Free online mental health support launched by charity

Response, a charity operating across Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire, has developed the resources in response to increased demand for its services.

The guides cover a range of topics, including supporting wellbeing, coping with change, alcohol support and building self-esteem – with plans to add further resources throughout the year.

Nicola Leavesley, CEO of Response, said: “It’s estimated one in four people will experience a mental health challenge of any severity each year.

“This figure is likely to be magnified in 2026, owing to global events and the associated uncertainty, plus sharp rises people are experiencing to the cost of living.

“We’ve witnessed first-hand a rise in demand for our own services and are acutely aware of the pressures being faced by the NHS.

“It’s why launching these free online resources was viewed as an important step by our team to act as a stopgap for people who are experiencing their own personal challenges right now while they wait for professional help.

“We’d encourage anyone who requires help for a non-urgent issue to explore the resources our team has published to hopefully aid their recovery amid an issue that is personal to them.”

Resources for young people include exam stress, starting university, social media use, and sleep.

There are also guides for parents and carers supporting neurodivergent children during the school holidays.

The new resources follow concerning NHS data that shows 2.24 million people were in direct contact with its mental health services at the end of January.

More than 526,000 parents and carers were in discussions with children and young people’s mental health services.

Founded in 1966, Response supports people across Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire to rebuild confidence and regain stability.

The charity provides supported housing and preventative services, including a Wellbeing Hub in Thatcham.

It currently supports up to 550 individuals at any given time.

Ms Leavesley said: “More people are seeking support from statutory services, which naturally has a knock-on effect to independent providers which operate to relieve pressure being weighed on the NHS.

“Our Wellbeing Hub in Thatcham, for example, already has a waiting list of young people our team won’t be able to see for months, potentially up to a year.

“With appropriate funding, our team would be able to provide tailored support at the moment of first contact.

“In the meantime, it is our responsibility to do everything in our control to help those experiencing mental health challenges until resource is available and our free digital tools represent one way of achieving this.”

Response’s free mental health guides are available at www.response.org.uk.