Response has published a range of free to access guides for individuals experiencing mental health challenges, young people plus parents and carers to coincide with the launch of our new website.
The guides cover areas such as supporting wellbeing, coping with change, alcohol support and building self-esteem, with further resources planned to be published later this year.
Resources for young people encompass managing exam stress and starting university, while the free guides extend to social media use, sleep and support methods which parents and carers can consider during the school holidays for neurodivergent children.
It comes after NHS figures found 2.24 million people were in direct contact with its mental health services at the end of January, while more than 526,000 parents and carers were in discussions with children and young people’s mental health services.
Nicola Leavesley, CEO of Response, said the tools can play a small role in addressing a deepening mental health crisis.
“It’s estimated one in four people will experience a mental health challenge of any severity each year,” said Nicola.
“This figure is likely to be magnified in 2026, owing to global events and the associated uncertainty, plus sharp rises people are experiencing to the cost of living.
“We’ve witnessed first-hand a rise in demand for our own services and are acutely aware of the pressures being faced by the NHS.
“It’s why launching these free online resources was viewed as an important step by our team to act as a stopgap for people who are experiencing their own personal challenges right now while they wait for professional help.
“We’d encourage anyone who requires help for a non-urgent issue to explore the resources our team has published to hopefully aid their recovery amid an issue that is personal to them.”
Founded in 1966 and operating across Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, Response supports people to overcome mental health challenges by helping them rebuild confidence, regain stability and to move forwards.
It achieves this through supported housing for adults and young people, plus preventative and open access support at its newly opened Wellbeing Hub in Thatcham, Berkshire.
At any given time, the charity can work with up to 550 individuals.
Nicola added: “More people are seeking support from statutory services, which naturally has a knock-on effect to independent providers which operate to relieve pressure being weighed on the NHS.
“Our Wellbeing Hub in Thatcham, for example, already has a waiting list of young people our team won’t be able to see for months, potentially up to a year.
“With appropriate funding, our team would be able to provide tailored support at the moment of first contact.
“In the meantime, it is our responsibility to do everything in our control to help those experiencing mental health challenges until resource is available and our free digital tools represent one way of achieving this.”
Anyone requiring urgent assistance due to poor mental health should call 111 and select the mental health option.