A new online counselling and support service for young people aged 11 to 18 years is now available in Bradford district and Craven. The online service, called
Kooth - kooth.com, provides safe, anonymous online support for young people with emotional wellbeing needs or emerging mental health issues.
The service aims to provide an early response to, and identification of emotional wellbeing and mental health problems, leading to improved well-being, prevention of symptom escalation and provision of the right care at the right time. It is intended for children
and young people with emotional wellbeing and/or emerging mental health problems, many of whom will require a low level/targeted/short-term intervention. It also aims to engage with children and young people who may be hard to reach and who may not engage
with services through traditional routes.
Service hours:
- The digital platform, which is available on any web-enabled, internet connected device (including laptop, smart phone, tablet) is available 24/7, 365 days a year. This includes features such as messaging the team, static forums and magazine articles.
- Scheduled and ‘drop-in’ counselling sessions take place between midday-10pm, Monday to Friday and 6pm-10pm Saturday and Sunday; these are available 365 days a year.
- On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, a live moderated forum will take place in the early evening.
The services available via the Kooth website include:
- A live chat function which is staffed by a qualified counsellor
- A messaging function, monitored and managed by counsellors, emotional wellbeing practitioners and media workers,
- Static and live topic-focused forums;
- An online magazine containing a wealth of topic specific resources, from mental health specific topics to more general subjects such as holidays, family, and relationships;
- Crisis information and self-help resources.
Please disseminate this information to staff working with children and young people to make them aware that this service is available.
Further information:
If you require any further information about the service please contact:
Lisa Stead - Interim Service Manager,
OPMH/LD/CAMHS/Physical Health Team,
Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust
lisa.stead@bdct.nhs.uk