News

As children and young people are preparing to go back to school or college – in some cases for the first time since lockdown – health and care organisations across Lancashire and South Cumbria are reminding them of the mental health support available.

Kooth is a free, online counselling and emotional wellbeing platform which is available to young people aged 10-16 years across Lancashire. The service allows young people to gain anonymous access to advice, support and guidance on any issue that is affecting their mental health and wellbeing.

We are a team of trained counsellors working across Preston, Chorley, South Ribble, Fylde and Wyre. We support young people aged 11-18 to resolve emotional difficulties through the delivery of 1-2-1 counselling and group workshops.

People are more likely to experience mental health problems during national emergencies, like this pandemic, and those who already have mental health problems can be the most affected. Therefore the national charity founded in 1946, Mind, has released a survey to find out the impact coronavirus is having on mental health, how people are currently accessing advice, and to better understand how they can support people during this time.

In these uncertain times, when children can feel especially anxious and worried, the staff at Grosvenor Park School in Morecambe are doing everything they can to not allow this virus to affect the mental health and emotional wellbeing of their pupils.

At these uncertain times, it is natural for your child to feel anxious or worried. If you would like some advice on how to talk to them, please take a look at these tips from World Health Organization.

Chorley Council have recently teamed up with Preston’s College to work with their media students, who have produced some brilliant videos to highlight the issues facing young men when it comes to addressing and opening up about their wellbeing.

Mental health conditions affect about 1 in 10 children and young people, with 75% of mental health problems in adult life, excluding dementia, starting before age eighteen. Given this, it is perhaps unsurprising that young people consistently identify mental health as a priority issue.