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.
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
Vita House Family Centre
Centre founded on a commitment to social inclusion, innovation and regard for the diverse expressions of family life. Provides a welcoming, safe, compassionate environment for thousands of families in the county. Offers a variety of services such as individual, group and family therapy at an affordable price as well as cancer support, suicide bereavement supports, rainbows, community outreach, counselling and psychotherapy.
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.
WASP- Whitechurch/Rathfarnam
WASP (Whitechurch/Rathfarnham Addiction Support Programme) is located in Loreto Community Facilities Project. They offer one to one counselling (provided by an independent counsellor) for people touched by drug and alcohol dependency, Relationship problems, Loss and bereavement. They also offer Life Skills workshop, Family Support, Family Mediation, Men’s Support Group, Arts & Crafts, Personal development and Adult education groups all of which are dealt with in strict confidentiality. There is a sliding scale charge for the services.
Waterford Autism Social and Sports Action (WASSA)
Supporting children with ASD through a range of social and sporting actvities and help them to navigate various life changes like starting secondary school through various workshops
Waterford Counselling and Psychotherapy
One-to-one, confidential counselling available for all ages (parental consent is required for minors). Each one hour session is approx. Counselling style: person centred therapy and CBT.
Waterford Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre
One-to-one counselling for victims of sexual violence/sexual abuse. Available to people aged 14 upwards. No fee – donation based, Support for family members and friends, Accompaniment to gardaí, SATU, court etc. Information, advocacy, education, training and raising awareness
West Clare Family Resource Centre
one to one support for individuals, Offer low cost counselling and therapy for people over 12 years old. Access to social and education opportunities.
Nationwide Services
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.
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
Barnardos
Barnardos mission is to deliver services and work with families, communities, and partners to transform the lives of vulnerable children who are affected by adverse childhood experiences. The organisation offers a wide range of supports and programmes to children and young people aged 0–18, through services and projects throughout the country. Barnardos has a range of services available to young people and families nationally, details of their centres can be accessed here https://www.barnardos.ie/about-us/find-a-service/
BeLong To
BeLonG To is the national organisation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) young people aged 14-24 years. BeLong To support services for young LGBTQ+ people include an informal one-on-one chat service, professional counselling and a drug and alcohol support service
For details of a support group near you, check https://www.belongto.org/find-a-youth-group/
They also provide counselling in their Dublin centre (Parliament Street) for LGBT young people with suicide ideation or self-harm issues. To set up an appointment, contact Pieta House Ballyfermot on 01- 6235606. Under 18 must have a guardian’s consent.
BeLong To also delivers training to youth workers and teachers to prepare them for StandUp week, which includes giving them the confidence to tackle homophobic and transphobic bullying as well as giving them an insight into LGBT youth priority needs in relation to support.
BodyWhys
Founded in 1995, BodyWhys – The Eating Disorders Association of Ireland, PO Box 105, Blackrock, Dublin, Nationwide – is the national voluntary organisation supporting people affected by eating disorders and their families. BodyWhys provides a range of non-judgemental listening, information and support services, professional training, literature, podcasts and webinars. Other aspects of the organisation’s work include developing professional resources and collaborating with social media companies to respond to harmful online content and working with the mainstream media to create awareness about eating disorders. BodyWhys develops evidence-based programmes to promote positive body image and social media literacy in children and adolescents, as well as school talks and educational resources. BodyWhys is the support partner to the HSE’s National Clinical Programme for Eating Disorders (NCP-ED), which delivers specialist public eating disorder services in the Republic of Ireland.
Some of the supports offered by BodyWhys include:
Helpline: 01 – 2107906
Email Support: alex@bodywhys.ie
Websites: www.bodywhys.ie and www.bodywhysbodyimage.ie
Online Support Groups: Youth Connect: 13 – 18 years (chat based)
Bodywhys Connect: 18+ years (chat based)
Virtual Support Group: 18+ years (video based)
See My Self – online psycho-education programme (15-24-year-olds)
CARI
CARI (Children at Risk in Ireland) provides child-centred therapy for children and adolescents affected by sexual abuse. CARI also provides therapy to children up to 12 years of age who present with sexually harmful behaviour.
Lo-call HELPLINE 0818 925 567 for professionals and parents seeking advice on support and counselling for children who have been sexually abused. Child & Adolescent Therapy is also available on a sliding scale cost, depending on people’s circumstances.
CARI have bases in Limerick, Dublin and Wexford, details for each centre can be found on their website.
Drugs and Alcohol Information and Support
Drugs.ie is managed by the HSE National Social Inclusion Office
They are responsible for providing services connected to a range of issues and vulnerable groups.
These include:
Addiction;
Homelessness;
Intercultural health (including asylum seekers, refugees and migrants);
Irish Travellers and Roma;
LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender);
HIV and AIDS;
Community development; and
Domestic, sexual and gender-based violence
Freephone HELPLINE (10am-5pm Mon – Fri) and online live chat to anyone in relation to drugs and alcohol misuse/abuse. Confidential and free.
Enable Ireland
Enable Ireland provides services to children and adults with disabilities and their families from over 40 locations in 14 counties, details of these serices can be found here https://enableireland.ie/services Covering childhood to adulthood their expert teams work with the individual and their family on a plan for each life stage.
EPIC – Empowering People In Care
EPIC work with young people who are in care (Foster Care, Relative Care, Residential Care, High Support, Special Care, Children Detention Schools, preparing to leave care, aftercare and those with care experience).
They have centre in Dublin, Cork and Limerick- the contact details for each can be found here https://www.epiconline.ie/contact-us/
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.