Mental health support over the holidays
The holidays can be a difficult time for some people, and some experiences during the festive period could make your mental health harder to manage. Here you will find information about how and where to access support for your mental health in South West London over the holidays.
If you are already a patient or service user under the care of our services, you may find this page helpful: Helping our patients stay well over the holidays
24/7 Mental Health Crisis Line: 0800 028 8000
By calling our Mental Health Crisis Line on 0800 028 8000. The team will help you or the person you care for to get help and support quickly and in the right place.
The crisis line can help:
- Direct you to the right service for your mental health
- Provide helpful information and advice to help yourself or the person you care for manage during a crisis
- Help you to get seen by a professional if you need a face-to-face assessment
- Arrange for you to come into hospital for more intensive support if needed
The crisis line is for adults and children of all ages, and to people who haven’t previously accessed mental health services. If you are Deaf, you can call the crisis line using Sign Live. Download the app for iOS or Android .
Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Crisis Line: 0203 228 5980
If you are a child or young person, or a parent/carer concerned about a young person’s mental health, you can contact the South London Partnership CAMHS Crisis Line on 0203 228 5980. The service is open Monday to Friday from 5pm-11pm, and weekends and bank holidays from 9am-11pm.
Only call 999 or go to your local A&E department if:
- someone's life is at risk – for example they have seriously injured themselves or taken an overdose
- you do not feel you can keep yourself or someone else safe.
Recovery Cafés
If you’re struggling with how you are feeling or feel at risk of going into crisis, your local Recovery Café can help. Recovery Cafés are a free walk-in out of hours service where you can talk to people who will understand and help you.
You don’t need a referral or an appointment to visit a café. You can ring ahead if you need any support getting there or would like to speak with a member of staff first.
Please note that the cafés do not provide accommodation and are not designed to support young people under the age of 18 or those under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Tooting (Hestia) Recovery Café, 966 Garratt Lane, SW17 0ND
Email: recoverycafe@hestia.org
Tel: 07794 394 920
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 6pm-11pm, Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays (25-26 December and 1 January) 12noon-11pm
Sunshine Recovery Café, 296a Kingston Road, SW20 8LX
Email: info@sunshinerecoverycafe.org
Tel: 07908 436 617 or 0208 4171960
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 6pm-11pm, Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays (25-26 December and 1 January) 12noon-11pm
Journey Recovery Hub (Twickenham), 32 Hampton Road, TW2 5QB
Email: recoveryhub@rbmind.org
Tel: 020 3137 9755.
Opening hours: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 6pm-10pm, Sunday and bank holidays, 2pm-8pm
Journey Recovery Hub (Kingston), Alfriston Centre, 3 Berrylands Road, KT5 8RB
Email: recoveryhub@rbmind.org
Tel: call 020 3137 9755.
Opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 6pm-10pm, Saturday and bank holidays, 2pm-10pm.
Sutton Crisis Café, 63 Downs Road, Belmont, Sutton, SM2 5NR [AW1]
Email: admin@smfh.org.uk
Tel: 020 8770 0172.
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday and bank holidays, 6:30pm-11pm (last admission 10:30pm)
The Journey Recovery Hubs in Twickenham and Kingston are operating a drop-in service, or you can self-refer by clicking on the self-referral button on their website or by contacting 020 3137 9755 / recoveryhub@rbmind.org
NHS Talking Therapies
For non-urgent mental health support and help with common mental health problems like stress, anxiety and depression, you can self-refer to Talking Therapies or speak to your GP who can refer you.
Help is available in person, by video, over the phone or as an online course. Find your local service and refer yourself online here: Find an NHS talking therapies services - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Other organisations that can help
Free listening services
If you just need to talk, any time of day or night,these services offer confidential support from trained volunteers. You can talk about anything that's troubling you, no matter how difficult:
- Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans , or email: jo@samaritans.org for a reply within 24 hours
- Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line , or text "YM" if you're under 19
If you're under 19, you can also call 0800 1111 to talk to Childline or chat to one of their counsellors online . The number will not appear on your phone bill.
Other useful contacts:
- Beat
Beat support people who have or are worried they have an eating disorder, as well as others affected, such as friends and family members. Visit Beat’s website to find out more about their online and telephone support services. - Crisis Tools
Crisis Tools helps you support young people in crisis. Short accessible video guides and text resources are available for free here . - Every Mind Matters
Every Mind Matters offers expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing. - Good Thinking
Good Thinking is London’s digital wellbeing service and provides a range of resources for people to help improve mental wellbeing including free NHS-approved apps. - Hub of Hope
The Hub of Hope is a mental health support database. It is provided by national mental health charity, Chasing the Stigma, and brings local, national, peer, community, charity, private and NHS mental health support and services together in one place. - Papyrus
Papyrus provides confidential support and advice to young people struggling with thoughts of suicide, and anyone worried about a young person. Call 0800 068 4141 or text 07860 039967. The line is open 24 hours every day of the year, including weekends and bank holidays. - The Mix
The Mix provides free, confidential support for young people under 25. You can get one-to-one focused support by phone, webchat or email. Find more information on their website here: Get Support - The Mix - NHS
The NHS website has a range of helpful information and advice about getting support for your mental health. Visit Mental health - NHS (www.nhs.uk) - Kooth
Kooth offers free, confidential and anonymous online support and counselling for 11-23 year olds. Their team will be available to provide mental wellbeing support over the festive period. Chat availability dates and times:
For more information on support available click here.
