Parents, carers, families

Kooth is a free, safe, and anonymous online platform where young people can access mental health support whenever they need it. Delivered in partnership with the NHS, Kooth is available to anyone between the ages of 10 to 25 in Kent and Medway. 

Kooth offers a comprehensive range of services specially designed to offer young people support in different ways. Everyone is different; at Kooth you can choose from different types of support to suit your needs.

Live text chat and messaging
Users can chat with trained counsellors and emotional wellbeing practitioners from 12pm to 10pm on weekdays and 6pm until 10pm on weekends. We are open 365 days a year, even on Christmas Day and other public holidays*

Self-help activities
Kooth provides a variety of self-help activities that users can engage in at their own pace. These activities are designed to help manage stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues.

Informative articles
The platform hosts a library of articles written by both professionals and peers. These articles cover a wide range of topics relevant to young people's mental health and wellbeing.

Journaling and goal-setting
Kooth offers tools such as journaling and goal-setting to help users track their progress and manage their mental health more effectively.

To access support, please visit kooth.com.

Kent Therapeutic Alliance

The Kent Therapeutic Alliance is an emotional wellbeing support service for children and young people, led by Salus.

We support:

• Children and young people aged 4 to 17
• Young people up to 25 in some circumstances (please enquire for more detail).

You can access this service if you:

• live in Kent, and/or attend a Kent education setting and/or are registered to a Kent GP.

How we help

The Team provides support tailored to your needs, and can help you:

• feel understood
• build resilience
• develop coping skills.

We offer different types of support, including:

• online/digital/ telephone
• in person (groups first approach).

Our support is:

• short-term (6 to 12 weeks at a time)
• goal-focused.

 Referrals and accessing support

All referrals are made through our referral form, which can be completed online, by phone or on paper.

We will guide you to the most appropriate pathway to make sure the right support is in place.

Workshops, drop-ins and wider support

We also offer:

• workshops
• drop-in sessions.

To find out more information, including how to make a referral, take a look at our  website . 

The Kent Therapeutic Alliance is:

Delivered by

On behalf of

In partnership with

Kent Therapeutic Support Service

Salus also run the Kent Therapeutic Support Service which is an emotional wellbeing support service for children and young people. 

The Therapeutic Support Service is available for children and young people experiencing mild to moderate wellbeing needs who:

• Are aged 4 (school entry age) to 18 (up to 19th birthday)
• Live in Kent or attend a Kent education setting.

What does it offer?

This service provides a wide range of support options depending on your needs and wishes.

Some examples of the areas we can provide support for are:

• mild anxiety or low mood
• anger difficulties
• exam stress
• issues in managing behaviour
• attachment and relationship difficulties with family and peers
• emerging self-harm
• self-esteem, self-confidence, and resilience difficulties
• bullying.  

We are led by you so, support may be group-based or 1-1 and can be offered face-to-face, virtually or via telephone; in spaces you feel most comfortable in.

We will guide you to the most appropriate pathway to make sure the right support is in place. This may mean you are offered support from the Therapeutic Alliance and/or the Therapeutic Support Service.

To find out more information, including how to make a referral, take a look at our  website . 

Delivered by

On behalf of

 

Medway Therapeutic Alliance

The Medway Therapeutic Alliance is an emotional wellbeing support service for children and young people, led by North Kent Mind. 

We support:

• children and young people aged 5 to 18
• young people up to 25 who have SEND or are care leavers.

You can access this service if you:

• live in Medway, and/or are in the care of Medway Local Authority.

How we help

The Team provides support tailored to individual needs, and can help you:

• feel understood
• build resilience
• develop coping skills.

We offer different types of support, including:

• online/digital
• in person (groups first approach).

Our support is:

• short-term (6 to 12 weeks)
• goal-focused.

Referrals and accessing support

All referrals are made through our referral form, which can be completed online , by phone or on paper.

We review every referral and focus on the voice of the child or young person, putting their goals first.

Families do not need to choose a specific service. We will guide you to the most appropriate pathway to make sure the right support is in place.

Workshops, drop-ins and wider support

We also offer:

• workshops
• drop-in sessions.

Sessions support better understanding of emotional wellbeing and are advertised on our website schedule, with information on how to access.

To find out more information, including how to make a referral, take a look at our  website . 

The Medway Therapeutic Alliance is:

Delivered by

On behalf of

In partnership with

Medway children's mental health

The Medway children's mental health website signposts to local mental health services in the Medway area.

Visit the website.

 

Children and Young People's Mental Health Services (0-18 years in Kent and 0-19 years in Medway) run by Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust.

If you, or a young person you're supporting, is finding that mental health difficulties are getting in the way of everyday life - things like going to school, seeing friends, or enjoying usual activities - specialist help is available.

If you, or they, are not currently receiving support from Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust, please complete  this form . A mental health professional will review the information to make sure the support offered is the best fit for individual needs.

Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust's specialist services may not be right for everyone. When this is the case, they work closely with trusted partners across Kent and Medway that offer a range of emotional and wellbeing support. If another service is better placed to help, they will signpost to them.

If you, or the young person you're supporting, is already receiving treatment from Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust please call your local office. You can find their details  here.

If you, or the young person you're supporting, needs help with Learning Disabilities, Autism, ADHD, Tics and Tourette's syndrome please visit Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust's website to find out more about  how they or other organisations can help or how to seek a diagnostic assessment . There is a lot of help available that does not require a diagnosis to access.

Eating disorders

If you, or a young person you're supporting, wants help to overcome an eating disorder there is specialist help available. Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust offers a specialist eating disorder service for anyone aged 8 years or older and can help with:

• Anorexia nervosa
• Bulimia nervosa
• Binge eating disorder
• Other specified feeding or eating disorder
• Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).

Please visit their website  for more information on how they can help, how to ask for help or make a referral.