Accessing mental health support
Accessing mental health support
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Mental health problems in childhood are very common, affecting around 1 in 10 children. They are even more common amongst disabled children. We have compiled an overview of local services to help parents access the right support at the right time.
This is not a comprehensive list – for example, we have not included services that only cater for adults, or services that only cater for specific subgroups, such as children in care, or LGBT+ young people. You can find information about these other services on the Sheffield Mental Health Guide.
A Mind Apart
Who for: Children, young people and adults. They specialise in working with anxiety, depression and trauma and can support those with eating disorders, OCD, ADHD and autism.
Offer: Drama and creative therapy and wellbeing sessions. Mix of paid services and funded community projects.
Who can refer: Anyone, including self-referrals
Contact: admin@amindapart.org.uk / 0114 232 1172
CALM
Who for: Anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts, who has lost someone to suicide, or who is worried about someone who may be suicidal
Offer: They have a range of tools and resources on their website and run a helpline staffed by a professional team who are available to chat from 5pm to midnight every day
Who can refer: n/a
Contact: Helpline 0800 58 58 58 (LiveChat and WhatsApp also available, see website)
CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service)
Who for: Children and young people up to 18 years with significant mental health difficulties which do not respond to first-line treatments provided by professionals like GPs, social workers or learning support mentors; complex cases which require a team assessment; children experiencing severe symptoms and/or marked disruption to their functioning at home and/or at school. If the problem mainly occurs in school, the school should initially refer to MAST or Educational Psychology.
Offer: Comprehensive assessments; identification of treatment goals and the most appropriate care pathway; specialist therapeutic evidence-based treatments, which may involve working individually with the child, with the parents or with the whole family and the wider system around the child
Who can refer: GPs, Social Workers, Educational Psychologists, Paediatricians and Clinical Psychologists at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, MAST Primary Mental Health Workers
Contact: See website for details
Chilypep
Who for: Young people aged 14-25 years living in Sheffield who want to help improve mental health support and services for other children and young people
Offer: No direct counselling or mental health support, but runs a group called STAMP, which meets at 5-7pm every Monday at a city centre location. The group looks at existing mental health support, reflects on experiences and gathers feedback from other young people in order to influence change across the city and further afield.
Who can refer: No referral needed
Contact: info@chilypep.org.uk / 0114 234 8846
Community Mental Health Team
Who for: Adults aged 18-65 living in Sheffield who have substantial and complex mental health needs which cannot be met by primary care or the Sheffield Talking Therapies Service.
Offer: Advice on managing mental health problems. This might include assessing needs and helping people get support from the most appropriate service or agency.
Who can refer: GP and primary care
Contact: North: 0114 2716217 / South: 0114 2716451
Door 43
Who for: Young people aged 13-25 years with low-level social, emotional, practical or health-related issues. Not suitable for those who are in crisis and/or need medical treatment
Offer: Drop-in service for one-to-one support on Wednesdays, 11am-4pm; weekly wellbeing café with activities on Tuesdays, 5pm-7pm; structured one-to-one support; access to counselling provided by Interchange; information, advice, guidance, signposting and supported referrals to other services; sexual health information and advice; direct access to substance misuse support; practical support
Who can refer: Drop in at the above times, or contact them touch for a referral form for structured one-to-one support (parents, professionals or self-referrals)
Contact: Door43@sheffieldfutures.org.uk / 0114 201 2760
Educational Psychology
Who for: Children and young people aged 0-25 years, where there are concerns that they have additional educational needs that are not being met. For mental health this might be difficult, demanding or concerning behaviour or symptoms of mental health difficulty that are affecting progress in school or prevent regular school attendance.
Offer: Consultation support for schools; psychological assessments and reports; guidance for staff about interventions to enable children and young people to learn effectively and be included
Who can refer: Any school or setting, including colleges, can request involvement from an Educational Psychologist with parental consent.
Contact: educational.psychology@sheffield.gov.uk / 0114 250 6800
Family Intervention Service (formerly known as MAST)
Who for: Children and young people aged 0-19 years with emotional health and wellbeing issues, such as low mood, anxiety and stress, anger, low self-esteem impacting body image, bereavement, insecure attachment, superficial self-harm
Offer: Group work; one-to-one sessions if there are additional issues, such as children missing school, children with challenging behaviour, families experiencing poverty or long-term unemployment, etc. Advice, signposting and resources for parents. Family Intervention Workers are supported by Primary Mental Health Workers, who include social workers and mental health nurses (not trained psychologists).
Who can refer: Any professional, parents and young people themselves
Contact: See website for details
Golddigger Trust
Who for: Young people aged 11-18 years wanting support with their emotional wellbeing
Offer: Weekly drop-in sessions, one-to-one mentoring and befriending, five-week courses about managing emotions, separate self-esteem courses for boys and girls, sexual health advice
Who can refer: Any professional, parents and the young people themselves
Contact: info@golddiggertrust.co.uk / 0114 327 1191
Kooth
Who for: Young people aged 10-25 years wanting support around their emotional wellbeing and low-level mental health issues. Must be able to read and write, as all the support is delivered through a website.
Offer: Online counselling (one-to-one instant messaging sessions), either on a “drop-in” basis or as regular sessions with a named, qualified counsellor; peer-to-peer support through moderated online forums; “Ask Kooth” messaging service, where young people can ask questions and get a response within 24 hours; plus a range of self-help tools.
Who can refer: Self-referral only
Contact: www.kooth.com
No Panic Sheffield
Who for: Adults 18+ with a mental health problem
Offer: Weekly online and in-person peer support groups for people with anxiety, depression and low mood, and their support workers and family members.
Who can refer: Anyone, including self-referrals
Contact: nopanicsheffield@gmail.com
Ryegate Clinical Psychology
Who for: Children aged 2-16 years who are under the care of the Ryegate Neurodisability Service, where there are concerns about their emotional and behavioural progress that require a detailed assessment and intervention plan
Offer: Assessments and interventions; parent workshops on social stories, and on understanding and managing anxiety / anger in children with autism
Who can refer: Ryegate doctors, nurses and therapists. The team works closely with CAMHS to identify whether Ryegate or CAMHS would best meet the child’s needs. There is often a long wait for this service, and the team will try to ensure that all other suitable forms of support have been accessed before putting a child on the waiting list.
Sheffield Mind
Who for: All of their free services are open to adults (18+) who live in a Sheffield postcode and are registered with a Sheffield GP. There is also a free course for young people aged 16-18 years who need help understanding and dealing with their emotions, particularly anger. In addition, MIND offer paid counselling and therapy services for children, young people and adults.
Offer: Counselling services and group therapy, plus a wide range of practical and emotional support, e.g.: football group, skills-building courses, peer support workers, support groups, guided self-help programmes, weekly phone calls, help with managing a personal budget, anger management courses, help with hoarding issues.
Who can refer: Most of their services can be accessed through self-referral. Others (Health Outcomes, Community Connecters, Peer support) require a professional referral.
Contact: info@sheffieldmind.co.uk / 0114 258 4489
Sheffield Support Hub
Who for: Anyone aged 16 and over
Offer: Free mental health support, delivered one-to-one or in groups via face-to-face appointments, phone calls, online video consultation and email.
Who can refer: Self-referral and professional referral
Contact: 07890 987 384 / sheffieldsupporthub.mhm@nhs.net
Sheffield Talking Therapies (formerly known as IAPT)
Who for: Anyone aged 18 and over who lives or works in Sheffield
Offer: Groups, one-to-one therapy and online support for people who are experiencing stress, anxiety and low mood, or who are living with a long-term physical health condition.
Who can refer: Self-referral and GP referral
Contact: See website / 0114 226 4380
SYEDA (South Yorkshire Eating Disorder Association)
Who for: Young people aged 16+ who are affected by mild to moderate eating disorders, and their friends and family members
Offer: One-to-one therapeutic and practical support, including talking therapies, occupational therapy and support groups
Who can refer: Self-referral
Contact: info@syeda.org.uk / 0114 272 8822
Young Minds
Who for: Young people, their parents and professionals
Offer: Website with resources for young people on a wide range of mental health conditions; comprehensive information on accessing CAMHS as a young person; crisis messenger – text YM to 85258 (available 24/7); free advice and support for parents if they are worried about their child’s mental health via the website; free parents’ helpline (0808 802 5544, Mon-Fri 09.30am-4pm) and webchat.
Private therapists
Going private is not an option for everyone because it can be expensive. If you decide to look into private therapy for your child, then the Counselling Directory is a good place to start; you can search it for therapists in your area who work with children. Always make sure that the therapist is registered with a professional body, and get clarity about their charges before you commit to paying for therapy. You might want to ask how much they charge per session, whether they offer reduced rates for people on low incomes, whether they offer a free introductory session and whether they charge for missed appointments.
Schools also have the option of using their delegated budgets to purchase staff training and therapeutic input for their students from private therapists, and we believe that some schools in Sheffield do this.
Useful websites
The Sheffield Mental Health Guide is a website with information about mental health services, support and activities for children and adults in our city.
Epic Friends is a website developed by Sheffield CAMHS for children and young people with friends who have, or might have, mental health problems.
Young Minds is the UK’s leading charity fighting for children and young people’s mental health. They also run a parents’ helpline (0808 802 5544).
Hub of Hope is a searchable database listing local, national, peer, community, charity, private and NHS mental health support and services.
Mencap have information about mental health problems in people with a learning disability
Resources for professionals
The NSPCC has advice and training for professionals on recognising and responding to mental health issues in children.
The Coram Group have produced a free mental wellbeing toolkit for primary schools. The toolkit contains resources and activities which aim to help children: connect with others; be active; take notice (mindfulness); learn and create; and give to others.
Urgent help (available 24/7)
NHS 111: To get urgent mental health advice from the NHS, call 111 and select the mental health option. 111 will tell you where you can get help. They may also be able to put you through to a trained mental health professional over the phone. 111 can support anyone who is feeling unsafe, distressed or worried about their mental health. They can also give information and advice about what to do if you’re worried about someone else. If you would rather get help online, you can use 111 online.
Samaritans: Whatever you’re going through, you can contact the Samaritans for support. This is a listening service and does not offer advice or intervention. Call 116123 for free from any phone.
Shout: Shout is a free, confidential, 24/7 text support service for anyone in the UK who is struggling to cope. To start a conversation, text the word ‘Shout’ to 85258. Trained Shout Volunteers are available to listen at any time of the day or night and messages won’t appear on your phone bill.
Papyrus: Offers confidential advice and support if you’re struggling with suicidal thoughts, and information about how to make a safety plan. Its helpline service is available to anybody under the age of 35 experiencing suicidal thoughts, or for anyone concerned that a young person could be thinking about suicide. Call 0800 068 4141 or text 88247.
Please note: The information in this article is provided for reference purposes only. It is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications or abilities of any individual or organisation listed. Inclusion in this article does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SPCF; nor does omission imply disapproval.
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