Support for young people, 16-25

We can support you if you are:

• worried about your mental health
• feeling anxious or depressed
• self-harming or having thoughts about it
• having family problems or struggling with friendships at college or work because of your mental health
• diagnosed with a mental health problem and looking for support
• getting help from services, but this is coming to an end as you are reaching 18.

Our youth workers usually offer one-to-one support at our offices and in other places including local colleges. We also support people with phone and video calls and groups. We can arrange where best to meet you and, if it would be helpful, for someone to support you with your first meeting.

We also run regular workshops around anxiety, confidence building and other topics, to help young people understand and manage their mental health in the longer term.

Group activities

We run regular social activities and our groups are small, relaxed and informal. Young people are involved in deciding what activities would suit them best. Some examples include bowling, table tennis, online quizzes and art. The aim is always to keep it light-hearted and fun. There is no pressure to join in or to stay for the whole session.

We offer an online support group for neurodivergent people, which takes place twice a month, and is open to those getting support with us. This is an opportunity to share experiences with other young people and find peer support.

We also encourage young people to get more involved, either by volunteering with West Sussex Mind and contributing ideas about our service or by linking up with other local organisations. These activities can improve self-esteem and are an opportunity to try something new.

Parents and carers

If you are a parent and you're worried about your child, you can ring us and we will offer advice, information and support to you, even if your child does not wish to talk to us themselves.