Free, safe, confidential support for young people

Children and young people in Newcastle and Gateshead can now get help from mental health counsellors using a free online service supported by the NHS.

Kooth.com is an award-winning online counselling and support service which is now available to all young people in Newcastle and Gateshead aged 11-18 years.

Cruse Bereavement Care (CRUSE) is a national charity committed to promoting the well-being of bereaved people.  The organisation aims to help anyone bereaved by death to understand their grief and cope with their loss.  It covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Cruse - Scotland is a separate organisation). 

Live Well Learn Well provides one-to-one and small group coaching to young people. Our coaching enables young people to overcome barriers to learning, and helps them to develop the confidence and motivation they need to succeed in school.

We work with young people who struggle with a range of issues, including low self-esteem, anxiety, poor body image, and exam stress.

We also coach adults who work in education, with a focus on stress management and preventing burnout.

We care for children and young adults with progressive, life shortening conditions from across the North East.

Our team of skilled staff provide residential short breaks to local families. Up to six children and young adults can stay at any one time in our relaxed, home-from-home environment.

Children from birth to 18 can benefit from short breaks here. Teenagers benefit from their own living area – complete with games consoles, wide screen TV and PC’s.

We also care for young adults aged 18- 25 in designated, age-appropriate facilities.

A Specialist service for people who's lives are affected by someone else's alcohol or drug use. PROPS can offer one to one work, peer support groups, and training around substance misuse. They also offer carer and family training, respite breaks and an emergency out of hours telephone helpline. PROPS also work with young people 11+ who have been impacted by someone else’s drug or alcohol misuse.

If you know anyone who may be affected by drug or alcohol misuse, please contact us to make a referral or alternatively we would be happy to discuss this further with you.

We are a Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Service for Children and Young People.

We offer interventions that allow children and young people to explore difficult experiences through play and creativity. We also support your setting by delivering training, consultation and workshops.

We offer: Play Therapy, Creative Therapy, CPD and Twilight training both online and face to face.

Streetwise provide a range of health and wellbeing support services for young people aged 11 - 25 year olds. 

Young people aged 13-25 can access the full range of contraception, sexual health, C-card (free condoms), Chlamydia testing, pregnancy testing. Workers offer support around wider issues such as relationships, drugs, alcohol and any other issues facing young people. We will signpost on to other services where appropriate.

We have a counselling and mental health service offering support around mental health and well-being for young people aged 11-25. 

PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide provide confidential support and advice to young people struggling with thoughts of suicide, and anyone worried about a young person through the helpline, HOPELINE247.

We engage communities and volunteers in suicide prevention projects and deliver training programmes to individuals and groups. This includes equipping local councils, healthcare professionals and school staff with suicide prevention skills.

YoungMinds are the UK’s leading charity fighting for children and young people's mental health.

We want to see a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health, and all young people get the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what.

We are providing young people with reassurance and advice to help them make positive choices for their mental health and know what to do next if they are struggling.

The Mix is the UK’s leading support service for young people. We are here to help you take on any challenge you’re facing - from mental health to money, from homelessness to finding a job, from break-ups to drugs. Talk to us via our online community, on social, through our free, confidential helpline or our counselling service.

We provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. We campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.

We won't give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets support and respect.

RISE is part of the Newcastle Gateshead CCG, NHS and DFE Mental Health in Schools programme. We work in schools and colleges and support young people with moderate mental health needs. This could mean working directly with individual students, running group sessions, or helping teachers shape lesson plans or assemblies.

At RISE, we offer low intensity support for children and young people coping with mild to moderate mental health needs. Our Education Mental Health Practitioners will tailor sessions based on young person needs but themes may include:

A range of support services provided by trained professionals who are specialists in the field of male sexual violence. SurvivorsUK was established as a service for male survivors of rape and sexual violence, however they are an inclusive service and welcome anyone who identifies as male, trans, non-binary, has identified as male in the past, or anyone who feels that they are the right fit for them.

Masquer-Aid is a programme for young people aged 11-25 who have recently found out they are neurodivergent or are waiting for a diagnosis. They will take part in a 12-week programme where they learn about what it means to be neurodivergent and talk about shared experiences.

Welcome to North East Wellbeing (NEW) providing a range of professional services to children and the educational community within the North East of England.

The Decider Skills course looks at ‘big emotions’ and how to deal with them.
It helps children, young people and adults learn to recognize these ‘big emotions’ and gives them ways to manage these thoughts, feelings and behaviors in a positive way.

The course is FREE

On Line via Teams and Face to Face

For further details please email responsivegroups@actionforchildren.org.uk or telephone 0191 272 4990

Local charity Children North East are running the SAFE programme, which offers counselling to victims of sexual abuse aged 5 to 18 (

The Mental Shift CIC works to provide support, education, and early intervention to young men to support with their mental health, reduce involvement anti-social behaviour, and improve quality of live. 

Through bespoke services which use Martial Arts as the driving force for change, we work with males aged 12 to 25 in Newcastle and beyond - including Gateshead, County Durham, Byker, and Elswick.