Family Support Resources

This is a place for parents and carers to find helpful information, guidance, and tried-and-tested apps that can support wellbeing and encourage positive daily routines. We hope these resources make life at home a little easier and give you confidence as you support your child’s journey.

We are pleased to share a series of short clips created by Building Resilience in Young Minds (BRIYM), a team of specialists who work with schools, families, and young people to promote positive mental health and emotional wellbeing. Their aim is to provide practical strategies that build resilience, boost confidence, and help young people manage life’s challenges. These clips have been specially selected to support Reading Girls’ School families, offering simple, accessible advice that can be used at home to encourage open conversations and strengthen wellbeing.

Recommended NHS apps:

There are so many apps available, it can be hard to know which ones are safe, reliable, and genuinely helpful. Some may include hidden costs, while others are not designed with young people in mind. To make things easier, we’ve put together a carefully selected list of apps. All of these are free to use, contain no in-app purchases, and are available on both Android and iOS. Each one has a clear privacy policy and is supported by evidence for its approach or proven benefits.

These apps are designed to support children and young people in managing challenges such as low mood, anxiety, or stress. They teach practical skills and strategies to cope in the moment and reduce the impact of these feelings over time. Some also provide links to further information, local resources, and advice on where to turn in a crisis.

Move Mood is an app created by stem4, a teenage mental health charity, to support young people in managing the challenges that can come with low mood. It helps users set personal goals, plan activities, and stay motivated through the support of a virtual ‘companion’. As tasks are completed, users earn rewards, building a sense of achievement along the way. The app also includes tools to track progress and access additional resources. It is designed for young people aged 13 and over.
Calm Harm, developed by stem4 (a teenage mental health charity), is an app designed to help young people manage the urge to self-harm by offering safe and supportive alternatives. Through a choice of five- or fifteen-minute activities, users can learn to “surf the wave” of difficult feelings. The activities are grouped into the following categories: Distract – building self-control by shifting focus Comfort – encouraging care instead of harm Express Yourself – releasing emotions in a safe way Release – providing safe alternatives to self-injury Random – choosing an activity at random from the above categories The app also includes a breathing exercise to help reduce stress and anxiety. It is designed for self-guided use by young people aged 13 and over who experience non-suicidal self-injury. If self-harm is linked to suicidal thoughts or intent, it is very important to speak to a trusted adult and seek professional help straight away.
Clear Fear, developed by stem4 (a teenage mental health charity), is an app designed to help young people manage anxiety. Using a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approach, it supports users in challenging anxious thoughts, changing unhelpful behaviours, and calming the body’s fear response. The app also explains the different ways anxiety can show up, and provides practical information and resources to help manage it day to day. It is suitable for young people aged 11–19.
Combined Minds, created by stem4 (a teenage mental health charity), is designed to help families and friends support young people with their mental health. The app offers practical strategies for providing the right kind of support, while also helping loved ones recognise when it may be best to step back and encourage independence.
Tellmi is a peer-support app where young people can share questions, worries, or experiences and receive replies from others their own age. It can be especially helpful for those dealing with stress, anxiety, low mood, or relationship difficulties. To keep the space safe, every post is reviewed by a trained moderator before it goes live. The app is suitable for young people aged 11 and over.
Apart of Me was co-created by child psychology experts together with bereaved young people, turning bereavement counselling techniques into an interactive 3D world. A virtual guide supports users as they move through the app, helping them to explore, understand, and express their experience of grief and the many emotions that come with it. It is designed for young people aged 12–18 (with a core focus on ages 13–16).
distrACT offers quick, discreet access to reliable health information and guidance for people who self-harm or may be experiencing suicidal thoughts, as well as for those supporting them. The app provides safe, trustworthy advice in a way that is easy to use and confidential. It is designed for young people aged 13 and over.
Feeling Good Teens is an app designed to boost self-esteem and motivation in young people. It features 11 audio tracks, each lasting between 3 and 11 minutes, that guide users through mindful relaxation, muscle relaxation, calming the mind, building confidence, managing exam stress, and improving sleep. The app can help young people to: Feel calmer and more relaxed Reduce stress Improve concentration Build confidence It is recommended for ages 10–15.
Molehill Mountain is an app designed to support people with autism in understanding and managing their anxiety. It allows users to track worries, recognise situations that trigger anxious feelings, and spot patterns over time through daily check-ins. As progress is recorded, the app unlocks personalised tips and strategies to help build a deeper understanding of anxiety and develop ways to manage it more effectively. It is recommended for ages 16 and over.
Catch It is an app developed by the Universities of Liverpool and Manchester to help young people better understand and manage their moods. Using an ongoing mood diary, it encourages users to track feelings and recognise patterns over time. The app introduces some of the key principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), offering practical strategies to support mental health and wellbeing. It is recommended for ages 12 and over.
Pzizz – Sleep, Nap & Focus Support App Pzizz is designed to help young people improve their sleep, relaxation, and concentration. Using calming audio “dreamscapes” for sleep, energising sessions for naps, and “focuscapes” to aid concentration, the app combines music, voiceovers, and sound design based on clinical research. It’s a simple, easy-to-use tool that can support better rest, reduce stress, and boost focus during the day. Recommended age: 12+