | - | Yes | - | - | - |
| SLEAP | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - |
| Lancashire Young Carers | Yes | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes |
| The Trust House | Yes | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes |
| SafeNet | Yes | - | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes |
| Nest Lancashire | Yes | - | - | - | - | - | - | Yes |
| POUT | Yes | - | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | |
| We Are With You | Yes | - | Yes | - | - | - | - | - |
| Lancashire Positive Minds | Yes | - | - | - | Yes | - | - | - |
Mental Health Access Line
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Trust - Crisis support
The Mental Health Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is staffed by trained mental health professionals who are able to provide assessment and referrals to appropriate services. Call if you need to access services or for advice about someone who needs treatment/support.
There is also a Wellbeing Helpline & Texting Service, available Monday to Friday 7pm - 11pm and Saturday to Sunday 12pm - Midnight, staffed by volunteers and those with lived experience, that offers emotional support. If you want to chat about your mental health or are lonely etc. call 0800 915 4640 or text 'Hello' to 07860 022846.
CAMHS
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust - Children's Mental Health Services
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) offers a wide range of support for young people who experiencing mental health difficulties, and their families.
It can accessed by a process of referral. CAMHS receive referrals from a wide range of sources including GPs, social care, paediatricians, other CAMHS teams, educational psychologists, head teachers and school nurses.
The teams can also be contacted directly to gain advice, support or signposting. The service can be accessed free of charge and waiting lists are currently averaging 12 weeks.
N-Compass
The Butterfly and Phoenix Project
The Butterfly and Phoenix Project provides one-to-one counselling (6-8 sessions) to young people aged 11-18. Counselling helps young people to explore triggers to their issues and helps them to identify and utilise alternative coping mechanisms.
Please note that this is an early intervention, prevention service and cannot provide support in crisis situations. The Butterfly and Phoenix Project only operates during school term time and this will affect waiting times.
Key Unlocking Futures
This organisation supports families in South Ribble where stresses within the family put young people at risk. The project will lead to stronger family relationships, improved communication and emotional wellbeing. Key Unlocking Futures can support with employment, tenancy, family conflict and more.
Myplace Lancashire Wildlife Trust
MyPlace Lancashire Wildlife Trust
Myplace is an exciting and innovative ecotherapy project delivered by the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside in partnership with the Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust.
Myplace empowers people and their communities to connect with local environments in order to learn new skills, build resilience, meet new people and improve their physical health and mental wellbeing.
Enjoy new sessions every week, led by trained members of staff. These sessions can help you to take steps to improve your health and wellbeing, meet new people, learn more about nature and the outdoors and enhance your CV.
Lancashire Mind
Lancashire Mind offers the community advice, guidance and resources for mental health and wellbeing. Calls are answered between 10am-4pm Monday to Friday.
You can also download a referral form (Word doc) [290KB] for Children and Young People's Virtual Wellbeing Coaching sessions (open to young people aged 10-18).
The Zone
The Zone is a safe space that aims to provide young people with information and advice about the range of local services that are available. The service is available for 13-19-year-olds, and up to the age of 25 years for young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
SLEAP
SLEAP works with a holistic approach to preventing homelessness and its awful consequences, with the aim of seeing young people thrive and fulfil their potential.
As young people build up their chances of success in life, they reduce the likelihood of future dependence on services as adults. However, everybody's outlook is different which is why SLEAP offers a range of services to help in ways that are relevant to each person's needs and strengths including tenancy support, wellbeing activities and counselling.
Lancashire Young Carers
If you are under 18 years old and care for someone with a physical disability, mental health problem and/or drug and alcohol problem then your local Barnardos Team can provide you with information and support to enable you to feel valued and confident in your caring situation.
The Trust House
The Trust House supports people affected by any kind of sexual violence or abuse to move through and beyond their experience.
As well as person-centered support, The Trust House works with a range of different organisations and community groups to prevent, educate and increase awareness of the impact of sexual violence and abuse.
SafeNet
If anyone in your family or others that you know are abusing, controlling, harassing or violating you, SateNet can help. You don't have to deal with this alone. SafeNet offers a safe place to stay if needed, along with support, guidance and practical help to create a safer, happier and healthier future for you. SafeNet offers inclusive, non-judgemental and respectful services to women, children and men.
Nest Lancashire
0300 111 0323 or text NEST to 60777
Nest Lancashire has been set up to support young people aged 8-18 who have been affected by crime or subjected to bullying, threats or harassment.
You can talk to Nest Lancashire in confidence and all services are free of charge. Nest Lancashire's aim is to help you recover from whatever it is you have experienced and their trained, friendly staff will be able to help you move forward and feel safe again.
POUT
Some young people who identify as LGBT can experience a lack of support, awareness and acceptance from their family, friends and other people in their lives.
LGBT groups can provide additional advice, support or a safe space to meet other young people who have had similar experiences.
Lancashire LGBT supports a number of groups and activities across Lancashire which provide a diverse range of opportunities for LGBT people. The website provides details of support groups, volunteering, events and an Information and Support Helpline.
It includes the South Ribble POUT youth group run by Lancashire County Council for young people aged 12-19.
We Are With You
This service is for you if you're under 25, living in Lancashire and worried about either your own drug or alcohol use, or someone else's.
Lancashire Positive Minds
For parents/carers. Come along to the group, meet with others in similar situations and get both peer and professional support in a confidential, safe environment. The group is very much parent-led but professionally supported by Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and experienced people who can provide support, advice, guidance, practical tips and strategies, topic discussions and guest speakers all whilst you can have some time for you and have a cup of tea/coffee!
The Children and Family Wellbeing Service
The Children and Family Wellbeing Service (CFW) offers support to children, young people aged 0-19+yrs (0 - 25yrs for SEND) and their families across Lancashire.
The service identifies as early as possible when a child, young person or family needs support, helping them to access services to meet their needs, working with them to ensure the support offered is right for them, is offered in the right place, and at the right time.
Barnardos
Barnados helps children through the trauma of sexual abuse and exploitation.
They provide support for young people in care - and don't forget about them when they leave the care system.
Barnados gives children caring for a loved one the help and support they deserve.
And that's not all. Barnados' specialist workers support families through domestic abuse, mental health problems, prison sentences, asylum seeking and much more.
Barnardos also amplifies the voices of young people to influence Government on the issues that affect their lives, fighting their corner and making sure their voices are heard.
Minds Matter
Minds Matter is a wellbeing service offering a range of free psychological therapies to people aged 16 and over in Lancashire. It is part of the nationwide Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service delivered by Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust.
1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. Many of us go through difficult times in our lives, which can leave us feeling worried, anxious or depressed and feeling unable to cope. Minds Matter offers a range of brief therapeutic interventions to support people's differing emotional needs. This includes online, telephone and face-to-face treatment and therapy options.
All treatment is FREE and provided by the NHS and their partners.
Child Action North West
Child Action North West looks after children and young people who cannot live with their birth family or friends: sometimes for a few weeks, months and quite often until young people reach age 18 and older. CANW offers support to the most vulnerable children and young people in local communities; children facing poverty, violence, abuse, neglect and family breakdown.
Children and Young People's Bereavement Support Group
This project aims to support children and young people to develop the confidence and skills to consider their emotions and express themselves.
The group aims to help young people understand and express their grief and loss in practical and creative ways, encourages them to talk openly about their thoughts, feelings and behaviour, and supports them to work through painful issues.
It takes different approaches to meet each child or young person's individual needs, on their own journey, and encourages children and young people to respect and learn from others with similar experiences without judgement.
Lancashire Inclusion Service
Lancashire County Council's Lancashire Inclusion Service offers advice and support from their specialist teachers, educational psychologists, assessment team and specialist social workers. They can help with a range of issues like sensory impairment, transitions, how to request an education, health and care plan, and personal budget.
National Helplines & Services
CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably)
0800 585858 (webchat also available)
CALM offer confidential, anonymous and free support, information and signposting through the helpline or webchat. People can talk through a wide variety of issues including abuse, addictions, anger, depression, bullying, eating disorders, sexuality, work issues, racism, bereavement, suicide, divorce and more. The website holds information on a range of issues and lists national organisations offering support with some of these issues. Helplines are open 5pm-midnight
NSPCC - ChildLine
ChildLine is a service for children and young people up the age of 18. The helpline team provide support, counselling and advice and refer children in danger to appropriate sources of help.
Young people can contact ChildLine about any problem, including family relationship issues, bullying, school and college, physical abuse, sexual abuse, anxiety, self harm, mental health, sexual identity, sex and relationships, life issues, autism, online and mobile safety, addictions, friends, eating problems, crime and the law, racism, support after ChildLine.
Calls are confidential and will not appear on the phone bill, including mobiles. Further support includes online chat and 'Ask Sam' problem page.
PAPYRUS - HOPELINEUK
0800 068 41 41 or text 07786 209697
HOPELINEUK is a specialist telephone service staffed by trained professionals who give non-judgemental support, practical advice and information to children, teenagers and young people up to the age of 35 who are worried about how they are feeling.
They also offer advice to anyone who is concerned about a young person. HOPELINEUK is free to call and free to text.
YoungMinds
0808 802 5544 (parents helpline)
Confidential online and telephone support, including information and advice, to any adult worried about the emotional problems, behaviour or mental health of a child or young person up to the age of 25.
Samaritans UK
Samaritans UK offer a safe place for you to talk any time you like, in your own way - about whatever's getting to you. Samatrians won't judge you or tell you what to do, but will listen to you 24/7.
Kooth
Kooth is a free and confidential site available 24/7, with a variety of different resources and activities to support mental health.
There is the opportunity to have a free counselling session for one hour per week as well as peer-to-peer support groups, forums and much more. Online only.
Snow Camp
Text BREATHE to 85258
Snow Camp's Stop, Breathe, Think offers young people up to 12 one-hour counselling sessions. Service users are allocated six sessions to begin with and can be allocated up to another six if their counsellor feels they might need more support. There are also 'wellbeing drop-in' sessions available for young people who are struggling in between their counselling sessions. All sessions take place virtually (phone, text or videocall). For young people up to 21 years of age.
Youth Mental Health Apps
Finding Our Voices
Finding Our Voices is an online community containing helpful and inspiring articles relating to selective mutism. All articles in the magazine and on the website blog are either written by the author or sent in by people who have first-hand experience of the disorder. Finding Our Voices have magazines that include: Interviews with SM organisations such as SMIRA and the Selective Mutism Group, coping techniques, readers poems, stories and articles, your experiences with SM, and raising awareness/fundraising.
Calm
App for meditation and mindfulness. Provides guided meditations to help manage anxiety, lower stress and increase quality of sleep. The app also contains 10-minute guided video lessons on mindful movement and gentle stretching.
Headspace
Guided meditation for anxiety, stress, focus and sleep. For children and adults. App includes mindfulness-related blogs.
Stay Alive
Quick access to national crisis support helplines, as well as local resources. The app includes a mini-safety plan generator, life-saving tips to stay safe and/or help others at risk of suicide, a suicide myth buster and life box (storing life affirming photos and images.).
Mood kit
Developed by clinical psychologists, Mood Kit deploys cognitive therapy techniques to help improve mood, and overall wellbeing.
The app is divided into four main sections: activities, thought tracker, mood tracker, and mood kit journal. The activities section provides more than 150 mood-lifting activities.
BlueIce
BlueIce helps young people manage their emotions and reduce urges to self-harm. It includes a mood diary, a toolbox of evidence-based techniques to reduce distress and automatic routing to emergency numbers if urges to harm continue.
BlueIce is a prescribed app. It should only be used alongside a face-to-face intervention provided by a mental health worker. Check with your local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) to see if they subscribe to BlueIce.
Calm Harm
Calm Harm is based on the principles of dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) - a type of talking therapy that's often effective in people with mood disorders.
The app provides tasks that encourage users to distract themselves from urges to self-harm and help manage their 'emotional mind' in a more positive way.
Catch It
Catch It uses cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help you change the way you think and feel about things.
It records and rates your mood, asks you to take a moment to reflect on what you're thinking, and asks you to think about a better way of dealing with a problem.
Student Health App
The Student Health App offers plain-talking reassurance, information and advice on more than 125 topics relevant to students in areas ranging from first aid and mental health to staying safe at university and accessing health services.
The app can be used offline, so the content is always available. It can also be customised for specific universities by adding links to local support services.
Stress and Anxiety Companion
Stress & Anxiety Companion uses cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help you change the way you think and feel about things.
Use the app to help manage your stress and anxiety, at home or on the go, with breathing exercises, relaxing music and games.
The app helps you identify your anxiety and stress triggers and transform negative thoughts into positive ones. You can turn your positive thoughts and statements into feel good photo cards, which can be shared with family and friends.
Sleepstation
After completing a 7-day sleep diary, Sleepstation will review your information and provide personalised advice to help you tackle your sleep problems. By understanding what is keeping you awake and reviewing your progress regularly, you should be sleeping better within 3 or 4 weeks.
Sleepstation is available on the developer's website. It is free to access in England through GP referral, or you can sign up for one of the courses offered - with prices starting at £95.
SilverCloud
SilverCloud uses cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help you change the way you think and feel about things. Once registered, you work through a series of topics chosen by your therapist at your own pace, where and when it suits you.
The therapist will check in with you about once every two weeks during the course to review your progress. The course features videos, activities, quizzes, audio guides and your own online journal.
SilverCloud is only available via an NHS referral, or through some non-NHS organisations such as universities. Contact your local mental health services to see if SilverCloud is available as a free NHS treatment.
MeeTwo
With MeeTwo, you can post messages about any issue you're struggling to cope with. You'll receive supportive responses from other teenagers and guidance from MeeTwo experts designed to build confidence, increase wellbeing and improve emotional resilience.
Every post and reply is moderated to make sure only positive feedback is published.
The app contains advice and information on a variety of subjects, as well as a directory of specialist support groups that can offer further help.
distrACT
The distrACT app aims to help you better understand urges to self-harm, and encourages you to monitor and manage your symptoms. It can also help reduce the risk of suicide.
There's advice and support information, including emergency contact numbers, how best to work with healthcare professionals, and safer alternatives to self-harming.
In the app's Chill Zone you can find resources that may help you feel better, including art, books, films, music, poems, quotes, stories and online videos.
Feeling Good
Feeling Good uses relaxation, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and resilience-building techniques from sport to help improve positive feelings, self-esteem and self-confidence. To get you going, the app offers 4 free audio tracks combining soothing music with gentle coaching.
The main offering is the 12-track Positive Mental Training audio programme, which is available as an in-app purchase. This programme has been used by the NHS in Edinburgh for the last 12 years to help recovery from stress, anxiety and depression.
The app allows you to set reminders to listen to the tracks, as repeated listening is believed to build resilience and help reinforce the skills learned in the programme.
Sleepio
Sleepio is an online sleep improvement programme. It has been clinically proven to help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep through the night, and give you more energy during the day if you follow the programme correctly.
The programme is based on cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTi). You can use it to learn cognitive techniques to help tackle the racing mind and behavioural strategies to help reset sleeping patterns naturally, without relying on sleeping pills. You can then download the app, which is designed to supplement the online programme, free from the App Store.
Sleepio is available at no cost from some IAPT talking therapy providers. Big Health can let you know if there is a programme is available in your area.
7 Cups
7 Cups connects you to caring listeners for free emotional support. Explore self-help guides and growth paths for proven tips and advice on how to feel better.
Free 24/7 Chat - be heard by volunteer listeners and chat with others who understand in support chat rooms. The app has listeners available especially for teens, so you can chat confidentially whenever you need to.
You can also join lively teen community forums and chat rooms to share with peers who understand what you're going through. Get support and make new friends along the way.
SAM - self-help for anxiety management
SAM is an app to help you understand and manage anxiety. It will help you to understand what causes your anxiety, monitor your anxious thoughts and behaviour over time and manage your anxiety through self-help exercises and private reflection.
The 'social cloud' feature will enable you to share your experiences with the SAM community while protecting your identity.
Smiling Minds
Free mindfulness app to practise daily mindfulness exercises, developed by psychologists and educators.
Smiling Minds will help you practise meditation in order to: reduce worries, anxiety and distress; enjoy more energy; create a sense of calm; learn how to relax and regulate emotions; enhance awareness and creativity; improve concentration and increased productivity; develop a sense of empathy and connectedness; and enjoy better health and sleep.
WellMind
WellMind is a free NHS mental health and wellbeing app designed to help you with stress, anxiety and depression. The app includes advice, tips and tools to improve your mental health and boost your wellbeing.
MindShift
Designed to help teens and young adults cope with anxiety, MindShift can help you change how you think about anxiety. Rather than trying to avoid anxiety, you can make an important shift and face it.
MindShift will help you learn how to relax, develop more helpful ways of thinking, and identify active steps that will help you take charge of your anxiety.
This app includes strategies to deal with everyday anxiety as well as specific tools to tackle: sleep, riding out intense emotions, perfectionism, social anxiety, performance anxiety, worry, panic, conflict.
Brain in Hand
Brain in Hand's professional support system gives people easy access to personalised digital self-management tools and human support. It helps with remembering things, making decisions when anxious or confused, and coping with unexpected events.
Suitable for people with a range of neuro diverse and mental health difficulties, Brain in Hand improves confidence, enables people to cope with anxiety, and increases independence. It also reduces demand on carers and support services.
Brili
The ultimate system to help families with children stay on task and on time every day. Features easy setup, guidance, rewards, voice prompts and real-time monitoring.
Recently recommended by ADDitude magazine in 'The ADHD Guide for Mobile Apps and Digital Tools' and positively rated by ORCHA, a world leader in health app reviews and prescription services.
Using Parent Mode on your own device or on the child's, parents set up routines from templates or from scratch to help their child through each part of their day, such as the steps to get ready for school. No matter what devices your family has, Brili syncs across all of them in real time.
Brili displays kids' routines as a game in Kid Mode, showing them what's next, how much time they have left, and prompting them at the appropriate times to keep them on track. Parents can monitor in real time from a separate device, from anywhere.
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