Online counselling for young people
A DIGITAL counselling service for children and young people is being rolled out in West Berkshire.
Kooth will supplement the work of existing charities and address issues young people face as lockdown comes to a close.
The online platform can be accessed seven days a week and users can contact trained mental health professionals.
The counsellors will offer advice and materials in confidence.
Anyone in the West Berkshire area aged between 11 and 18 can use the service, which has already been introduced in around 1,420 other Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) areas across the UK.
Advocates for the service are already working to promote it in schools.
Berkshire West CCG director of joint commissioning Katrina Anderson said: “Kooth is a widelyrespected tool with a good track record of delivering vital mental health support to children and young people.
“It’s working very well in many other areas of the country where it is accessible to more than 75 per cent of 11 to 18-year-olds.
“Covid has placed specific challenges on young people – the sudden interruption of their school life, separation from their friends, social isolation, being at home with family members who may be worried about jobs and finances, concerns about health – all on top of the other issues young people struggle with as they are growing up.
“And these sort of worries won’t go away for many of them when they go back to school in September, which is why this easy-to-access online service is so invaluable.
“As we emerge from Covid, it’s clear there will be increased pressure on our services that offer emotional and mental health services and Kooth will help ease that demand.
“People with higher risk needs will still be provided with a network of appropriate support, and the professionals running the Kooth service will also identify cases online that are in need of extra help.
“However, in many cases, children and young people can be supported very ably by the online service, talking to their contemporaries, sharing their own stories and coping strategies.”
For further information visit https://www.kooth.com
An outline is also available at www.berkshirewestccg.nhs.uk