An online counselling service has been set up across south east London for children and teenagers.
The clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) covering Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth and Southwark are following in the footsteps of Lewisham and have commissioned Kooth, which will be free to all.
The online counselling and emotional wellbeing service will offer young people aged 11 to 19 and it will be completely anonymous.
Kooth is accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and is available online, offering free and safe access to self-help materials, mood-tracking, online journal and goal setting tools and a moderated online community.
Qualified counsellors are on hand on weekdays from mid-day until 10pm and from 6pm until 10pm at weekends for booked or drop-in one-to-one therapy.
Dr Lesley French, Clinical director for the children’s directorate of Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Kooth is a fantastic resource for children and young people who are going through a hard time and want to access support online and talk to someone quickly and anonymously.
"It’s already helping young people in Lewisham and I’m very pleased that it will now be available across the whole of south east London.”
Lots of children have said that the service have helped them in many ways, and provide a listening ear and help if friends and family aren't around.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here