Mental health support

Mental health support

Mental health support

 

NHS Therapists

Therapy provided through the NHS is free of charge. Victims/ survivors can be referred for therapy through their GP.

Alternatively, NHS has self-referral programmes. Talking therapies (psychological therapies) can be used to treat many different mental health problems. They involve talking to a trained professional about your thoughts, feelings and behaviours. The website for the whole of the UK is https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/talking-therapies/.

For sufferers in England, the NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression services provide psychological interventions for adults in England who are struggling with anxiety disorders and/or depression. The services offer a range of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended talking therapies that are tailored to each individual’s needs. These therapies can be delivered face-to-face, remotely, individually or in groups and are free for patients to access. The website is https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/adults/nhs-talking-therapies/.

Wales has an equivalent service called SilverCloud. The website is https://hduhb.nhs.wales/healthcare/services-and-teams/silvercloud-online-mental-health-support/

Northern Ireland has an equivalent service called MindWise: Offers a dedicated MindWise Talking Therapies Service where you can self-refer directly without seeing a doctor. And you can contact Lifeline: Northern Ireland’s 24/7 crisis response helpline. If you call Lifeline NI at 0808 808 8000, they can provide immediate support and arrange free, local face-to-face counselling appointments within seven days.

In Scotland self-referral service is available through NHS Living Life: A free telephone service providing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for anyone in Scotland aged 16 and over. You can refer yourself by calling 0800 328 9655 (Monday to Friday, 9am – 9pm). There is also Time for You: A virtual mental health service offered by SAMH for anyone 16 and over in Scotland experiencing mild to moderate concerns. You can self-refer via the SAMH Time for You page. And there are Local NHS Wellbeing Services: Many regional health boards (such as NHS Lothian or NHS Borders) have local wellbeing hubs that accept self-referrals directly for stress, sleep, and mild depression. If you are near Glasgow, you can walk directly into Scotland’s first walk-in mental health support hub SAMH The Nook:—no booking or referral is needed. Breathing Space: For immediate, free, and confidential phone advice and support, you can call their advisors directly at 111 or 0800 83 85 87.

Alternatively, you can explore online self-help modules on NHS Inform or consult your local GP who can help you navigate more specialized treatments.

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)

The BACP is a professional association for members of the counselling profession in the UK. The BACP website holds a directory of members and services that are registered with or accredited by them. Most of these are private and will charge for their services. It is possible to search their directory via postcode here:

https://www.bacp.co.uk/search/Therapists

It is possible to filter by:

  • issues the victim/ survivor has suffered or is suffering (including abuse)
  • the form of sessions (i.e. face to face, online, telephone, or home visits, long or short term)
  • type of client (children, young people, adults)

Counselling Directory

Counselling Directory holds details of individual counsellors and psychotherapists that are personally registered as a member of a relevant professional body, and of counselling/ psychotherapy practices at which at least one of their therapists is registered, or the practice itself is. The list of the professional bodies they recognise is available at:

https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/accreditation.html

However, they do not monitor changes and therefore it is the responsibility of the person or organisation accessing the service to confirm that the accreditation is still valid.

It is possible to search Counselling Directory by postcode, town or country, here: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/adv-search.html

It is possible to filter by:

  • issues the victim/ survivor has suffered or is suffering (including different forms of abuse)
  • the specific type of therapy required (i.e. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Arts therapy, Psychoanalysis etc)
  • the form of sessions (i.e. face to face, online or telephone)
  • wheelchair accessibility
  • type of client (children, young people, adults)

 

UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)

The UKCP holds details of registered psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Their register is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority. It is possible to search their directory by postcode or location here:

https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/find-a-therapist/

It is possible to filter by:

  • issues the victim/ survivor has suffered or is suffering (including different forms of abuse)
  • the specific type of therapy required (i.e. Cognitive and Behavioural Psychotherapy, Integrative Arts Psychotherapy, Psychoanalysis etc)
  • type of client (children, young people, adults)
  • additional language requirements

 

 

Charity and third sector therapists and support services

Some community and charity sector organisations offer free or low-cost therapies and other forms of support:

Safe Spaces

Safe Spaces is an independent helpline which provides support to victims/ survivors of church related abuse, regardless of whether a report has been made. Their helpline number is 0300 303 1056 and they are also available via email at safespaces@victimsupport.org.uk and web chat via the Safe Spaces website https://www.safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk/ Their opening hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10am-6pm, and Thursday 12pm-8pm.

Helplines Partnership

Helplines Partnership holds a database of helplines that may be suitable for victims/ survivors. The search tool allows for a keyword search and for helplines to be filtered by topic and region. This is available here:

https://helplines.org/helplines/

Survivors UK

Survivors UK provides support to adult males who have experienced any form of sexual violence. They have web and text chat services as well as individual and group counselling in London. Details are available here:

https://www.survivorsuk.org/

Mind

The Mind website details local Mind charities and the services they offer here: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/local-minds/

 

Rethink Mental Illness

Rethink Mental Illness has a network of over 140 local support groups offering space for people suffering mental illness to talk about their experience and get peer support. It is possible to search for these groups by postcode or town here:

https://www.rethink.org/help-in-your-area/groups-in-your-area/

They also provide over 200 mental health services in England including advocacy and helplines, offering support in issues ranging from employment to legal rights. It is possible to search for these groups by postcode or town here:

https://www.rethink.org/help-in-your-area/services/

Mental Health Matters

Mental Health Matters provide mental health support services including helplines, therapy, advocacy and crisis support. Details of the services they offer can be found here:

https://www.mhm.org.uk/Pages/Category/find-a-service?Take=24

Minister And Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors (MACSAS)

MACSAS supports women and men who have been sexually abused, as children or adults, by ministers, clergy or other church officers. Their website offers useful resources and they also have a helpline for victims and survivors and their relatives. Details are available here:

https://www.macsas.org.uk/

Suzy Lamplugh Trust

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust runs a national stalking helpline providing advice for victims who have been affected by harassment or stalking. Details are available here:

https://www.suzylamplugh.org/

 

Self-help resources

Help for Adult Victims of Child Abuse provide a number of resources, many of which are freely available and written by survivors for survivors. They are available here:

https://www.havoca.org/resources/

The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) provides some online advice addressing common concerns that many survivors have, available here:

https://napac.org.uk/common-concerns/

They also provide some freely-accessible reading on various topics for survivors here: https://napac.org.uk/resources/

Rape Crisis provide online advice for many issues and concerns experienced by survivors. Much of their advice is suitable for adult victims of child abuse, not just for adult victims of rape. Further information is available here:

https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/looking-for-tools-to-help-you-cope/

One-in-four provide a page full of resources focusing on support and self-care for survivors to download and work through at their own pace here:

https://oneinfour.org.uk/self-care/

From Report to Court is a downloadable handbook for adult survivors of sexual abuse and violence. It is produced by the organisation Rights of Women, but as the handbook focuses on the process of reporting sexual abuse all the way through to a criminal trial, it is usable by both men and women, and is available here:

from-report-to-court-2018-1.pdf

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has also produced a booklet on wellbeing including some ideas about how to look after yourself, available here:

https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents/9006/view/your-wellbeing-independent-inquiry-into-child-sexual-abuse.pdf

 

 

This page was last updated on 27th May 2026.