Where to get mental health support – children and young people

To get help for your mental health you'll need to talk to someone who can put you in touch with your local children and young people’s mental health services. This is usually called a referral.

You could speak to:

a teacher or school nurse
a GP
a youth worker
a social worker
a children's doctor (paediatrician)

They may also be able to offer immediate advice and help.

If you’re not sure who to speak to, try talking to a trusted adult who can help.

If you're not comfortable talking to someone, it's often possible to refer yourself to local children and young people's mental health services. This is called self-referral. A parent or carer can also refer you.

If you're a parent or a carer, you can speak to a GP or your child's teacher, school nurse or social worker on their behalf to find out how to get help locally.

Speak to a GP

A GP can talk to you, or your parent or carer, about what options are available to you in your area and refer you to your local children and young people’s mental health services.

If you're a child or young person

Speaking to a GP about your mental health can seem scary, but they are there to listen to you and help you. You may find it hard to find the right words at first. Before your appointment, it can help to write some notes about what help you want and what you want to say.

Make sure you tell the GP as much information as you can about

how you’ve been feeling and what you’ve been experiencing
how long you've been feeling this way, or experiencing this
how it’s affecting your day-to-day life

It’s really important to give as much information as you can. This will help the GP get a better idea of the support you need.

If you are under 16, you may need your parent or carer’s consent to be referred. Tell the GP if you don't want your parents to know.

Young Minds has more information about how to speak to your GP about your mental health

If you're a parent or carer

You can speak to a GP with, or on behalf of, your child. The GP can give you information about different types of support and services that are available locally. They may also want to speak to your child before referring them to a mental health service, but this is not always needed.

Young Minds has more information about speaking to a GP about your child’s mental health.

Speak to someone else, such as a teacher or school nurse

There are also other professionals who can help you get help.

People who can help you get mental health support

You can speak to:

a trusted teacher
a school nurse
a youth worker
a social worker, if you already have one
a children's doctor (paediatrician), if you're already seeing one

They will know what support is available locally and can refer you in the same way a GP can.

You may also be able to get support from your school or college if they have a mental health support team (MHST).

Refer yourself (self-referral)

A parent or carer can refer you to children and young people’s mental health services. Sometimes you can refer yourself.

How to self-refer

To find out if you can refer yourself to a service, you’ll need to contact your local children and young people’s mental health services.

The contact details will be on your local children and young people's mental health services website. You can find this by searching online for "children and young people’s mental health services" and including the county or town you live in.

They will usually have a phone number, email address or form to fill in.

They might ask for information such as:

what mental health difficulties you are having
how they're affecting your daily life - for example, do they stop you going to school or college
how long it's been going on and if it's getting worse
what you've already tried and what helps

Try to give as much information as you can, even if it's difficult or feels very personal. The information you give will help make sure you get the support you need.

Ask when you’re likely to get help

It can be helpful to know how long you might have to wait for support

Find out about waiting for help

Once you've spoken to someone, or have referred yourself to a service, you should be told how long it will take to get help.

If you do not get this information, it can be helpful to ask so that you know what to expect.

For some services, there is likely to be a waiting list. How long you need to wait will depend on the area that you live in and the service you may need.

There may only be a short wait to be contacted for a first conversation, but there may be a longer wait before you start receiving support.

This can be frustrating if you feel you need support sooner, but there are things you can do to help yourself while you wait.

Find out more about looking after yourself while you’re waiting for support

If you have not heard anything after a few weeks, try contacting the service you've been referred to. Ask the person who referred you for contact details, if you need them.

If you’re having difficulty getting referred for help

Getting the support you need may not always be straightforward.

What to do if you're having difficulty

If you cannot get a referral, you can try a different GP, teacher, school nurse or social worker. You can also try referring yourself, if you haven’t already.

It’s important to give the person referring you as much information as you can about how you’ve been feeling or what you’ve been experiencing.

If they're unable to refer you to one service, there may be other services that can help.

If you still cannot get a referral or the support you need, there are people who may be able to speak up for you or give you advice. This is called advocacy or being an advocate.

You can find out more about advocacy from:

Mind – a mental health charity providing information and support
Patients advice and liaison services (PALS) - an NHS service providing confidential advice and support which you can contact through your local hospital

You can also do your own research into local services that may be able to help you.

You can:

check the youth wellbeing directory on the Anna Freud Centre website
search for local services on the Youth Access website
visit GOV.UK to find your local authority to see if they provide any other mental health services

If you need to speak to someone straight away, find out where to get urgent help for your mental health.