Wellbeing Directory
There are lots of places and resources you are able to turn to help and support, but often it is hard to know where to look. This page will help direct you to resources you may find useful and summarises information about them. It consists of apps recommended by the NHS and other websites that can provide help and resources.
If you click on any of the icons below a pop-up window will appear providing more information about the organisation.
In addition to the resources below the following websites provide comprehensive advice relating the the pandemic.
YOUNG MINDS – Coronavirus and mental health
GOV.COM – Guidance for the public on the mental health and wellbeing aspects of coronavirus
NHS – Coronavirus and mental wellbeing
Please note the information contained is lifted from the NHS or organisations website.
Although Ardingly College’s wellness team feel that they provide useful information, they cannot endorse them.
Who is it suitable for?
Anyone who experiences panic attacks or anxiety. It can be used wherever you happen to be when a panic attack or anxiety occurs – whether you’re at home or out and about.
How does it work?
The Beat Panic app uses a series of soothing coloured flashcards with messages designed to help you overcome a panic attack in a calm, gentle manner.
Beat Panic aims to help you:
- focus on something else instead of the panic or anxiety
- slow your breathing, reduce your heart rate and release the tension
- get perspective on any worrying thoughts and remind you what is really happening
- overcome the urge to flee
How do I access it?
Beat Panic is available to download from the App Store.
Big White Wall
Blue Ice - Helps young people manage their emotions and reduce self harm
Mental Health, Child Health
BlueIce is an evidenced-based app to help young people manage their emotions and reduce urges to self-harm.
It includes a mood diary, a toolbox of evidence-based techniques to reduce distress and automatic routing to emergency numbers if urges to harm continue
Who is it suitable for?
BlueIce is suitable for young people attending mental health services who are self-harming.
How does it work?
BlueIce has a mood wheel to track your mood and lets you add notes on how you’re feeling or what you’re doing. You can use the mood diary to see patterns and identify triggers.
The app offers a personalised set of activities designed to reduce distress including a music library, photo library, physical activities, relaxation and mindfulness exercises, and spotting and challenging negative thoughts.
If you want to talk, the app allows you to click on one of three options to either talk to a selected person in your phone contacts, ChildLine or 111.
How do I access it?
BlueIce is a prescribed app designed to be used alongside face to face care provided by mental health services.
How does it work?
Calm Harm is based on the principles of dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). DBT is a type of talking therapy that’s often effective in people with mood disorders.
The app provides tasks that encourage users to distract themselves from urges to self-harm and help manage their “emotional mind” in a more positive way.
Please note that the app is an aid to treatment, but doesn’t replace it.
How do I access it?
The app is free to download from the App Store and Google Play.
Who is it suitable for?
Catch It is for anyone who struggles with feelings like anxiety, depression, anger and confusion.
How does it work?
Catch It uses cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help you change the way you think and feel about things.
Use the app to record your mood in three simple steps:
- ‘Catch It’ records and rates your mood
- ‘Check It’ asks you to take a moment to reflect on what you’re thinking
- ‘Change It’ asks you to think about a better way of dealing with a problem
- Catch It is not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you are worried about any aspects of your mental health, contact a professional.
How do I access it?
Catch It is free to download from the App Store and Google Play.
Learn to relax, manage your worries and improve your wellbeing with Chill Panda. The app measures your heart rate and suggests tasks to suit your state of mind. Tasks include simple breathing techniques and light exercises to take your mind off your worries.
Who is it suitable for?
Chill Panda is for children and adults who want to learn how to manage stress and worry and feel better.
How does it work?
Chill Panda uses the camera on a smartphone or other mobile device to capture your heart rate.
The app uses your device’s LED light to measure the volume of blood flowing through your fingertip as your heart beats.
Chill Panda asks you to rate your mood to work out your current emotional state.
You are then encouraged to take part in a variety of playful tasks and activities, including breathing and light exercise.
hill Panda is not a medical device and heart rate measurements are shown for guidance only.
How do I access it?
Chill Panda is free to download from the App Store and Google Play. The app works with mobile devices that have a camera.
Relax your body and mind with a series of audio tracks designed to help you build confidence, energy and a positive mindset.
Who is it suitable for?
Anyone aged 18 or over who feels worried or stressed, and those who want to improve their mental wellbeing, concentration and confidence in all walks of life.
How does it work?
Feeling Good uses relaxation, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and resilience building techniques from sport to help improve positive feelings, self-esteem and self-confidence.
To get you going, the app offers 4 free audio tracks combining soothing music with gentle coaching.
The main offering is the 12-track Positive Mental Training audio programme, which is available as an in-app purchase. This programme has been used by the NHS in Edinburgh for the last 12 years to help recovery from stress, anxiety and depression.
ieso is an online course using instant messaging for people with mental health problems. The confidential service puts you in touch with a therapist trained in cognitive behavioural therapy. The therapy is by text so you can review your sessions at any time.
Who is it suitable for?
ieso is for people with mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), phobias and stress.
How does it work?
ieso uses cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help you change the way you think and feel about things.
You’ll be matched with a therapist who will contact you to introduce themselves and arrange your first appointment.
Appointments are either 30 or 60 minutes long and can be scheduled for any time of the day, including evenings and weekends.
The length of your treatment depends on your needs. You can expect to have between four and 12 therapy sessions.
You may have more or less than this – your therapist will give you an idea of what to expect after your initial appointment.
How do I access it?
Find out if ieso is available as a free NHS treatment in your area.
You can connect to the service from any computer, tablet or smartphone with internet access.
Take control of your thoughts, feelings and behaviour with the My Possible Self mental health app. Use the simple learning modules to manage fear, anxiety and stress and tackle unhelpful thinking. Record your experiences and track symptoms to better understand your mental health.
Who is it suitable for?
Anyone over the age of 18 who suffers from stress and anxiety.
How does it work?
My Possible Self brings together content from world-leading mental health experts designed to help you learn how to improve your thoughts, feelings and behaviour. The information has been proven to reduce stress, anxious feelings and low mood in just eight weeks.
Use the app’s learning modules to prevent day-to-day problems from holding you back, manage fear and improve your happiness and wellbeing. New modules will be added on a regular basis.
Track how you feel every day with the free ‘Mood Tracker’. Highlight activities, people and places that influence your mood, so you can focus on the things that make you feel great, and do less of the things that don’t.
The ‘Building Happiness & Wellbeing’ module is available for free when you download the app, and you can access the rest of the modules via a monthly subscription.
How do I access it?
My Possible Self is free to download from the App Store and Google Play but offers in-app purchases.
SilverCloud is an online course to help you manage stress, anxiety and depression. You work through a series of topics selected by a therapist to address specific needs. The eight-week course is designed to be completed in your own time and at your own pace.
Who is it suitable for?
SilverCloud is for people aged 16 or over who need help with mental health issues and the emotional challenges associated with long-term conditions.
How does it work?
SilverCloud uses cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help you change the way you think and feel about things.
Once registered, you work through a series of topics chosen by your therapist at your own pace, where and when it suits you.
The therapist will check in with you about once every two weeks during the course to review your progress.
The course features videos, activities, quizzes, audio guides and your own online journal.
You have full access to SilverCloud for one year after activating your account.
How do I access it?
SilverCloud is only available via an NHS referral, or some non-NHS organisations, such as universities.
Contact your local mental health services to see if SilverCloud is available as a free NHS treatment.
You can access SilverCloud from any computer, tablet or smartphone with internet access.https://www.nhs.uk/apps-library/silvercloud
Sleepio is an online sleep improvement programme for people living in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. It has been clinically proven to help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep through the night, and give you more energy during the day if you follow the programme correctly.
The programme is based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia (CBTi). You can use it to learn cognitive techniques to help tackle the racing mind and behavioural strategies to help reset sleeping patterns naturally, without relying on sleeping pills.
Who is it suitable for?
Sleepio is for anyone in over 18 living in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, who has difficulty getting to sleep or sleeping through the night.
You can learn more about who Sleepio is suitable for here.
How does it work?
Complete the Sleepio course online at a time and pace that suits you.
You start by setting goals and taking an in-depth questionnaire. Sleepio then builds a programme for you.
Each week you log in and meet “The Prof”, your virtual sleep expert.
The Prof helps you address your thoughts and worries about sleep, your daily schedule, your lifestyle and your bedroom.
There are 6 core sessions, and a daily sleep diary that helps you track your progress.
Sleepio has been tested in rigorous clinical trials, and evaluated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
How do I access it?
Sleepio is free for all NHS patients living and working in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.
Sign up online, do the sleep test, and create an account. Sleepio recommends you do each session on your desktop where you’ll be able to access the online community of peers, graduates and sleep experts.
You can then download the app, which is designed to supplement the online programme, free from the App Store.
Sleepio is available at no cost from some IAPT talking therapy providers.
Please go to www.bighealth.com/NHS to find out if the programme is available in your area.
Sleepstation is a 6-week online course for people who struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep through the night. The course is tailored to your needs, using the information you provide, and gives you access to a team of sleep experts who will offer helpful advice and support throughout.
Who is it suitable for?
Anyone in England who has difficulty getting to sleep or sleeping through the night.
How does it work?
After completing a 7-day sleep diary, Sleepstation will review your information and provide personalised advice to help you tackle your sleep problems. By understanding what is keeping you awake and reviewing your progress regularly, you should be sleeping better within 3 or 4 weeks.
Getting more sleep will bring added benefits such as improved mood and memory, lower anxiety levels, and reduced risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes.
How do I access it?
Sleepstation is available on the developer’s website. It is free to access in England through GP referral, or you can sign up for one of the courses offered, with prices starting at £95.
The Student Health App provides easy access to more than 900 pages of reliable health information all in one place. The content has been created for university students by NHS doctors and is regularly updated.
Use the app to reduce your worries, feel more confident and get the support you need at what can be a challenging time for any student.
Who is it suitable for?
University students looking for reliable health information.
How does it work?
The Student Health App offers plain-talking reassurance, information and advice on more than 125 topics relevant to students in areas ranging from first aid and mental health to staying safe at university and accessing health services.
The app can be used offline, so the content is always available. It can also be customised for specific universities by adding links to local support services.
How do I access it?
The app is free to download from the App Store and Google Play.
Thrive helps you prevent and manage stress, anxiety and related conditions. The game based app can be used to relax before a stressful situation or on a more regular basis to help you live a happier, more stress-free life.
Who is it suitable for?
Anyone wanting help and support to take better control of their emotions.
How does it work?
Thrive uses games to track your mood and teach you methods to take control of stress and anxiety. Learn relaxation techniques like meditation and deep-breathing to help you cope better with stressful situations and manage negative thoughts.
The app’s Mood Meter lets you track your mood, the emotions you feel and the situation you were in at the time. It then reminds you of how you reacted on a previous occasion to make your feel better.
How do I access it?
The app can be downloaded free from the App Store, Google Play or the developer’s website, but requires an access code to start using it.
To find out how to get your code, please contact the developer through their website.
The MeeTwo app provides a safe and secure forum for teenagers wanting to discuss any issue affecting their lives.
You can anonymously get advice from experts or other teenagers going through similar experiences in areas such as mental health, self-harming, relationships and friendships.
Who is it suitable for?
Teenagers facing issues they’d like to discuss with experts or other teenagers.
How does it work?
With MeeTwo, you can post messages about any issue you’re struggling to cope with.
You’ll receive supportive responses from other teenagers and guidance from MeeTwo experts designed to build confidence, increase wellbeing and improve emotional resilience.
Every post and reply is moderated to make sure only positive feedback is published.
The app contains advice and information on a variety of subjects, as well as a directory of specialist support groups that can offer further help.
How do I access it?
MeeTwo is free to download from the App Store and Google Play.
A free safe and anonymous place for young people to find online support and counselling. There’s a bunch of features and tools to support you if you are looking for advice of simply not feeling your best
Having good mental health helps us relax more, achieve more and enjoy our lives more. This is an NHS led website with expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing.
https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/
Coronavirus specific information
https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-staying-at-home-tips/
PAPYRUS is the national charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide. The website provides a wealth of information and support.
Their Mission
To reduce the number of young people who take their own lives by shattering the stigma around suicide and equipping young people and their communities with the skills to recognise and respond to suicidal behaviour.
Beliefs and Values:
PREVENTION: Many young suicides are preventable
PASSION: Those who are touched personally by a young suicide have a unique contribution to make to our work
HOPE: No young person should have to suffer alone with thoughts or feelings of hopelessness and nobody should have to go through the heartbreak of losing a young person to suicide
LEARNING: There are always lessons to be learned from listening to young people at risk of suicide, those who give them support and those who have lost a young person to suicide.
Their Work
SUPPORT: provide confidential support and advice to young people struggling with thoughts of suicide, and anyone worried about a young person through our helpline, HOPELINEUK.
EQUIP: 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.
INFLUENCE: aim to shape national social policy and make a significant contribution to the local and regional implementation of national suicide prevention strategies wherever we can.
The Young Minds website includes sections on identifying feelings symptoms and conditions. It gives advice where to get help and look after yourself. There is also a section specifically for parents.
There is a dedicated page for looking after yourself during coronavirus. https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/looking-after-yourself/coronavirus-and-mental-health/
Their purpose
To stop young people’s mental health reaching crisis point.
Every young person whose mental health ends up in crisis is a young person who has been failed. We know that the earlier young people can access the right help, the more likely it is that they can avoid these crises.
Their mission
To make sure all young people can get the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what.
Whether they need a reassuring conversation, specialist mental health support, or simply the knowledge that they are not alone in how they are feeling, we will make sure that all young people get support that meets them where they’re at as quickly as possible.
Talking to your child about Coronavirus
Tips for coping with OCD during the crisis
Coping with an eating disorder during the Coronavirus pandemic
Looking after your mental health while self-isolating
What to do if you’re anxious about Coronavirus
Coronavirus: Impact on young people with mental health needs,
Parents’ tips for looking after yourself in lockdown (
Shout 85258 is a free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope.
How Shout 85258 works
Their trained volunteers are there for you 24/7 to listen and support you to get to a calmer and safe place. Shout is a free, confidential, anonymous service for anyone in the UK. It won’t appear on your phone bill.
To start a conversation, text the word ‘SHOUT’ to 85258.
Beat is the UK’s eating disorder charity. Their mission is to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders. Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that ruin and, too often, take lives.
The Mix is the UK’s leading support service for young people. They are there 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 them via the online community, on social, through our free, confidential helpline or our counselling service.
There is expert advice on numerous topics including ‘how to deal with Corona anxiety’ and ‘a guide to coping with loneliness during lockdown’.
Samaritans works to make sure there’s always someone there for anyone who needs someone 24/7. There is always someone to call on 116113
The mental health charity making sure no one has to face a mental health problem alone
Mental Health
Mind, the mental health charity aims to make sure no one has to face a mental health problem alone.
Coronavirus specific information
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/
Supports mental health in teenagers. The website provides information on anxiety, depression, self harm, eating disorders and additions, offering information, resources and help for teenagers, friends, parents and others.
They also produce the following apps
- Calmharm Calm Harm is a free app to help teenagers manage or resist the urge to self-harm.
- Clearfear Clear Fear is a free app to help children and young people manage symptoms of anxiety.
- Movemood Move Mood is a free app to help teenagers manage low mood and depression
- Combined mind Combined Minds is a free app to help families and friends provide mental health support.
The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is leading a movement against suicide.
No Panic offers advice, support, recovery programs and help for people living with phobias, OCD and any other anxiety-based disorders
Anxiety UK is a national registered charity for those affected by anxiety, stress and anxiety based depression.
Whether you have anxiety, stress, anxiety-based depression or a phobia that’s affecting your daily life, they can help. They are fully supported by an expert team of medical advisors.
There are an estimated three quarters of a million people living with and affected by Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) here in the UK.
OCD UK support people through the difficult times, right through to recovery and everything in between.
National Self-Harm Network is an online support forum for individuals who self harm to reduce emotional distress and improve their quality of life.
Head Meds, part of Young Minds aims to give young people straightforward and reliable information about mental health medication from a trustworthy source.
HeadMeds is not pro- or anti-medication. It just gives young people the facts, including answers to questions like ‘can I still drink alcohol?’ and ‘will it make me put on weight?’
The website also offers information about mental health conditions and real stories about young people’s experiences of mental illness and taking medication
https://youngminds.org.uk/youngminds-professionals/our-projects/headmeds/
Welldoing.org is the UK’s leading therapist-matching service for in-person and online therapy.
Mental Health
The Blurt Foundation has the following information:
Coronavirus and your mental health
Self-care for when the news is terrifying
The following sites also have useful mental health information:
Managing your mental health during the Coronavirus outbreak, Rethink Mental Illness
Looking after your mental health during the Coronavirus outbreak, Mental Health Foundation
Coronavirus, mental health, wellbeing, Anna Freud National Centre for Children and families
Look after your mental health and wellbeing when staying at home, Mental Health Foundation
Loneliness during coronavirus, Mental Health Foundation
Living with the pandemic if you already have mental health problems, Mental Health Foundation
Looking after your mental health while working during the coronavirus outbreak, Mental Health Foundation (
Guide to wellbeing apps for children, Internet Matters
Talking to your children about scary world news, Mental Health Foundation
Talking to a child who’s worried about coronavirus, NSPCC
Guidance to parents and carers about how to help children and young people manage their mental health and wellbeing, Anna Freud National Centre for Children and families
Coronavirus: maintaining the lifeline for children receiving treatment, Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families
Advice for parents, carers and people that work with children and young people (Supporting those with worries about Covid-19), Emerging Minds, University of Oxford, University of Southampton
Staying Home!
5 tips for family wellbeing while staying at home, Action For Children
Coping practically and emotionally during the Covid-19 outbreak, Family Lives
Secondary Parents’ Survival Guide – BBC Bitesize (How to tackle lockdown emotions, How to be more disciplined and How to limit screen time)
COVID-19: tips to help separated parents cope, Parent Info (CEOP and Parent Zone) (added 29th April)
Stay In, Work Out (keeping or getting active in and around your home), Sport England
15 ways to keep active indoors, Today’s Parent
BBC Bitesize, BBC lessons, videos and activities for ages 3 – 16+
Home schooling tips, Action For Children
Videos and activities, GoNoodle
Keeping your child safe online parent’s helpsheet, primary, Think U Know
Keeping your child safe online parent’s helpsheet, secondary, Think U Know
Online boredom-busting resources, Chatterpack (updated)
10 minute Disney shake-ups, Change 4 Life
Mental Wellbeing While Staying At Home, NHS Every Mind Matters
Coping calendar, Action for Happiness
Netflix parental controls guide, Internet Matters (added 18th April)
Supporting a child returning to school – Young Minds