WORCESTERSHIRE Health and Care NHS Trust – the main providers of mental health within the county – is reminding young people who may be living with mental health issues, and their families, of the help that is available to them early, to prevent issues getting worse.
The Reach4Wellbeing service offers support for people aged five to 19 years old experiencing emotional difficulties such as anxiety, low-mood and self-harm.
The service offers short-term group support programmes and most of the work is carried out in the school community as opposed to a clinical environment.
The team also work closely with School Health Nurses, Health Visitors and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Team (CAMHS).
It is estimated one in ten young people is living with a diagnosable mental health issue and since the service began in 2017 the Reach4Wellbeing Team have seen around 300 people in the county. Young people who have previously used the service have described it as ‘super supportive’, ‘amazing’ and said ‘it helped me to realise I’m not on my own.’
There is also an online service available called Kooth which allows people to chat online to a counsellor .This can be accessed via mobile, tablet or desktop computer and is free. This service is available to children and young people without a referral from a medical professional.
Visit www.hacw.nhs.uk/Reach4Wellbeing for more information about the services.
