What is headspace Family?

headspace Family is a free, confidential, and easily accessible counselling service aimed at improving the wellbeing of children and young people aged 12-25 by providing their parents and family members with the support and guidance they need.

This initiative is crucial because we are seeing an increasing number of parents and family members reaching out for help and support in guiding a young person in the right direction. Additionally, ‘family relationships’ is the most common topic when young people seek support at headspace.

headspace Family offers a confidential space for both individual sessions and family conversations, focusing on mental wellbeing for everyone. There are no waiting lists, and we don’t keep records. headspace Family is run by volunteers who have personally experienced challenges in family life or in a relationship with a young person.

At headspace Family, no topic is too big or too small. We discuss everything from everyday worries to complex and difficult challenges, including conflict, divorce, expectations, school refusal, teenage life, and much more.

headspace Family – Why?

When a young person is struggling, it is often linked to how the entire family functions and the relationships surrounding them. A young person does not exist in isolation, which is why it is essential to focus on the dynamics within the whole family and the relationships they are part of.

Young people do not struggle alone. Around them are their families and family members, who may feel unsure about how to respond, what to do, and how to do it. This means that it is not only the young person who experiences distress but also their entire family and those close to them.