Connection/ Support

Recommendations

Person 1

Looking back over the past 12 months, can you remember a time you used self-help materials to support your mental health? What did you use? 

"The most recent was using kooth, which was recommended to me by the well-being support officer back in secondary school, she wrote the website name on a post-it note and I kept it in my bedside drawer. I was around 13 or 14. I have only recently started using it, but I have found it quite helpful. It is how I was able to find this project. Firstly they ask for you to search via postcode to check if Kooth is available in your area, as well as a specific area close to you. They ask for your date of birth (month and year) as well as race and gender.

 Then, you need to create an account with a unique username and password, advising using something others wouldn't recognise (like a username your friends would know you by). You agree to a terms and conditions and you're off. There are many parts to the website including a forum: where you can see posts from other people sharing struggles etc (which are approved to be posted). 

Articles: which includes posts from people and the Kooth "team" (there are a lot of subjects which can be viewed in the categories tab. I mainly read the poems as they are usually very impactful). 

And the Chat: where there is a live and anonymous place to talk with a "practitioner", I have used that and it has been very helpful and pleasant. I felt listened to and supported and it was a great opportunity. You have to wait in a queue to talk to someone, select 3 options from a list of how you want the chat to be steered (eg, i want to talk about something i've never told anyone, I want to feel listened too etc) and you will be asked questions about yourself during the chat. You have an hour and are able to have a free chat again next week. 

Your information is saved, which I find great as I have swapped from different counsellors in my life and having to re-tell the same information is a hassle/frustrating. I have felt understood and better after a chat and after they send you a message with helpful links etc. There is also a Safety and Wellbeing plan that is setup within sessions I believe."

Person 2

What were you hoping or expecting the self-help materials would help you with?

"I was hoping that I could get some insight into how other people dealt with internalised homophobia etc." 

Would you recommend the self-help material to a friend? Please explain why.

"Definitely. Like I said it's really easy to get to and join and you are totally free to express yourself as long as you follow the guidelines. The login isn't connected to an email or anything so you don't have to worry about it being on a shared device."

Did you feel the self-help made a difference to you or change anything for you? If so in what way?

"I think connecting to people who shared the same issues and seeing how they thought really helped. I find it hard sometimes to ask for help in person particularly due to my autism so I find it great that I can type things out."

Why did you choose that mental health self-help material?

"Its anonymous and it does not need parents consent. Especially kooth is good for getting help and completely hidden from parents and I can conect with others. I read alot on psychology today and take quizzes but im not sure they are accurate I just do them because im curious, not because I think it will help. Samaritans was just one time I felt down. And the self help intervention research i found on kooth discussions like this one and I did it because I wanted to help the research."

Did you feel the self-help made a difference to you or change anything for you? If so in what way?

"It made me feel connected to other people and made me feel appreciated. Calling a helpline took a weight off my shoulders. Reading articles just answers my questions but doenst help my mental health alot but probably because I dont have the energy or motivation to follow all the advice except the things I already do."

Anything else you wanna drop? Your main take on self-help materials or anything that feels important?

"Self help itself doent always work but at least using it is me taking a half hearted effort to get better and show that I still care about myself. Even if doing it doent work, the act of trying and knowing i tried is often enough for me."

Recommendation 1

Why did you choose that mental health self-help material?

"It was anonymous and easy to access, and fast replies".

What helped or didn’t help you actually use or stick with the material?- think what was going on for you at the time, how it was written, how it looks, how it made you feel.

"It was helpful that replies were consistently daily, and made me feel less alone, it was also really easy to reply in my own time".

Would you recommend the self-help material to a friend? Please explain why.

"Yes because its quick and easy to access"

Recommendation 2

What helped or didn’t help you actually use or stick with the material?- think what was going on for you at the time, how it was written, how it looks, how it made you feel.

"So I talked about things that made me feel emotional like sad ,stressed and other but the thing I didnt like it was that they take a day to look back at you email if you don't want to use the online chat"

Did you feel the self-help made a difference to you or change anything for you? If so in what way?

"Yes it did it made me feel like I have some one to listen to me and that I can express my self and my emotions and it was like a safe place you can talk in"

What parts actually helped about the self-help materials and what parts didn’t really do much or made things worse?

"It actually helped me feel like spme one understands me and the part that didnt really work or made things worse is like I keep on questioning my self is that going to happen or are they going to help me in some way or are they going to tell me off to my school like they didnt do that the part what made it worse is me over thinking about it but they do actually help you"

Anything else you wanna drop? Your main take on self-help materials or anything that feels important?

"No but I just want to say that if you need help please use these web sites they do help I promise if they have helped me they would help you"

Why did you choose that mental health self-help material?

"I chose discord because I found that there were many people as to which I could heavily relate to in the fandoms I enjoy and it's high sense of connectivity, another reason is because of it's popularity. I chose kooth because of a person we had come in to our school and talk tous about the site and it remained in my memory when I began feeling depressed."

What caught your eye and got you to engage with the material?

"A small discord server for a persons music which I joined when it was made. Their character is based on a character in a game and I had enjoyed listening to their music they had been making regularly. I've come to really love and cherish many people in the server and feel like I'm able to be myself and feel connected."

Did you feel the self-help made a difference to you or change anything for you? If so in what way?

"It helped to feel accepted because of me being transfem and not being out to irl friends."

Would you recommend the self-help material to a friend? Please explain why.

"No as I'd feel like they would have no reason it and it could be very hard to find one like the one I happened to find."