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.
Arklow Springboard Family Support Service
Arklow Springboard Family and Support Service are part of the Daughters of Charity Child and Family Service. They use a ‘meitheal’ approach (community based approach) to supporting individuals. They have a project worker to support families and also provide individual therapeutic support for young people if needed. They work specifically with individuals engaged with drug misuse and teen parents.
Artane Coolock Family Resource Centre
Artane/Coolock Family Resource Centre is a registered charity based in Artane and serve the communities of Coolock and Artane and surrounding areas. Artane/Coolock FRC 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 and a play therapy service for children.
AsIAm
AsIAm is Irelands autism charity. They offer a rang of supports and resources for young people with autism and their family/carers on their website. They also offer an autism information line each Monday to Thursday 10 am to 3 pm @ 0818 234 234, email support can also be accessed at support@asiam.ie. They also offer talks, training and programmes to upskill professionals working with young people with autism.
Aspen Counselling Services Lucan Ltd.
Low cost counselling service based in the heart of Lucan, working with over 40 therapists offering a variety of counselling for adults, teens, families and children.
Aspens Counselling and Family Life Centre
Provides afforable counselling for various issues including adolescent counselling, addictions, childhood trauma, emotional crisis, depression, anxiety, bereavement/loss, eating disorders, anger mangement, minfulness and so on.
Aspergers Anonymous
Aspergers Anonymous® is a fellowship of people with Asperger Syndrome and their families that offers free regular meetings and a programme to practice social interactions, acceptance and positive thinking.
A youth club for young people with Aspergers meets regularly.
Aspire
Supports individuals diagnosed with asperger syndrome, operate a family inclusive model to support the sutistic individual and their support nework. Advocate for autistic people and provide them with tools to advocate for themselves
Aster Family Resource Centre
Aster Family Resource Centre (FRC) have locations in Balbriggan and Coolock and it serves Artane, Balbriggan, Baldoyle, Ballyboghill, Coolock, Darndale, Garristown, Howth, Lusk, Malahide, Oldtown, Portmarnock, Raheny, Rush, Santry, Skerries, Swords and The Naul. The FRC works with communities and individuals to improve outcomes around parent and family support. The FRC offers a donation-based counselling service to those over the age of 18 as well as play therapy for children.
Athlone Family Resource Centre
Aim to create a community where people from Athlone can engage in all elmenets of family and community life, develop resilience and manage life challenges effectively. Provide a variety of therapy services such as Meitheal, family support, bereavement support, non-violent resistance, adolescent counselling, play therapy
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.