This page aims to offer a number of resources for healthcare professionals to assist in providing interventions, education and resources for young people with mental health problems.
Useful Links: Mental Health Resources and Intervention
The following links provide access to a number of resources that can be used with young people, including clinical tools, intervention worksheets and psycho-education on a various number of mental health problems.
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Mental Health Foundation (NZ)
is a charity that works towards creating society free from discrimination, where all people enjoy positive mental health and wellbeing. They have resources on mental health, wellbeing, suicide prevention and workplace wellbeing. -
Ministry of Health/Mental Health (NZ)
This page is where you can find relevant and helpful information and resources on how to cope with mental illness as well as suicide prevention and after a suicide. -
World Health Organization
Key facts on global information on adolescent mental health. -
Rethink: Conversations for Change (NZ)
A dynamic downloadable youth resource of five group activities designed to help educate young people and to reTHiNK mental health and wellbeing. These activities explore the impact of stigma and discrimination, help safely explain experiences of mental distress, support recovery focused discussion and promote social inclusion.
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Centre for Clinical Interventions (Australia)
The resources provided on this website aim to provide general information about various mental health problems, as well as, techniques that focus on a cognitive behavioural approach to managing difficulties. These include resources on the following: Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Unhelpful thinking styles, Generalised Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Health Anxiety, Self Esteem, Eating Disorders, Panic Disorder, Interpersonal, Sleep, Procrastination, Perfectionism.
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Therapist Aid (USA):
Therapist Aid is dedicated to helping mental health professionals improve their craft by providing free evidence-based education and therapy tools. Worksheets aimed for adolescents across a range of mental health issues. -
Orygen (Australia):
Orygen has developed a range of free downloadable youth mental health resources including:
- Fact Sheets
- GP Guide to Early Psychosis
- 'The Brain Scam' (a printable graphic novel style booklet about a young person's experience living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
- Pause (audio relaxation exercises)
- Autism Spectrum Disorders and Co-morbid Mental Health Conditions Manual
Suicide Prevention
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Clinical Advisory Services Aotearoa (CASA) (NZ):
These guidelines are helpful for using with those families / whānau that have someone with them that is at risk of suicide, and include:-
Guidelines for providing a safe home (CASA) (NZ)
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After a Suicide (NZ):
is a website that offers practical information and guidance if you have lost a loved one to suicide: a friend, a member of your family or whānau, a colleague at work or someone else you were close to. -
Suicide Prevention: Mental Health Foundation (NZ):
has developed information resources to support people who are worried about their own suicide risk or the risk of someone close to them. -
Suicide Prevention Strategy: Waka Hourua (NZ):
A national suicide prevention programme for Māori and Pasifika Communities. -
Preventing suicide for Pasifika (NZ):
Le Va’s top five tactics for helping to prevent Pasifika suicide.
e-Therapy
► Apps, e-therapy & guided self-help (Mental Health Foundation)
SPARX is an online e-therapy tool provided by the University of Auckland, and funded by the Prime Minister’s Youth Mental Health Project. SPARX is free in New Zealand. SPARX has been proven to help young people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety. It was developed with the help of young people and is based on CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy).
Mental Health Screening Tools
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)
The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire is used to identify behavioural and emotional problems in children and adolescents, producing scores for five subscales: Conduct problems, Hyperactivity, Emotional problems, Peer problems and Prosocial behaviour.
It is free and quick to use and has been used extensively in New Zealand CAMHS and health services. The SDQ website contains information on usage rights.
SMFQ is an acceptable and easy to use screening instrument for depression, with some evidence to support its use in New Zealand populations.
(Image: Matua Raki, 2017)
Tools to Evaluate Psychological Status and/or Distress
- The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) (KESSLER-10) (USA)
- The Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ) (USA)
Depression and Anxiety screening websites
- Lowdown.co.nz (NZ):
A website for young New Zealanders which has screening tools for depression, anxiety as well as the SACS BI.
