Council launches teen mental health app

An app that will provide mental health support for young people has been launched by Oxfordshire County Council (OCC).

Tellmi, a mental health app that delivers digital pre-moderated peer support, has been commissioned to "improve outcomes" for young people.

The app will provide young people in the county year-round access to a space where they can discuss their feelings anonymously.

Since 2015, Oxfordshire has experienced a consistent increase in the number of school pupils with social, emotional, and mental health needs, the council said.

Tellmi will enable in-house counsellors to intervene to support high-risk users when needed.

Users will also have access to over 700 crisis specialists and local support services through its directory feature.

Councillor Nathan Ley, OCC's public health chief, said: "This app will be freely available to support all young people in secondary schools in Oxfordshire and local organisations that would like more support to help them deal with young people’s concerns about mental health and wellbeing."

Young people aged between 11 and 18 years old will be able to use the app.

Tellmi co-CEO Kerstyn Comley said the company looked forward to "working closely" with schools and other organisations in the county to "build trust" and "improve outcomes for young people".

"In addition to our digital service, we will be delivering outreach activities, which include outreach campaigns, school resources, workshops, and training for anyone working directly with young people," she added.