If you or your child are in immediate danger, or your child has hurt themselves or talked about it, get help now. Visit a nearby emergency service, hospital, or mental health clinic. Child helplines and crisis lines:
Crisis numbers
- the United States of America:
- Boys Town National Hotline: Tel: 800-448-3000 | Text: VOICE to 20121
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, call or text 988: Tel: 988 | Text: 988 | Tel, for a Spanish-speaking counsellor: 988, then press 2 | Text, for a Spanish-speaking counsellor: AYUDA to 988
- Crisis Text Line, text HOME to 741741: Text: HOME to 741741 | Text, in Spanish: HOLA to 741741
- the United Kingdom:
- Childline: Tel: 0800 1111. 24 hours. For under-19s.
- Samaritans: Tel: 116 123 (Free from any phone) | Tel: 0808 164 0123 (Welsh Language Line) | Tel: 18001 44 116 123 (Relay UK). 24 hours. The Welsh Language Line is open every day, 7pm to 11pm.
- NSPCC helpline for adults worried about a child: Tel: 0808 800 5000. Weekdays, 10am to 4pm.
- YoungMinds Parents Helpline: Tel: 0808 802 5544. For parents and main carers of young people aged 25 or under. Monday, Thursday and Friday 9.30am to 4pm; Tuesday and Wednesday 9.30am to 6pm. Not a crisis service.
- India:
- Child Helpline 1098: Tel: 1098. 24 hours.
- Tele-MANAS: Tel: 14416 | Tel: 1-800 891 4416. 24 hours.
- Canada:
- Kids Help Phone: Tel: 1-800-668-6868 | Text: 686868 (Text CONNECT). 24 hours.
- 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline: Tel: 9-8-8 | Text: 9-8-8. 24 hours.
- South Africa:
- Childline South Africa: Tel: 116. 24 hours. For children up to 18, and adults worried about a child.
- SADAG Suicide Crisis Helpline: Tel: 0800 567 567. 24 hours.
- the Philippines:
- MAKABATA Helpline 1383, for children needing protection: Tel: 1383. 24 hours. The national line to report a child who needs protection.
- NCMH Crisis Hotline: Tel: 1553 (Nationwide) | Tel: 1800-1888-1553 (Nationwide) | Tel: 0919-057-1553 (SMART/TNT). 24 hours.
- Australia:
- Kids Helpline: Tel: 1800 55 1800. 24 hours. For ages five to 25.
- headspace (eheadspace), mental health support: Tel: 1800 650 890. For young people aged 12 to 25, and family or friends worried about them. Every day, 3pm to 10pm.
- Carer Gateway: Tel: 1800 422 737 (then option 1 for your local service provider). Weekdays, 8am to 5pm.
- Germany:
- krisenchat, crisis support by chat: Chat: chat.krisenchat.de. 24 hours. For under-25s.
- Kinder- und Jugendtelefon, for children, young people and young adults: Tel: 116 111. Monday to Saturday, 2pm to 8pm.
- Elterntelefon, for parents: Tel: 0800 111 0550. Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9am to 5pm; Tuesday and Thursday 9am to 7pm.
- the United Arab Emirates: The lines listed below are children's and young people's lines.
- Saudi Arabia:
- Psychological Consultation Centre: Tel: 920033360
- Ireland:
- Childline: Tel: 1800 66 66 66. 24 hours.
- Samaritans, for whatever you're going through: Tel: 116 123. 24 hours.
- Iran:
- France: The first line listed below is a children's and young people's line.
- 119, Allô Enfance en Danger, for children: Tel: 119
- 3114, the national suicide prevention number: Tel: 3114
- S.O.S. Amitié, day and night: Tel: 09 72 39 40 50
- Suicide Écoute: Tel: 01 45 39 40 00
- Spain:
- Teléfono/Chat ANAR de Ayuda a Niños/as y Adolescentes, for children and teenagers: Tel: 900 20 20 10 | Chat: chatanar.es. 24 hours.
- Línea 024 de atención a la conducta suicida, for people with suicidal thoughts and their families: Tel: 024 | Chat: www2.cruzroja.es. 24 hours.
- New Zealand: The lines listed below are children's and young people's lines.
- Youthline: Tel: 0800 376 633 | Text: 234. 24 hours. For young people aged 12 to 24, and anyone supporting a young person.
- What's Up, counselling helpline for children and teenagers: Tel: 0800 942 8787. Ages 5 to 19; every day, 11am to 11pm.
- Sweden:
- Switzerland:
- 147, Beratung + Hilfe, for young people: Tel: 147 | WhatsApp: +41800147000. 24 hours. WhatsApp: daily, 7.30am to 10pm.
- Elternnotruf, parenting and family advice: Tel: 0848 35 45 55. 24 hours. For parents and caregivers; relatives, neighbours and professionals can call too. From 11pm to 8am, Die Dargebotene Hand Zurich answers.
- Croatia:
- Hrabri telefon za djecu, for children and teenagers: Tel: 116 111 | WhatsApp: +385992121714 (WhatsApp chat). For ages 6 to 18. Weekdays, 9am to 8pm; WhatsApp chat the same hours.
- Telefon za psihološku pomoć (TESA), psychological counselling by phone: Tel: 01 48 28 888. Weekdays, 10am to 10pm; closed for a summer break.
- Hrabri telefon za mame i tate, for parents and adults worried about a child: Tel: 0800 0800. Weekdays, 9am to 8pm.
- Japan:
- Childline Japan (チャイルドライン): Tel: 0120-99-7777. For children under 18. Every day, 4pm to 9pm; closed 29 December to 3 January.
- Anata no Ibasho chat (あなたのいばしょチャット相談), free anonymous counselling for anyone: Chat: talkme.jp. 24 hours.
- Iraq: The line listed below is a children's and young people's line.
- Youth Health Helpdesk 80000111, for adolescents and young people: Tel: 80000111
- Poland: The lines listed below are children's and young people's lines.
- 116 111, telefon zaufania dla dzieci i młodzieży, for children and teenagers: Tel: 116 111. 24 hours. For under-18s.
- Dziecięcy Telefon Zaufania Rzecznika Praw Dziecka 800 12 12 12, for any child or teenager: Tel: 800 12 12 12. 24 hours.
- Telefon Zaufania Młodych, for children and young adults: Tel: 22 484 88 04. Mainly for young people up to age 25. Every day, 1pm to 8pm.
- Pakistan:
- Sehat Tahaffuz 1166, the national health helpline (with the Humraaz mental health service): Tel: 1166
- Taskeen Helpline: Tel: +92 316 827 5336. Appointment-based: a coordinator takes the call and books a session with a psychologist. Monday to Saturday, 11am to 11pm.
- Nigeria:
- She Writes Woman, toll-free and answered at any hour: Tel: 0800 800 2000
- SURPIN, Suicide Research and Prevention Initiative: Toll-free: +234-8000787746 | Tel: +234-908-021-7555 | Tel: +234-903-440-0009 | Tel: +234-814-224-1007
- Kenya: The line listed below is a children's and young people's line.
- National Child Helpline 116: Tel: 116 | Tel: 0724 555 251 (Call or text) | WhatsApp: +254 722 116 116. 24 hours.
- Sri Lanka:
- Malaysia:
- Talian Kasih 15999, help with abuse and child neglect: Tel: 15999 | WhatsApp: 019 26 15999. 24 hours.
- Buddy Bear Children Helpline: Tel: 1800 18 2327. For ages 6 to 18. Every day, 6pm to midnight.
- Zimbabwe: The lines listed below are children's and young people's lines.
- Bangladesh:
- Child Helpline 1098, for children and about children: Tel: 1098
- Kaan Pete Roi, 3 PM to 3 AM every day: Tel: +880 9612-119911
- Lebanon:
- himaya hotline, child protection: Tel: 03 414 964. To report a case of child abuse.
- National Lifeline 1564: Tel: 1564. 24 hours.
- Vietnam:
- Tổng đài 111, national child protection hotline: Tel: 111. 24 hours. For children, parents and carers; anyone can report harm to a child.
- Đường dây nóng Ngày mai, free psychological support by phone: Tel: 096.306.1414. Wednesday to Sunday, 1pm to 8:30pm.
- Botswana:
- BOFWA 24 Hour Youth Helpline: Tel: 16658. 24 hours.
- Cyprus: The lines listed below are children's and young people's lines.
- Portugal:
- Linha SOS Criança e Jovem 116 111, for children and young people: Tel: 116 111 | WhatsApp: 913069404. For children up to age 18. Weekdays only; hours not published.
- Linha Nacional de Prevenção do Suicídio 1411, for suicidal thoughts and self-harm: Tel: 1411. 24 hours. Under-18s need a parent's or guardian's consent.
- Egypt:
- The national psychological support hotline: Tel: 16328
- Oman:
- Uganda:
- Sauti 116, for children and survivors of violence: Tel: 116
- Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital, 0800 211 306: Tel: 0800 211 306, toll free.
- Namibia:
- LifeLine/ChildLine Namibia 116 Child Helpline: Tel: 116 | Text: 081 398 5510. 8am to 8pm.
- LifeLine/ChildLine Namibia 106 Gender-Based Violence HelpLine: Tel: 106 | Text: 081 398 5510. 8am to 8pm.
- Tanzania:
- Singapore:
- Tinkle Friend helpline: Tel: 1800 2744 788. For primary school children, 13 and under. Weekdays 2.30pm to 5pm; closed on public holidays. Online chat Monday to Thursday until 7pm.
- national mindline 1771, mental health helpline: Tel: 1771 | WhatsApp: +6566691771 (WhatsApp chat). 24 hours.
- Not a local line: helplines and suicide hotlines worldwide
How to find the right therapist for a teenager
This page lists practitioners near you who name adolescents among who they work with and have appointments open. Filter the list, then read the profiles with your teenager rather than for them. Look for the exact title the person is registered under, and for adolescent work named specifically. Look for someone your teenager would be willing to sit in front of.
Read the exact title on the profile, then check that title on the register the practitioner is listed with.
Before you contact a therapist for a teenager
Therapy for a teenager is talking therapy shaped for someone who is between childhood and being an adult. The work usually covers low mood, anxiety, anger, school, friendships, family conflict, and questions about who they are and where they are going. Adolescence is when many mental health difficulties first appear, and it is also when the habits that protect a person's mental health are laid down 1.
It is for a young person whose difficulty has stopped being a phase: it is lasting, it is getting in the way of school, friendships or home, or it frightens them. Waiting for things to become serious is the common mistake.
The first appointment often involves the parents. After that the young person is usually seen on their own, so they have a place that is theirs. A good therapist will say at the start what will and will not be shared with parents, and what would make them break that. Ask about it in the first session.
Ask a practitioner directly how much of their work is with teenagers. Working well with adults does not make someone good with a fifteen-year-old.
Child Helpline International is a network of the helplines that children and young people can contact in their own country, free and in confidence. Many of them serve anyone up to twenty-five. Its directory lists the member helpline for each country.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is therapy for a teenager different from therapy for an adult?
The first difference is privacy. A teenager will not say much to someone who reports it all home. A therapist who works with this age sets out at the start what they will tell you and what they will not. Usually that means safety and general progress to you, with the detail kept between them.
The second is that the sessions are less purely verbal. Activity and drawing alongside the talking is normal at this age.
Most of what teenagers bring is ordinary teenage life gone wrong: friendships, identity, school pressure, arguments at home. The World Health Organization names adolescence as the period when eating disorders and psychosis commonly emerge 1. Difficulties at this age are worth taking seriously rather than waiting out.
How do I know whether my teenager needs therapy?
Look for change that has lasted. Sadness or irritability that will not lift. Worry that runs all day.
Dropping what they used to enjoy, or pulling away from friends and family. Schoolwork falling off. Sleeping or eating differently.
If your teenager asks to see someone, take it at face value and arrange it.
If they have hurt themselves, or have talked about suicide, get help now rather than watching and waiting. The crisis numbers are at the top of this page. Some are open day and night and some keep set hours, so if one does not answer, try another or your local emergency number.
What if my teenager will not go?
Ask what the objection actually is. It is usually one of three things: that you think they are broken, that they will be blamed, or that it will not work.
Then give them some control. Let them read the profiles and pick who they would rather talk to. Offer a few sessions with a decision at the end. Say plainly what the therapist will and will not tell you.
If they still refuse, see someone yourself about how to handle it.
What should I look for in a therapist for a teenager?
Look for experience with this age group first. Practitioners name two methods on their profiles: cognitive-behavioural therapy and dialectical behaviour therapy. Family work often runs alongside either.
Ask how they handle privacy and how much they involve parents. That is the part most likely to make or break it.
Then ask your teenager whether they would go back. If they felt heard, follow that. If they did not, try someone else. We have written on how to find the right therapist.
Can it be done online?
Many teenagers manage online well and some open up more easily that way. They need a private place to talk, which at home is not always easy to find. Check that there is a plan for what happens if your teenager is in distress during a session.
What does it cost?
The fee is on the practitioner's own profile. Ask whether a reduced fee is available.
Ask the school as well. Many schools provide counselling themselves at no cost, and the school can be the fastest route to being seen.
If money is the obstacle, read how to find affordable therapy.
Related pages
Real choice. Authentic, independent, clinician-led care.
TherapyRoute is a clinician-led directory that champions independent practitioners who answer to you and their professional ethics. We don't take commissions, sell your data, or assign therapists by algorithm. You browse, compare, and choose.
Vincenzo (Enzo) Sinisi, Clinical Psychologist (HPCSA), Psychoanalyst (IPA/SAPA), Group Analyst (IGA)
TherapyRoute is not for emergencies and does not provide medical advice. All of our content is informational and cannot replace professional healthcare. In an emergency, contact a local emergency service. For immediate support, consider a local helpline.
