Mental health support teams - guide for teenagers

Looking after your mental health is just as important as looking after your physical health.

We work in schools and colleges to support you, especially if you’re feeling anxious, low, stressed or overwhelmed.

When your mood or worries build up, it can affect school, friendships, sleep, motivation and how you feel day to day.

We can help you make sense of what’s going on and learn practical ways to make things feel more manageable.

Support isn’t only for when things feel hard, we can also help you build skills to look after your wellbeing and cope with future challenges.

We support you in different ways: one-to-one sessions, small groups, workshops and assemblies. This depends on what you,
your school or college needs.

If we think a different service would be a better fit, we’ll talk this through with you (and your parent or carer where appropriate) and explain what help is available and how to access it.

We also work with school and college staff to strengthen the support for all students.

Our aim is to help you feel more in control, more confident, and better supported - whatever you’re dealing with.

Before we work with you, we’ll explain what support we’re offering and check you’re happy to take part.

This is called consent - it means you can ask questions, decide what you want to share, and say yes or no to activities. You can also change your mind at any time.

Most of what you tell us is confidential (private). We won’t share it with other people - including school staff or your parent or carer - unless you agree.

The only times we may have to share information without your permission are when we’re worried about safety. For example, if you or someone else could be seriously harmed.

If this happens, we’ll talk to you about what we need to share and who with, whenever it’s safe to do so.

You can be referred to us if you, your parent or carer, or a member of school staff feels that some extra support could help.

Before we can work with you, we will need consent (permission). We’ll explain what this means and answer any questions.

Someone in school will usually speak with you to understand what’s been going on and what you would like help with. We can also speak with your parent or carer if needed.

The school will share the referral information with us.

We’ll review the information and discuss it as a team to decide what support might help.

We’ll then speak with you (and your parent, carer and school where appropriate) to agree the next steps together.

If your referral is accepted, we’ll arrange an assessment appointment. This is a conversation with a mental health practitioner to understand what’s been happening, what matters to you, and what you’d like to change.

It isn’t a test, and there are no right or wrong answers.

We may also speak with your parent or carer to get a fuller picture and to think together about the best support for you.

We’ll listen to your views and work with you to agree a plan that feels realistic and helpful.

Your safety is really important to us. Early on, we’ll ask about any worries or risks - for example self-harm, thoughts of suicide, feeling unsafe, or anything else that could affect your wellbeing.

If needed, we’ll work with you to make a safety plan and agree who else needs to be involved to support you.

We usually offer 6-8 sessions. They last around 30-60 minutes and are with a mental health practitioner.

Most sessions are one-to-one, but sometimes we may involve your parent or carer if that feels helpful and you agree.

Our work is often based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT is a practical approach that helps you notice patterns between thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and try new ways to improve how you feel. For example, with anxiety, low mood or stress.

If anything is unclear, or you have worries after reading this information, speak to your school’s mental health lead or your mental health support team practitioner. You can also talk to a trusted adult in school.