Free online counselling service for children and young people

A new online counselling service offering free, safe and confidential advice is now available to children and young people across Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale.

Kooth offers emotional and mental health support for children and young people aged between 11 – 24 years and is available up to 10pm every day.

Kooth, which launched last month, is staffed by fully trained and qualified counsellors, 365 days a year providing a vital out of hours service. Counsellors are available online from Monday – Friday 12 noon until 10pm and weekends 6pm until 10pm.

Whilst online, children and young people can read articles, get support from peers anonymously in forums and write about how they are feeling in their online journal.

Kooth, which has been commissioned by Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group, is being promoted throughout schools, GP practices and local stakeholders in HMR. The service is also available in other parts of the country, where it has proved very popular.

Dr Chris Duffy, HMR CCG said: “We are really pleased to be able to offer this important service to children and young people in HMR. The service provides an outlet for them to receive help, support and guidance from qualified professionals in a confidential and safe setting that is comfortable for them.”

For more information and to access the counselling service, visit www.kooth.com