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Free Mental Health Resources in South Africa


#Support Updated on Jun 28, 2025
Our in-house team, including world-class mental health professionals, publishes high-quality articles to raise awareness, guide your therapeutic journey, and help you find the right therapy and therapists. All articles are reviewed and written by or under the supervision of licensed mental health professionals.

TherapyRoute

Cape Town, South Africa

Need mental health support in South Africa? From local care to national helplines, here’s a quick guide to trusted resources near you.

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Mental health support in South Africa is delivered through a broad network of non-profits, research centres, advocacy groups, and community programmes. From school-based services in the Western Cape to national helplines and international research collaborations, these organisations are working to make mental healthcare more accessible, affordable, and stigma-free.

This curated list highlights key mental health organisations across South Africa—grouped by region and reach. Whether you're looking for in-person counselling, school support, maternal mental health services, trauma care, or national awareness campaigns, these groups offer a wide range of interventions and resources.

Whether you're a parent, student, caregiver, professional, or someone simply seeking support, this guide can help you find reliable mental health resources in your area or online.

 

  • Western Cape-Based
  • Johannesburg-Based
  • National / Online / International Organisations

 

 

Western Cape-Based

  • FAMSA Western Cape - A non-profit specialising in relationship and family counselling, community outreach, employee wellness, and professional training. Their services include individual, couples, divorce, and violence-prevention counselling—available online and at multiple offices across Cape Town—using sliding-scale or free fees to support diverse communities 
     
  • Cape Mental Health - Delivers comprehensive, community-based mental-health services, including assessment, treatment, rehabilitation, residential care, and skills-development programmes for adults and children with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, alongside public-awareness initiatives.
     
  • Waves for Change - Implements evidence-based surf-therapy programmes for vulnerable children and adolescents from under-resourced communities, using the ocean and surfing as tools to improve mental health, coping skills, and overall well-being.
     
  • Perinatal Mental Health Project (PMHP) - Focuses on maternal mental health by providing free mental-health services to pregnant and postnatal women in low-resource settings, conducting research, training healthcare workers, and advocating for policy change.
     
  • Centre for Public Mental Health (CPMH) - A research and teaching centre dedicated to improving public mental health in South Africa and Africa through policy development, advocacy, postgraduate training, and research into scalable mental-health interventions.
     
  • Neurodiversity Centre - Provides multidisciplinary assessments, therapeutic interventions, and support services for neurodivergent individuals (including those with Autism, ADHD, and learning differences) and their families, promoting a neurodiversity-affirming approach.
     
  • Help Kids - Delivers therapeutic services, support programmes, and resources aimed at assisting children and adolescents who are facing emotional, behavioural, and developmental challenges, particularly within vulnerable communities.
     
  • Community Keepers - Provides school-based mental-health services, including professional counselling, psychosocial support, and life-skills training for learners, educators, and parents in under-resourced schools.

 

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Johannesburg-Based

  • ADHD Online Congress - Organises virtual congresses and events focused on ADHD, bringing together experts, professionals, and the public to share knowledge, research, and best practices.
     
  • Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) - Provides trauma counselling and psychosocial support for victims of violence and torture, conducts research, advocacy, and community interventions to prevent violence and promote reconciliation.
     
  • Goldilocks & The Bear Foundation for ADHD (gb4adhd) - Delivers support, awareness campaigns, and resources for individuals with ADHD and their families, aiming to improve understanding and management of ADHD.
     
  • Mental Health SA - Acts as an informational portal and awareness platform, providing articles, resources, and links to mental-health support services across South Africa.
     
  • MentalHealth.org.za - Functions as a central online resource for mental-health information, news, and directories of support services.
     
  • Netcare Akeso - Operates a national network of private psychiatric hospitals and clinics offering inpatient and outpatient treatment for a range of mental-health conditions.
     
  • Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA) - The professional body for psychologists in South Africa, advancing psychology as a science and profession, promoting ethical practice, and advocating for psychological well-being.
     
  • SAME Foundation - Improves healthcare infrastructure and services in under-resourced communities, including projects that equip and upgrade mental-health facilities.
     
  • South African Bipolar Disorders Association (SABDA) - Provides support groups, education, and advocacy for individuals living with bipolar disorder and their families.
     
  • South African Federation for Mental Health (SAFMH) - Conducts national advocacy, awareness campaigns, policy work, and training to promote human rights and destigmatise psychosocial and intellectual disabilities.
     
  • The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) - Offers extensive mental-health information, toll-free helplines, support groups, workplace and school programmes, and referrals to mental-health professionals.

 

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National / Online / International Organisations

  • African Alliance for Maternal Mental Health (AAMMH) - An alliance working across Africa to improve maternal mental health through advocacy, research, capacity building, and sharing best practices.
     
  • Centre for Global Mental Health - An international collaboration focused on research, capacity building, and influencing policy to widen access to mental-health care in low- and middle-income countries, with active projects in South Africa.
     
  • Global Mental Health Peer Network (GMHPN) - Connects individuals with lived experience of mental-health conditions to promote peer support, advocacy, and inclusion of lived-experience perspectives in services and policy worldwide.
     
  • HEAL-SA (Health Empowerment and Livelihoods in South Africa) - Focuses on health empowerment and sustainable livelihoods nationally, often integrating mental-health components within broader community-development projects.
     
  • Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) - The regulatory body for health professions, including mental-health practitioners, setting standards for education, training, and professional conduct.
     
  • Healthcare Workers Care Network - Provides free psychological support, resources, and psycho-education for healthcare workers across South Africa, addressing burnout, stress, and trauma.
     
  • Higher Health SA - A national agency dedicated to promoting the health and psychosocial well-being of students in higher-education institutions throughout South Africa.
     
  • LifeLine Southern Africa - Offers confidential 24/7 crisis support and counselling through a national network of centres and helplines, addressing emotional distress and suicide prevention.
     
  • South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) - The professional body representing psychiatrists in South Africa, promoting psychiatric practice, research, education, and advocating for mental-health services.

 

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Important:

TherapyRoute does not provide medical advice. All content is for informational purposes and cannot replace consulting a healthcare professional. If you face an emergency, please contact a local emergency service. For immediate emotional support, consider contacting a local helpline.





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