Your questions and what things mean

We provide evidence-based mental health treatments for children young people across South Tyneside, in both 1-1 and group settings. We support people who are experiencing challenges like depression, stress, anxiety, phobias and other common mental health difficulties. We work with partner and NHS organisations to look after your mental health. We can also support you with referrals to other services if needed.

Our team is for children and young people up to the age of 18. If you are aged between 16-18 you may be seen by the Lifecycle adult team depending on your needs and wishes. 

Our children's, young people's and adult services are free-to-access NHS services. We don’t charge for consultations, therapy, or workshops. All our services are free. 

We accept self-referrals and referrals from professionals.  You or your parent/carer can self-refer by making an appointment with a member of our duty team, or you can ask for a referral form to be emailed or posted out to you.  You just need to call us on (0191) 283 2937 to ask for which you would prefer. Please see our 'How to Make a Referral' page for more details.

Yes, our opening times are Monday to Thursday 8:00am - 8:00pm, and Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm (excluding bank holidays). We aim to see children and families at appointment times that are convenient to them, and we offer after school appointments where we can. 

If you can't come to your appointment, let us know as soon as you can by calling us on 0191 283 2937. We are a very busy service and so we have a cancellation policy to make sure all of our appointments are filled.

If an appointment is not attended for any reason, you will be sent a letter asking you to rearrange within 7 days. If we do not hear from you, we will assume you no longer need our service and you will be discharged. If during your treatment there are multiple missed or cancelled appointments, your therapist may discharge you, and they will make attempts to discuss this with you.

You can bring a family member/carer with you to your appointment. Once at the appointment, if you prefer, you can be seen alone for all or part of the session. Feel free to speak to your therapist regarding your preferences.

A treatment for low mood which focuses on engaging in positive and enjoyable activities.

A therapy to help you manage your difficulties by understanding your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. This therapy is used to help with a range of difficulties such as low mood, anxiety, phobias, OCD and self-esteem.

A treatment which allows for the exploration of difficulties you may have faced or are facing which have impacted on your wellbeing.

Counselling treatment focused on coping when you have experienced a significant loss

A group for children and young people which helps them learn to manage big emotions

Within our Early Years pathway, we work with children under the age of 6 and their families. We offer 1-1 support and an Early Years Parenting group. We offer support around helping parent/carers understand their child's development and emotional regulation needs.

A psychotherapy treatment that helps with emotional distress associated with traumatic memories. It involves focusing on something external and making specific eye movement while working through distressing memories. This helps the brain to create new associations, which can help ease the emotional distress these memories can cause.

A collaborative process between a mental health professional and the individual. The purpose of a formulation is so that everyone involved can understand the individual’s main difficulties, so they can plan on how to deal with or manage them.

You and your therapist will agree what you hope to get out of your therapy, in each appointment you will be asked to score your progress. It is important that goals agreed are meaningful to you and achievable. 

Online self-help treatment for anxiety and low mood.

An online treatment focused on parents and carers of children aged 5-12 who are experiencing symptoms of childhood anxiety. 

Family systemic therapy involves working with a group (family) focusing on relationships, promotes problem solving and communication. This can help create an environment in which everyone supports each other, promoting health and well-being.

A treatment delivered in a group format, focused on giving parents and carers of children who are experiencing symptoms of childhood anxiety strategies and tools to manage and treat anxiety. Parents and carers are supported by trained therapists to work through the intervention. 

An assessment is a process of asking questions to understand the difficulties someone may be experiencing to inform the next steps. 

In health services, capacity means having the ability to use and understand information to make a decision, and communicate any decision made. If you are under the age of 16, your therapist will need to be sure you have the maturity to consent to treatment if parents or carers are not involved.  

A care plan or treatment plan is an agreed list of actions which work towards you meeting your goals. 

Confidentiality means that any information you provide to us must be kept private, unless you consent to it being shared with others. However, there are times when your therapist may need to share information even if you do not consent, for example if you are at risk harm. If you have any worries about this happening, please share these and your therapist will discuss them with you. 

It is important that your therapist explains confidentiality at your first appointment and that you understand. This will also be outlined in your treatment agreement. 

Saying ‘yes’ to something that affects you. You may also hear ‘informed consent’ which means that you are fully informed and understand what you are saying yes to. If you are unable to consent because of your age or you do not fully understand, we may ask your family/carers to consent on your behalf.

Early intervention is when a mental health condition is identified and treated at an early stage, which can reduce the long-term impact of the condition.

Another word for support or treatment to help you get better.

This means when a certain treatment or approach (such as therapy) has been tested or studied and found to work well for certain conditions/difficulties.

Safeguarding refers to protecting your rights to live safely and to be free from abuse or neglect. Local authorities have a legal duty to protect people who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing abuse or neglect.

Sign-posting is when you are given information regarding a service or services which may be helpful for you.

Services provided by local councils to protect and support the needs and welfare of children.

Trauma can happen when a person has gone through a very stressful, frightening, or distressing event. Traumatic events can happen at any age and have a lasting impact. Sometimes people are impacted quickly following a traumatic event, whereas others aren’t affected for a long time.

An assessment to identify highlight if there are any risks that may impact you or others, which is regularly updated through your time within treatment.

The process of helping you feel better or mentally well after a period of illness or experienced difficulties. However, in mental health recovery means different things to different people, and recovery is personal. What’s important is building a life that is meaningful to you as an individual.

A state of being happy, healthy, and comfortable. This involves both physical and mental well-being, as they are equally as important.