MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT AND SERVICES
Mental health support – if you need help now
If you need URGENT HELP with your mental health right now, you can get in touch with the crisis team at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust 24 hours a day.
Call: 0800 652 2861.
Text number for people with hearing loss or communication difficulties: 07887 625 277.
Local services
NHS Northumberland Talking Therapies (formerly Talking Matters Northumberland): Free psychological treatment, support and recovery service for depression, anxiety, stress and other mental health related problems. For people over 16 years. Call: 0300 303 0700.
Tyneside and Northumberland Mind: If you are experiencing mental health problems or going through a difficult time in your life, you can get help through informal one to one support, groups and counselling. Contact the support line seven days a week, 8am-10pm on 0191 477 4545 or 0330 174 3174 (calls charged at local rate).
OneCall: If you are worried about a child or adult’s welfare who lives in Northumberland contact Onecall on: 01670 536 400.
Initial Response: The Initial Response Team provides 24 hour access to urgent mental health care and treatment by calling one telephone number: 0303 123 1146.
Cygnus Support: Provides mental health and wellbeing services including counselling, psychotherapy, education and training. Based in Ashington, Cygnus now also works from hubs across the county in Hexham, Berwick, Alnwick and Blyth.
Choices4Growth: A Berwick-based organisation providing essential support and counselling for better mental health and positive futures for people in local communities.
Anxious Minds: A North East mental health charity which offers drop-in centres plus a mental health helpline: 0191 262 0305 which is available to anyone who needs support.
Northumberland Recovery College: Offers a range of activities and learning experiences for adults to help with mental health and wellbeing.
N.B. in an emergency please call 999.
Kooth and Qwell
Young people aged 11-25 years living in Northumberland can now access a digital mental health support service called Kooth, while anyone over the age of 18 can access support from Qwell.
Both services provide a safe, confidential and anonymous way to access emotional wellbeing and early intervention mental health support. Once you have registered, Kooth and Qwell can be accessed on any internet device. Users can complete a daily journal, set goals and seek support through self help resources and peer to peer support. There is also professional help available through qualified counsellors.
There are no waiting lists, no referrals and no thresholds, anyone within the age range living in Northumberland can sign up for support whenever they require it.
Join Kooth or watch this video to find out more.
Support for farming communities
Free, confidential wellbeing support and counselling is available to farmers and their families via online platform Kooth. Support can be accessed 365 days a year on any device.
Shout: 85258
Shout is a text service which provides instant support in a crisis. The service is a private, silent way to access support when you need it most. Trained volunteers will help you move from crisis to calm and then help you finder longer term support.
Text 85258.
Support for fishermen
If you are a fisherman, or a family member of a fisherman Text ‘FISH’ to 85258, for tailored mental health support 24/7.
Heads Together
The Heads Together campaign is spearheaded by The Prince and Princess of Wales and aims to end stigma around mental health by changing the national conversation on mental health and wellbeing.
Through this campaign, Their Royal Highnesses are keen to build on the great work that is already taking place across the country, to ensure that people feel comfortable with their everyday mental wellbeing, feel able to support their friends and families through difficult times, and that stigma no longer prevents people getting help they need. The campaign is a partnership with other charities with decades of experience in tackling stigma, raising awareness, and providing vital help for people with mental health challenges.
ManHealth
If you are struggling in your life and require a safe place to be listened to, ManHealth provides weekly peer to peer support groups. The sessions are led by men with lived experience and provide a safe place for men to discuss how they feel.
There are support groups across the North East including Briardale House in Blyth which meets every Monday, 6pm-8pm.
Useful websites and support services
Samaritans
If you need to speak to someone now you can call Samaritans for free 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on 116 123.
If it is easier to write your thoughts down you can email jo@samaritans.org (please note response time from this service could be a few days).
Best mental health tips from Mental Health Foundation
This guide from Mental Health Foundation is full of tips on how to look after your mental health – backed by research.
Each of the tips is backed up by evidence from research, including the Mental Health Foundation’s own ground-breaking study.
Every Mind Matters
There are small things that can help you be kind to your mind. Get expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental wellbeing and make them part of your daily routine.
The Mix
The Mix provides free information and support for under 25s. As well as mental health support you can find advice on issues such as sex and relationships, money and housing and drugs and alcohol. Helpline number: 0808 808 4994
NHS Northumberland Talking Therapies
NHS Northumberland Talking Therapies (formerly Talking Matters Northumberland) offers a free psychological treatment, support and recovery service for the people of Northumberland over the age of 16 for depression, anxiety, stress and other mental health related problems. Treatment options include:
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
- Computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CCBT)
- Couple Therapy for Depression
- Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT)
- Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)
- Classes
Call: 0300 303 0700 for details.
Self help leaflets
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest mental health and disability trusts in England.
Up-to-date self-help leaflets on subjects such as anxiety, bereavement, stress, depression and eating disorders are available to download as A4, A5 or easy read documents, and are also available as an audio version and through a free app.
If U Care Share
If U Care Share provides a range of services around prevention, intervention and supporting those bereaved by suicide. The service is now open for referrals.
Hub of Hope
Search for local support using the Hub of Hope. Provided by national mental health charity, Chasing the Stigma, it brings local, national, peer, community, charity, private and NHS mental health support and services together in one place.
A guide to mental health care in England
This animation from The King’s Fund explains how mental health services in England work and how they fit in with other health and public services.