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  • Appendix: Mental health resources

Mental health resources

For Christians, the local church is a key context for pastoral support. Finding a church at Uni is vitally important. Your Christian Union works with local churches to ensure new students find a church and settle quickly.

If you find you are struggling to cope, make the staff of either your home church and/or your university church aware of your needs. The church should be able to offer support and point you to where you can find help.

It is important you register with a GP when you arrive at Uni. Through your GP you will be able to access NHS support.

Your university will also have support services for students. These services are there to help you if you find you are struggling with health, social or academic difficulties. If you are finding it hard to cope, then approach student welfare and ask for help.

Here are some resources from both Christian and secular charities and organisations.

Disclaimer: These organisations are not affiliated or associated with UCCF. If you have any concerns for your mental health, it is best to speak to your GP. If you (or anyone you know) is in immediate danger, call 999.

Christian Counselling and Educational Foundation

Website: https://www.ccef.org/book-category/minibooks/

CCEF has been running for over 40 years and has many resources. The most popular include series of very small books on a range of issues Christians face (see also 10ofthose.com)

Mind

Phone: 0300 123 3393

Email: info@mind.org.uk

Website: www.mind.org.uk

Instagram: @mindcharity

Rethink Mental Illness

Phone: 0121 522 7007 (general enquiries)

Email: info@rethink.org

Website: www.rethink.org

Instagram: @rethinkmentalillness

Rethink mental illness provide a range of support, advice and information services relating to mental illness, as well as conducting national campaigns and research. Rethink runs over 200 mental health services and 150 support groups across England, including therapy services, peer support groups and many more

NHS Choices

Website: www.nhs.uk

NHS Choices provides a wide range of accessible information on all health related issues, including symptoms, conditions, treatments and local NHS services available. This includes a dedicated section on mental health (under ‘Live Well’ heading)

Nightline

Phone: Numbers vary, check website for local nightline numbers available

Website: www.nightline.ac.uk

Instagram: Various depending on the university

The nightline association provides listening, support and information helplines run by university students, including about mental health related issues

Student Minds

Email: info@studentminds.org.uk

Website: www.studentminds.org.uk

Instagram: @studentmindsorg

Student Minds is the UK’s student mental health charity, aiming to provide students with the skills, knowledge and confidence to talk about their mental health and support their peers.

Rehab Recovery

Phone: 0800 088 66 86

Website: https://www.rehab-recovery.co.uk/

Rehab Recovery is an organisation that provides addiction treatment and healthcare advice for a wide range of different addiction and dependency problems. They offer high-quality advice and referral service that matches clients to the right variety of treatment which will solve their problems and let them get on with their normal lives free of the burden of addiction.

Alcoholics Anonymous

Website: https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk

Helpline: 0800 9177650

A long standing group-based alcohol recovery programme (with resources also available for families or friends of those who depend on alcohol, Al-Anon)

Help for dependency (formerly Addaction)

Instagram: @helpfordependency

Website: https://www.helpfordependency.co.uk/we-are-with-you/

Supports adults, children, young adult and older people to make positive behavioural changes around alcohol, drugs, mental health and wellbeing

Drink Aware

Phone: 0207 766 9900

Email: contact@drinkaware.co.uk

Website: www.drinkaware.co.uk

Independent charity working to reduce alcohol misuse and harm in the UK. The website has free drink trackers and tools to assess your own drinking levels.

Drinkline

Phone: 0300 123 1110

(Freephone, 9am – 8pm Mon-Fri; 11am-4pm Sat-Sun)

Drinkline is a free, confidential national helpline for people who are concerned about their own or someone else’s drinking

Books

Sober for Good: New solutions for Drinking Problems – Advice from Those Who have Succeeded by A Fletcher – An exploration of recovery from problem drinking, taking account of varied lived experience

Anxiety UK

Phone: 03444 775 774

Text: 07537 416

Email: support@anxietyuk.org.uk

Website: www.anxietyuk.org.uk

Instagram: @anxietyukofficial

Anxiety UK is a national charity run by people with lived experience of anxiety, aiming to support everyone affected by anxiety through information and support. This includes talking therapies and self-help groups

No panic

Phone: 0300 7729844

(Helpline, 10am – 10pm, 7 days a week)

Phone: 0330 606 1174

(Youth helpline for 13 to 20 year olds, 4-6pm Mon-Fri)

Email: admin@nopanic.org.uk

Website: www.nopanic.org.uk

Instagram: @charitynopanic

No panic is a charity which helps people who experience any kind of anxiety disorder. It specialises in self-help based recovery via their helpline and resources available on their website.

Books

Overcoming Anxiety by David Powlison – A Christian approach to facing ongoing anxiety

Hope in an anxious world by Helen Thorne – Encouragement and hope for any Christian looking to be free from anxiety

Overcoming social anxiety and shyness: A self-help guide using cognitive behavioural techniques by G Butler – A self-help guide to social anxiety based on cognitive behavioural therapy

Overcoming anxiety: A self-help guide using cognitive behavioural techniques by H Kennerley – A self-help guide to anxiety based on cognitive behavioural therapy

Bipolar UK

Phone: Book a call using the chatbox function

Email: info@bipolaruk.org

Website: www.bipolaruk.org

Bipolar UK is the national charity dedicated to supporting individuals with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, as well as their families and carers. Provide information through their website and via phone and also run national self-help support groups, online support and employment support

Books

Bipolar Disorder: Understanding and help for extreme mood swings by Ed Welch

Bereavement Advice Centre

Phone: 0800 634 9494 (Freephone helpline, 9am – 5pm, Mon-Fri)

Website: www.bereavementadvice.org

The Bereavement Advice Centre supports and advises people after a death in England and Wales. Their website and helpline provides help with the wide range of practical issues that need to be managed after a bereavement as well as signposting to other support

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide

Phone: Under review until further notice

Email: email.support@uksobs.org

Email (for men): bereaveMENt@uksobs.org

Website: www.uk-sobs.org.uk

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide is the national charity to meet the needs and break the isolation experienced by those bereaved by suicide. A self-help organisation which provides support via a range of means, including via email and through running self-help groups.

Books

Grief: Finding hope again by Paul David Tripp

Grieving a suicide: Help for the aftershock by David Powlison

Untangling Emotions by Alasdair Groves and Winston Smith – A book setting out a holistic view of emotions rooted in the bible, how to engage with them (incl. the more complex ones like fear and anger)

National Debtline

Phone: 0808 808 4000

(Freephone, 9am – 8pm Mon-Fri, 9:30am – 1pm Sat)

Website: www.nationaldebtline.org

The National Debtline is an independent charity which provides free, confidential specialist advice on managing financial debt via a helpline, online information and free web chats

CAP (Christians Against Poverty)

Helpline: 0800 328 0006

Website: https://capuk.org

Instagram: @capuk_org

Instagram (Scotland): @cap_scotland

Christians Against Poverty (CAP) provides free debt help and local community groups across the UK. Our free services, run with local churches, provide practical and emotional support and show people that there is always hope.

Depression UK

Email: info@depressionuk.org

Website: www.depressionuk.org

Depression UK is a national self-help organisation that offers support to everyone affected by depression

Books

Hope for the depressed by Ed Welch – Short book for any Christian facing depression

Depression: The way up when you are down by Ed Welch

Christians get depressed too by David Murray – Set for release July 2022

Beating the Blues by S Tanner and J Ball – A very readable step-by-step self help programme for depression using cognitive behavioural therapy.

Overcoming Depression: A self-help guide using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques by P Gilbert – A self-help manual for depression based on cognitive behavioural therapy.

Spurgeon’s Sorrows by Zach Eswine

Talk ED (previously ABC)

Website: https://www.talk-ed.org.uk

Anorexia & Bulimia Care is a national UK eating, emotional support and practical guidance for anyone affected by eating disorders. Includes nutritional guidance/ support and befriending services

BEAT

Phone (England): 0808 801 0677

Phone (Scotland): 0808 801 0432

Phone (Wales): 0808 801 0433

Website: www.b-eat.co.uk

Beat is the UK’s leading charity supporting anyone affected by eating disorders. Runs helplines for adults and young people, online support as well as peer support groups across the country

MGEDT (Men Get Eating Disorders Too)

National charity raising awareness of eating disorders in men. Also provides peer support services for men affected by eating disorders.

Books

Eating Disorders: The quest for thinness by Ed Welch

Overeating: When enough isn’t enough by Mike Emlet

A New Name by Emma Scrivener – A story of grace and healing for anorexia

A New Day by Emma Scrivener – A journey to healing from eating disorder and OCD

Getting better bite by bite: A survival Kit for sufferers of Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorders by U Schmidt – A self help guide to bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder, based on cognitive behavioural therapy principles

Books

OCD: Freedom for the Obsessively Compulsive by Mike Emlet

Harmless

Website: www.harmless.org.uk

Harmless is a user led organisation that provides a range of services about self-harm, including support, information, training and consultancy to people who self-harm, their friends and families and professionals. Includes resources on alternative coping strategies.

Self-injury Support

Phone: 0808 800 8088 (Freephone helplines, 7pm – 10pm, Mon-Fri)

Text support: 07537 43244 (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 7pm - 9:30pm)

Website: www.selfinjurysupport.org.uk

Instagram: @self_injury_support

Self injury Support is a national organisation that supports girls and women affected by self injury or self-harm. They run a dedicated self-injury helpline, as well as text and email support for girls and young women under 24 years of age and supports self-injury self-help groups

Books

Self-injury: When pain feels good by Ed Welch

Papyrus

Phone: 0800 068 4141 (Frephone helpline. Mon-Fri 10am-10pm, weekends 2pm – 10pm)

Email: pat@papyrus-uk.org

Website: www.papyrus-uk.org

Instagram: @papyrus_uk

Papyrus is a national charity for the prevention of young suicide. It runs HOPElineUK, a dedicated suicide prevention hotline for anyone up to the age of 35 who may be feeling suicidal, or anyone who is concerned about a young person

CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably)

Phone: 0800 58 58 58

(Helpline, 5pm – midnight, 7 days a week)

Email: info@thecalmzone.net

Website: www.thecalmzone.net

Instagram: @calmzone

The Campaign Against Living Miserably is a charity which exists to prevent male suicide in the UK. They run a dedicated support line and online webchat for men who are experiencing emotional distress or who are in crisis. It also seeks to challenge a culture that prevents men from seeking help when they need it.

Samaritans

Phone: 116 123 (Helpline)

Email: jo@samaritans.org

Instagram: @samaritanscharity

A leading national charity dedicated to preventing suicide. Provides a crisis support hotline and resources for anyone feeling suicidal.

Books

I just want to die: Replacing suicidal thoughts with hope by David Powlison

Suicide: Understanding and intervening by Jeffrey S Black

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