In the second of a two-part series on youth mental health, young people explain how there are"less barriers" to accessing support online.
The Live Chat service is open to anyone in Ireland aged 12-25 and is delivered by trained clinicians. "I don't know who with, I don't who to, but this needs to come off my chest. And that is all you really need." While many choose to combine online support with in-person therapy, she says there are a variety of reasons young people prefer to get help solely by connecting online.
"We can fully appreciate why a parent might feel quite anxious that they are not taking an active part in it themselves. However, we have had parents who alongside their young person will register for an account, so we have seen that collaborative support." Ms Douglas explained how they have quality standards in place in terms of the questions they ask and the"levels of distress" that they note.
Would that be because like in my daughters case she was left waiting over 6 months to talk to ANYONE when seriously unwell ?