Talking to your family or the people you live with about the things you find difficult to think about or understand can be a real challenge. These things could include:
If you don’t have a trusted adult or school counsellor you feel you can access, there are some helpful resources that can address these issues and provide an option for someone you can talk to without judgement.
In an emergency, please bypass these options and contact Emergency Psychiatric Services (EPS) on 03-474-0999, or Emergency Services on 111.
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Free call 0800-376-633 |
Free call 0800-376-633
Free text 234
www.youthline.co.nz
talk@youthline.co.nz
Youthline’s services are available to any young person in New Zealand, or anyone who is supporting a young person. All communications with Youthline are confidential.
Youthline offers a number of different free counselling options:
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Free call 0800-942-8787 |
Free call 0800-942-8787
www.whatsup.co.nz
0800 What’s Up (run by Barnardos New Zealand) is a free counselling helpline and webchat service for children and teenagers.
0800 What’s Up is a safe place for kids and teens to talk with a qualified counsellor about anything at all.
Helpline (0800-942-8787)
Monday to Friday, 12pm-11pm
Saturday to Sunday, 3pm-11pm
Chat online
Monday to Friday, 1pm-10pm
Saturday to Sunday, 3pm-10pm
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Free call 0800-KIDSLINE (0800-54-37-54) |
Free call 0800-KIDSLINE (0800-54-37-54)
www.kidsline.org.nz
Kidsline is a helpline for children and young people to talk about how they’re feeling or what’s going on in their life. The specially trained youth volunteers will listen and support the caller to figure out their options or help them see things in a different way.
Kidsline is available for free 24/7, but on weekdays between 4pm and 9pm calls are answered by Kidsline buddies, specially trained Year 12 and 13 students.
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Phone: 027-352-5032 |
Phone: 027-352-5032
www.chatbus.org.nz
office@chatbus.org.nz
ChatBus provides counselling at primary and intermediate schools in Dunedin. Referrals can come via school staff or parents, as well as self-referrals from students themselves.
Appointments are made by emailing or phoning the ChatBus office or made directly by students via the school office. Appointments are for 30 minutes and take place at school during class time.
ChatBus is available at a child’s school, on safe, familiar territory, but is independent of the school system. Each child’s privacy and confidentiality is respected.
ChatBus counsellors liaise with or refer to other professionals/agencies as required.
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Free call 0800-111-757 |
Free call 0800-111-757
Free text 5626
www.thelowdown.co.nz
Helpline and text service available 24/7.
You can also send an email directly from the webpage or participate in a webchat.
Sometimes life’s ups and downs are more than just the usual ups and downs. If you’re feeling bad, The Lowdown can help you figure out if you’re experiencing anxiety or depression. Whatever is going on for you, The Lowdown is full of ideas and people who can help you get unstuck and get to a better place.
On the website you can find:
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SPARX is a free New Zealand computerised self-help programme designed for 12-19 year olds. SPARX is designed to help young people who are feeling down, depressed or anxious.
At the start of SPARX you will meet the Guide. The Guide explains what SPARX is and how it could help you. You will then customise your avatar and journey to the seven provinces to complete quests that restore the world’s balance and defeat the pesky negative thoughts, called Gnats. Along the way, you will meet different characters, solve puzzles and complete minigames. As you complete each quest, the Guide will explain how you can use your new skills to feel better, solve problems and enjoy life in the real world.
The website also includes an interactive Mood Quiz.
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Free call 0800 UTH LAW (0800-88-45-29) |
Free call 0800 UTH LAW (0800-88-45-29)
www.youthlaw.co.nz
Youth Law provides free legal services to anyone in New Zealand aged under 25 who is unable to access legal help elsewhere, or those acting on their behalf.
Youth Law provides legal advice via their phone line (0800 UTH LAW) and they also have a lot of legal information available on their website about the rights of young people in regard to issues such as legal ages, home and family, bullying and violence, welfare and benefits, sex and relationships, etc.
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Bullying Free NZ provides information about what bullying is (including information about cyberbullying) and what students can do about it. The website contains links to lots of different resources, including videos.
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Netsafe is New Zealand’s independent, non-profit online safety organisation. They work to help people in New Zealand take advantage of the opportunities available through technology by providing practical tools, support and advice for managing online challenges.
Netsafe includes information and resources specifically for young people and deals with issues such as online bullying and abuse, social media vs reality, how to use privacy settings, gaming, grooming, etc.
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Free call 0800-223-269 |
Free call 0800-223-269
www.ed.org.nz
info@ed.org.nz
EDANZ is run by parents, caregivers and people who have fully recovered from eating disorders. The organisation offers support, help and resources to people caring for loved ones with an eating disorder, but is not able to offer treatment or medical advice for patients themselves. Anyone who has or is concerned they have an eating disorder should discuss this with their GP. EDANZ also offers support and advice on how to speak with a GP for the first time about an eating disorder
EDANZ has a number of online resources available on their website.
LGBTQ+ is the more commonly used term in the community – possibly because it is more user-friendly! You may also hear the terms “Queer Community” or “Rainbow Community” used to describe LGBTQ+ people. The most important thing to remember is to be respectful and to use the terms that people prefer.
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RainbowYOUTH provides services for queer and gender diverse youth and their wider communities across all Aotearoa.
Some of their services include:
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Free call 0800 OUTLINE (0800-688-5643) |
Free call 0800 OUTLINE (0800-688-5643)
www.outline.org.nz
Calls to OUTLine are answered every evening between 6pm and 9pm.
OUTLine provides trained volunteers to discuss topics around sexual orientation, gender identity and diverse sex characteristics. They can help you find sources of trusted information, connection to community or peers, and medical or mental health services that welcome LGBTQ+ people.
All calls and callers are confidential and anonymous.
Calls are welcomed from LGBTQ+ people, friends and whānau, or professionals who care for them.
Living with anxiety can be difficult, but there are steps you can take to replenish your physical, mental and emotional energy and boost your creative and spiritual reserves, all of which get depleted when you’re tired and stressed.
There are lots of self-care suggestions on The Lowdown website (www.thelowdown.co.nz) – things you can do to help look after yourself and make yourself feel better. Not everything will suit everybody, but you should be able to find some things that work for you.
Mindfulness is a powerful way to handle stress. Learn about what mindfulness is and how it can help you live life more fully:
www.mindfulnessforteens.com
Hear what other teens have to say about mindfulness in this clip:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk7IBwuhXWM
This video is an introduction to breathing techniques and basic meditation to help build your resilience, mental health and wellbeing:
www.healthnavigator.org.nz/videos/m/mindfulness-videos/mindfulness-exercise
The Mental Health Foundation’s webpage also includes a lot of mindfulness activities:
www.mentalhealth.org.nz/home/our-work/page/21/2/how-to-be-more-mindful
There are a variety of mobile phone apps for breathing, meditation and mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of each moment of your day as it happens. Becoming more mindful helps reduce tension, stress and anxiety. It also helps you notice what supports your wellbeing. Here are some apps to get you started. Note that some have a cost associated with them, but others are free:
www.healthnavigator.org.nz/apps/b/breathing-meditation-and-mindfulness-apps