Mental health services and support

Get help now:

If you cannot wait to see a doctor and feel unable to cope or keep yourself safe, it's important to get support - you can find out where to get urgent help for mental health on the NHS website.

If you urgently need help or advice but it is not a life threatening situation, call NHS 111. You can also call Samaritans on 116 123.

If it's an emergency, call 999 straight away.

Berkshire NHS services

You can get mental health support in Berkshire from the NHS. To get help, you can:

visit your GP
call 111, or check mental health symptoms with 111 online
contact the Berkshire NHS gateway team - or use our who to contact tool for help knowing who to contact

The NHS gateway team

The Gateway team will offer the most appropriate mental health treatment for you, at the earliest time.

You can contact the Gateway team by phoning 0300 365 2000 (press option 4 - calls are charged at local rate) or emailing gateway@berkshire.nhs.uk. Alternatively, you can call NHS 111 for free.

You may get support from one of the NHS services below:

Talking Therapies Berkshire

You may get support with problems such as anxiety, depression, low mood or phobias from NHS Berkshire Talking Therapies.

You can also self-referral service. They also run workshops and have self-help resources and workbooks.

Berkshire Mental Health Service (also known as CMHT)

The Berkshire Mental Health Service supports people with severe and complex mental health problems, with a focus on recovery. The team includes psychiatrists, psychologists, community psychiatric nurses and occupational therapists.

The Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team (CRHTT)

The Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team (CRHTT) are a specialist team of mental health professionals who provide crisis and home treatment support for adults who would otherwise be admitted to a psychiatric hospital. When needed, they also help with admissions to inpatient care and support hospital discharge.

West Berkshire Council Specialist Mental Health Team (SMHT)

Our Specialist Mental Health Team (SMHT) provides support for people with severe and enduring mental ill health with complex social care needs.

The team is made up of social workers and approved mental health professionals. They offer a range of interventions to support people back to recovery. This team also carries out duties under the Mental Health Act 1983. If appropriate, you may be referred to the SMHT by the NHS gateway team.

Local support groups and services

Use the links below to find support groups and services that can give you help:

West Berkshire Suicide Prevention - a wide range of resources for immediate and non-immediate emotional support
Samaritans Newbury - for emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, call 116 123
Recovery in Mind - free online courses, available to all adults living in West Berkshire
Eight Bells - support for people affected by mental health in Newbury and surrounding areas
Sport in Mind - opportunities to get involved in activities to improve your mental and physical health (there's something for everyone, and you don't have to be good at sport!)
The Upper Lodge Farming Project- opportunities for outdoor working, horticultural therapy, green exercise and looking after animals
Emotional Health Triage service (EHT) - a free service for children and young people (under 19 years old) in West Berkshire who need support with emotional health difficulties
Time to Talk - counselling for 11 to 25 year olds and parents
SWAN Advocacy West Berkshire - advocacy services for people with mental health issues

Our directory lists mental health services, charities and organisations based in West Berkshire.

You can also download our Icon for pdf mental health service directory [3MB] , which provides useful information and contact details.

Self-help and national support services

The NHS website has lots of information on mental health, including:

There are also support services that may help, no matter where you live:

SHOUT - 24 hour UK confidential text messaging service - text about anything that is worrying you to trained volunteers and clinical specialists
MIND - a mental health charity with lots of information and advice online, as well as a range of help lines you can call
SANE - offers emotional support and information to anyone affected by mental illness
CALM (campaign against living miserably) - a suicide prevention charity, with tools, advice and guidance online, as well as the CALM helpline and live chat service
Young Minds - support for children and young people with a mental health illness

Every Mind Matters

The NHS have a free online tool called Every Mind Matters. It can help you to discover simple steps to look after your mental health and wellbeing.

You can create a personalised Mind Plan that gives you practical steps that you can add into your daily routine.

Support caring for someone with mental health problems

The SHaRON (Support, Hope and Recovery Online Network) provides a safe and secure social networking site for people in West Berkshire who are supporting someone with a mental health problem.

Visit our support for carers pages for more information, advice and support available for carers in West Berkshire, including information about taking a break from caring.