Teens Mental Health
Anxiety and low mood can be a normal part of teenage years. There are many pressures on teenagers today; online, in school, in peer groups and in families. There's lots of help and advice available but finding it can be hard. The Moatfield Website has a teenager section with useful links on it specifically for teens; this page is dedicated to Teenagers' Mental Health.
Did You Know...?
In School Support
Most Secondary Schools have emotional wellbeing teams. You could speak to your head of year or look at your School Website for emotional wellbeing resources and in-school support.
School Nurses
The School Nurse can also be seen through your school or, if you are 11-19m you can contact the school nurse service by texting them on 07840635424
The School Nurse can assess young people with a variety of health and mental health concerns, and refer them on to the appropriate service such as CAMHS if this is needed.
Find It Out
There are Find It Out centres across West Sussex, our closest in Crawley, that are open for you to go into for lots of aspects of life including education, employment, housing, finance and mental health support.
Single Point of Access (SPoA)
Single Point of Access brings together lots of services that support young people's mental health and emotional wellbeing so that rather than referring yourself to several different services, and telling your story many times on multiple forms, you can just refer yourself once using the SPoA online form!
You can complete the form yourself, or it can be completed by your parents/carers or a professional like a teacher or a doctor on your behalf.
The information you provide on the form will be shared with CAMHS, YMCA Dialogue and Youth Emotional Support (YES) so they can make a decision about which service is right for you.
Counselling
Counselling and Talking Therapies can benefit people going through all sorts of different situations. It helps to talk through your problems, but sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger than it is to talk to a friend or a parent.
In West Sussex, the counselling service is called YES (Youth Emotional Support Service) and can be accessed by referring yourself using the SPoA form mentioned above.
Alternatively, Private Counselling can be found via Counselling Directory, linked below. All counsellors on this website are accredited.
Talking About Mental Health
Sometimes finding the right way to start a conversation about mental health can be difficult. We have sourced some resources to help you to start a conversation about your own mental health, or with someone you are worried about.
The Black Dog series of books and videos is a useful way to try to understand depression and low mood better.
This video looks at it from the perspective of having depression.
Another video from the Black Dog series is Living With a Black Dog, which gives advice for those living with someone who has depression.
Support if you are in a Mental Health Crisis
If you are struggling with your mental health, reach out to a trusted adult - a parent / carer / teacher for support, they will want to know that you are struggling and want to help.
There are lots of services out there to listen to you, help you deal with the thoughts and feelings that are burdening you and weighing you down.
If you do not to talk to someone over the phone, you may prefer to take a look at some of the trusted websites and apps below. Or have a look at the E-Wellbeing website, where they have even more help and support options for you.
Phone for Support:
Papyrus
Papyrus are a suicide prevention charity and have a "Hope line" for advice
Call 0800 068 4141
ChildLine
ChildLine is a free phone line for children for advice and support.
Call: 0800 1111
Samaritans
Every ten seconds, The Samaritans respond to a call for help. No judgement. No pressure.
Call: 116 123
Websites, Apps and Resources
Support for Family Difficulties
There are a number of charities, local and national that support families going through difficulties.
Last Updated 30/11/2023