Wellbeing is about feeling good inside and out.  We all go through difficult times and often talking to parents, family, friends, tutors, teachers or Peer Mentors will help, but if that doesn’t work, it can help to talk to someone else. 

​My name is Heidi Kavanagh.  I work 1:1 with students experiencing anxiety, low mood, family or personal issues, or other problems that have a detrimental impact on their lives.  The work I do is confidential and safeguarding rules are discussed at the first meeting.  

​If you need help or support you can refer yourself, or ask your tutor or Head of Year to refer you to the Student Support Team (Heidi Kavanagh, Mrs Diamond, Mrs Lancaster, Miss Dossitt).  We meet regularly to look at referrals and who is the best person for each student to see. 

You could be referred to:

Student Support/Mental Health and Wellbeing – Heidi Kavanagh

• Volunteer Counsellor and Art Therapist - Irene
• ELSA - Mrs Page, Mrs Mayhew
• Welfare Officer - Mrs Diamond
• Student Support - Mrs Lancaster and Miss Dossitt

​When specialist help is needed or a student would rather seek help outside of school, we liaise with, and refer onto, other agencies, such as: It’s Your Choice, Yellow Door, No Limits, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and others. 

​It can be very difficult to talk about your feelings and what’s happening in your life and if you’re not ready to talk to someone yet, the following websites might be able to help. 

​​Useful Websites

https://www.annafreud.org/on-my-mind/self-care/ List of Self-care ideas

https://youngminds.org.uk/blog/what-to-do-if-you-re-anxious-about-coronavirus/ specific information to help if you are anxious about Coronavirus.

https://youngminds.org.uk/ everything from how to manage anxiety to how to plan your day plus helplines.

https://www.iyc.org.uk/ It’s Your Choice provide confidential, free support and advice to young people in the New Forest.

http://www.themix.org.uk/ offers information, advice and support on all issues via webchat, forums etc., for people under age 25.  

​www.childline.org offer advice and protection to children and young people worried about any problem. 

​​​www.healthtalk.org/young-peoples-experiences Learn about other young people’s experiences of depression and low mood. 

​http://www.viacharacter.org/www/ Free character strengths survey, can help you recognise your strengths and what you might want to improve. 

​​http://hopeagain.org.uk/ is the youth website run by Cruse Bereavement for young people who have lost a loved one. 

www.talktofrank.com  Confidential information and advice for those concerned about their own or someone else’s drug misuse. Freephone: 0800 77 6600 

https://www.letstalkaboutit.nhs.uk/ information from Solent NHS on sexual health and contraception. 

https://www.cwmt.org.uk Set up in memory of a young man who took his own life whilst suffering from depression.  Their website has lots of resources, including a series of helpful webinars on various mental health and wellbeing topics.

https://hampshirecamhs.nhs.uk/help/young-people/  Hampshire Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service has lots of information for young people and parents/carers.

Counselling Services 

​​Most counselling services have waiting lists but offer an initial assessment meeting within a couple of months before adding you to their waiting list. If you are considering counselling, refer yourself rather than wait until you are desperate! 

​http://iyc.org.uk/need-help/counselling/ offer groups and one to one counselling to ages 12 – 25 for all issues.  Based in Totton but covers the New Forest. Can self-refer online.   

​https://www.yellowdoor.org.uk/for-young-people offer counselling to young people aged 11 to 18 who have experienced any form of sexual violence or abuse whether it has happened recently or a long time ago. Also offer a confidential Helpline on Weds afternoon. 

​http://www.italk.org.uk/self-referral/ italk is a psychological therapy service for ages 16+  Refer yourself online/by phone.  For people with depression, anxiety, compulsive disorders, phobias, panic and post-traumatic stress disorder. Offer groups, telephone counselling, online support and face to face counselling. 

ChatHealth messaging service for young people aged 11 to 19 is run by Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust School Nurses and is available 08.30 – 16.30 on Monday to Friday. You can text them for confidential advice and support on a wide range of issues.

07507332160

https://www.crisistextline.uk  Shout for support in a crisis.  24/7 support for people in a crisis.  Text SHOUT to 85258 to text with a trained crisis volunteer.

​​FREE Phone Apps 

​​ThinkNinja Keeping calm when stress levels rise. Help to address unhelpful thoughts.
Boost mood with various PowerUps   Connect via text chat with a 'live' Healios mental health professional, if required, all within the app

Headspace Offers a 10 day, free beginners mindfulness meditation programme accessed via phone app or online. It gives a solid foundation to build your practise on.

WhatsUp?  Uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) methods to help you cope with Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and more. Use the positive and negative habit tracker to maintain your good habits, and break those that are counterproductive. Coping strategies information on anger, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, stress.  Tracker of positive habits and diary. 

SAM App SAM might be perfect for you if you’re interested in self-help, but meditation isn’t your thing. Users are prompted to build their own 24-hour anxiety toolkit that allows you to track anxious thoughts and behaviour over time, and learn 25 different self-help techniques.

MindShift Rather than trying to avoid anxious feelings, Mind Shift stresses the importance of changing how you think about anxiety. Think of this app as the cheerleader in your pocket, encouraging you to take charge of your life, ride out intense emotions, and face challenging situations.

Action for Happiness Daily reminder to boost your mood.

Happify science-based activities and games can help reduce stress, overcome negative thoughts, and build greater resilience by providing effective tools and programmes to improve emotional well-being.

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