Digital mental health service launches for Clacks parents and carers

A PERSONALISED and confidential digital mental health service has launched for Wee County parents and carers with children up to the age of 18.

The Qwell service is available all year round, delivered by Kooth, after being commissioned by Clackmannanshire Council as part of the Family Wellbeing Partnership.

There are no waiting lists or thresholds to meet and there is no need for a referral from a medical professional to access the service.

Qwell offers parents and carers access to experienced counsellors and wellbeing practitioners via one-to-one text-based chat sessions that are available from midday to 10pm on weekdays and from 6pm to 10pm at the weekend.

Kooth has been providing a mental health service for young people in the area since 2021 and both the kooth.com and qwell.io services were selected for their strengthsbased approach and unique out-ofoffice hours provision.

Lesley Taylor, principal educational psychologist at Clackmannanshire Council, said: “It’s important that we provide timely and professional mental health support for those who are caring for and parenting young people.

“By extending our commissioning of Kooth to include its adult service Qwell we are offering a choice of personalised mental health services that can be accessed 24/7 at a mere click, or tap, of a button.

“It’s part of our commitment to promote, protect and improve the emotional wellbeing and mental health of families in Clackmannanshire.”

Running alongside the service is a fully safeguarded and premoderated Qwell community of peer support.

This includes helpful articles written by other people in the community, alongside the Kooth team.

They cover a variety of topics that are age-appropriate and resonate with the reader, such as personal experiences and helpful tips.

There are also discussion boards where people can seek advice from their peers, joining or starting pre-moderated conversations, covering topics such as anxiety and work stress, relationship and family issues.

People can also start a daily journal, offering a place for parents and carers to track their feelings and emotions and to reflect on how they are doing.

Dr Lynne Green, chief clinical officer at Kooth, added: “Our Qwell service will ensure that parents and carers in Clacks have access to anonymous, safe and effective mental health care and support that is available around the clock.

“No matter how big or small the issue, our team of experienced practitioners and professional counsellors are here to help.”

Kooth and Qwell are accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Parents can visit qwell.io while kooth.com is available for those aged 10-26.