We’ve put together some suggestions for things you can do to support your mental health, information about who you can talk to if you’re worried, plus resources for parents and carers. We also have pages with specific resources if you live in Somerset, or in Wiltshire and Swindon.
If you’re coming to the end of your time with us and you’re wondering what else you can get involved in, visit the What’s Next page. Here you’ll find information about activities, volunteering, career ideas, financial support and more.
If there’s anything we can help you with or you need someone to talk to please get in touch with the YAT team.
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Parents and Carers
- Family Lives: Advice on lots of different things from bullying to family breakups for both parents and young people.
- Kidscape: This website offers advice and guidance for both parents and young people in regard to bullying, cyberbullying, and being safe online.
- YoungMinds: A website offering advice and guidance on everything mental health, from bullying to supporting a friend. It also offers tips for how to cope, outside resources for further support and advice to parents.
- Teen Mental Health guide for parents: A great resource for parents to better understand teen mental health challenges covering areas such as anxiety around exams, cyberbullying and more.
- The NSPCC Net Aware guide is an excellent tool to check how safe all those apps, games, and social media sites are for your young person. Simply type in the name of the app or search their extensive list of popular apps.
- The Child Mind Institute have written an article giving advice on how to support teenagers and young people with a wide range of issues and concerns.
- The NSPCC has a hub of information for parents and carers including things like mental health, online safety, talking about difficult subjects and parenting advice.
- UK Coaching: Support for parents helping children get more active.
- Emerging Minds: Aims to reduce the prevalence of mental health problems experienced by children and young people. The site has resources, research, news and events.
- Mental Health UK: Gives expert tips on how to manage your mental health, with regularly updated information and support.
- stem4org: A useful resource for parents, it contains conversation starters, tips on communication, how to support with a variety of worries or concerns and some useful digital resources such as apps and websites.
- Gingerbread: A website dedicated to supporting single parents.
- Single Parents: A website with support and advice for single parents.
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Young People
Wellbeing Support
- Kooth: A free, safe and anonymous place for young people to find online support and counselling. They have a very short video explaining everything they offer here.
- Shout: Shout is the UK’s first and only free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging service for anyone who is struggling to cope.
- Tellmi – A platform for young people to share mental health challenges anonymously and receive community based support from peers. All group chats are moderated and safe, and professionals are on hand to provide extra support if needed.
- Stem4 – A selection of free apps created by mental health professionals to support young people with managing different mental health challenges
- Ask Sam – NSPCC service where you can ask a question about things you’re worrying about. There are regular posts and a searchable archive.
- Young Minds: advice and guidance to young people on mental health challenges. Offering tips for how to cope, and offers further resources for further support.
- A list of 14 support services promoted by the NHS that can help if you are feeling worried.
Bullying and Online Safety Support
- Familylives.org.uk: This website offers resources and guidance for both parents and children of all ages. Looks at many different types of bullying including cyberbullying.
- Kidscape: Offers free 90-minute workshop for young people aged 9-16 who are dealing with a bullying situation or have experienced bullying. They provide young people with a range of tools to help manage bullying situations. They also provide a supporting online session for parents and carers, which will take place shortly after the young people’s workshop.
- Childline: Offers online advice and guidance on bullying and building confidence and self-esteem.
- CEOP: Offer advice on safer internet use for 11-18 year olds. From safer socialising to exploring your identity, find safe ways to do so online.
Self Care Strategies
- The 10 Days of Happiness Challenge is run by Action for Happiness and is a great way to help you feel better.
- Mind’s 5 ways to wellbeing: Offers some simple steps which you can do every single day.
- Self help guides: A collection of downloadable self-help guides, endorsed by mental health professionals. The guides include advice on Mindfulness, Anxiety, Stress, Self-esteem, Self-harm, Resilience and lots more.
- Strategies developed by other young people: A selection of self-care strategies that have been developed by young people to help manage their own wellbeing. Everything from challenging negative thoughts to using yoga and exercise.
- Headspace: An app that trains your mind for a healthier, happier life by reducing daily anxieties and stresses.
- Calm: An app that offers guided meditations and sleep stories to ease stress and improve sleep
- We’ve created a handy friendship flyer which gives tips on making new friends, keeping friendships going and patching things up, how to have good quality conversations and recognising signs of unhealthy friendships. You can download the flyer here, or ask your Programme or Mentoring Manager for a printed copy.
- You can also contact the YAT team if you need someone to talk to about any worries.
