Who to speak to about personal issues

All young people experience things that are difficult for them to deal with alone. Getting support and having people to talk to confidentially is important.

South Gloucestershire Council’s Mind You website is a good starting point for advice and links to other services, regardless of the issue you are experiencing.

Kooth is a national organisation that provides free online counselling 7-days a week, as well as access to blogs written by young people and live chat forums.

Shout is the UK’s first 24/7 totally free text support service for anyone in crisis or who needs immediate help. Text Shout to 85258 and someone will text you back. 

The Mix is a national organisation providing essential support for anyone under 25. You can speak to them in a number of different ways including a telephone advice line 0808 808 4994 and 1-2-1 web chats.  Both are available 4pm to 11pm 7 days a week.  

Childline is a well-known national organisation offering telephone and online advice anytime, day or night.  Their website also has a message board enabling you to get advice or ideas from other young people who may be experiencing something similar.

Young Minds is a useful source of information for those experiencing concerns about things such as body image, food and eating, bullying and abuse.  Seed is another helpful source of information and support for people concerned about food and eating.  Seed is an all-ages site, but has content specific to young people and some of the blog posts are specific to young people’s situations.

For those experiencing bullying, Family Lives have an excellent website with lots of helpful information. If the bullying you are experiencing is online, Support line have a great page on cyber-bullying. If you are receiving content online that is abusive, harassing or causing you to be worried or upset, the website Report Harmful Content is a great place to go for support and help.

For those who have questions, worries or need support around their sexuality and gender identity, Stonewall are a national charity providing advice, support and information. Closer to home, The Diversity Trust provide services for young people in South Gloucestershire, including the Alphabets youth group.

Relationships form a major part of young people’s lives. If you are concerned about your relationships with the people that you live with The Hideout has lots of advice and information that can help. If you are not sure whether the relationships you have at home are ok or not, they have a useful set of online questions that can help you work it out.

If you do not feel safe at home or feel people that you live with are at risk of being harmed, ring Next Link on 0800 4700 280.

You might also want advice about the relationship you have with your partner (some people refer to these as their girlfriend or boyfriend). The website Family Lives offers helpful advice and information about healthy relationships. Brook, the national relationships and sexual health charity for young people have excellent content on their website about unhealthy relationships and abuse.

If you need to speak to someone about things to do with sex or sexual health, including advice about contraception (the pill, injection, implant etc), emergency contraception (the morning after pill), testing for sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancy, or to find out what services are available contact:

If you have experienced rape, or have had sex that you did not want to have contact:

If the issue that you need advice or support with with relates to your own or someone else’s drug or alcohol use, our Young People’s Drug and Alcohol Service (YPDAS) will be able to help you. If you have questions, worries or concerns, or need advice or someone to talk to, email ypservice@southglos.gov.uk and someone will make contact with you.

Related advice

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