Youth Mental Health Signposting Tool
What is it?
The youth mental health signposting tool aims to provide young people, parents, caregivers, and those working with young people, with reliable up to date information on where to access supports and services at both a local and national level for a variety of mental health issues.
To use it, simply select the issue affecting your mental health or the mental health of the young person you are supporting and the area in which you live.
Services
You can narrow your search by choosing a region, a service offered, or both.
Athlone- Midlands Rape Crisis Centre
One-to-one counselling, free phone counselling, long or short term counselling for victims of sexual violence/sexual abuse. Available to young people from 14 to 18 years of age, both male and female. No fee – donation based.
Athy Community and Family Resource Centre
Aims to support families and individuals in Athy, provides many services aimed at all members of the community. Provides counselling for those 18+, family support services, money advice and budgeting services, substance abuse groups and employability services.
Autism Awareness Rosscrea
Voluntary group formed to provide information and supports to families living with autism. Aim to raise awareness about autism to the wider community while developing facilities and services to respond to need. Provides a community hub for people on the autism spectrumto meet for social interaction and recreation. Provide regular parent meetings, recreational activities for children and adults with autism, informational talks for parents/grandparents/siblings of those on the autsim spectrum. Provides access to sensory AAR hub
Aware
Aware are the national organisation providing free support, education and information services to people impacted by anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and related mood conditions. Aware provide support, information and training, online and in person, to people over 18 years who are experiencing depression, anxiety and related conditions.
They run a Freephone HELPLINE seven days a week 10am – 10 pm, the number is 1800 80 48 48.
Access online support on supportmail@aware.ie, which provides a next-day response (Monday- Friday). For people with someone in their life experiencing depression or bipolar disorder, their Relatives Education Programme can be booked on their website
Bagenalstown Family Resource Centre
General Counselling. Art Therapy. Support Group – Rainbows Spectrum Programme (Separation & Bereavement). Strengthening Families Programme. All free of charge.
Baldoyle Family Resource Service
Baldoyle Family Support Centre is in the heart of the community of Baldoyle and serves the surrounding area and community. Baldoyle FRS works with communities and individuals to improve outcomes around children’s education, youth development and parent and family support. The centre offers a low-cost counselling service from the ages of 12 to adulthood along with an extensive range of other mental health supports & services.
Ballina Family Resource Centre
Ballina Family Resource Centre is in the heart of the community of Ballina and serves the town and surrounding areas. The FRC works with communities and individuals to improve outcomes around children’s education, youth development and parent and family support. The FRC provide a low-cost one-to-one counselling service for adolescents aged 12-18 years.
Ballincollig Family Resource Centre
Ballincollig Family Resource Centre (FRC) is located in the heart of the community of Ballincollig and serves the town and surrounding areas. The FRC works with communities and individuals to improve outcomes around children’s education, youth development and parent and family support. The FRC offers a low-cost counselling service as well as play/art therapy along with a range of other supports & services.
Ballyally Family Resource Centre
Community support service. Supporting and prioritising individuals and families most at risk, encouraging them to participate in programmes, activities and services to promote social inclusion and anti-poverty. Offers low cost counselling service.
Nationwide Services
Teen Line
The ISPCC operates Teenline, a national active listening service for children and young people up to the age of 18 in Ireland.
Teenline can be contacted 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, by calling 1800 833 634.
The service is free to contact and is confidential, non-directive and non-judgmental
The Irish Aftercare Network
The Irish Aftercare Network provides advice and support to people working with care leavers in Ireland. This service is available to people aged 18+ that have left care.
Turn2Me
Turn2Me provides an online 3 tiered approach to supporting mental well-being to people aged 18 years and over. It includes an online Self Help programme, Peer Support through online support groups, and Professional Support in the form of free online counselling. This online counselling is also free to Irish citizens living abroad.
Twxt About It- 50808
Text About It is a free, anonymous, 24/7 messaging service providing everything from a calming chat to immediate support for mental health and wellbeing.
Text About It provides a safe space where you’re listened to by a trained volunteer. You’ll message back and forth, only sharing what you feel comfortable with. By asking questions, listening to you and responding with support, they will help you sort through your feelings until you both feel you are now in a calm, safe place
Walk In My Shoes
Walk in My Shoes (WIMS) is the flagship awareness-raising and education campaign of St Patrick’s Mental Health Services (SPMHS).
They run a number of campaigns and events throughout the year to promote positive mental health, and there are tonnes of ways that teachers and students can get involved, spark conversation, tackle stigma and foster wellbeing.
Key activities include the following-
Working to promote positive mental health, to tackle mental health stigma and to change how people, particularly young people, think about mental health.
They offer free wellbeing resources for:
• young people
• parents and guardians
• primary school and secondary school teachers to use in the classroom.
Youth Advocate Programme (YAP) Ireland
The Youth Advocate Programme (YAP) provide intensive, needs-led, wraparound, focused support to children, young people and families who are struggling with a range of issues in their lives. YAP Ireland matches community-based advocates with those referred, leading to more positive engagement and outcomes. The organisation has a disability and mental health intensive support service that provides a 12-month programme to young people aged 8 – 18 years and their families who require support in achieving their goals. The Independent Advocacy Service is provided to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and adolescent in-patient units. A Crisis Intervention service is also available for young people at particular risk. YAP is a nationwide service operating in 22 counties from their 5 centres, details of which can be found here https://yapireland.ie/contact-yap-ireland/
The development of the YMHS tool
In 2015, the NYHP recognised the need to capture the voice of the sector in more depth through a rapid mental health needs assessment. One of the key findings from the Mental Health Needs Assessment was the need to support organisations, practitioners, and young people to access appropriate services. The Youth Mental Health Signposting tool was developed in response to this need.
The tool was revamped in 2024 to meet the emerging needs being communicated to the NYHP by Youth Workers and other professionals through consultation and engagement in the programme’s training and workshops.
We endeavour to keep this tool up to date. However, we are aware that new services and initiatives are being developed and launched all the time.
If you have a new service or an existing one not currently on the tool that you believe should be included, please add your information below.
Many thanks
The National Youth Health Programme would like to acknowledge the time, input and resources provided by a range of organsiations which contributed to the development of Youth Mental Health Signposting tool.
Disclaimer
The content of Youth Mental Health Signposting is provided for information purposes only. The National Youth Council of Ireland is not responsible for any interaction or outcomes between a client and a service provider listed. The NYCI does not endorse any professional or programme included in it map.