One of the north-east’s football associations, Northumberland FA, have recently launched a new partnership with Kooth, who are accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and is the UK’s leading digital mental health platform.

The partnership has been launched in order to aid with the improvement of the mental health and emotional wellbeing in young people/footballers, aged 11-25 years, across the county, and the region as a whole.

In launching their partnership, Kooth will look to provide club and league staff, under the Northumberland FA banner, with the tool needed to support children and young people with their mental health.

Included within the providing training programmes will be the ability to recognise signs that someone is experiencing/portraying, mental health concerns, how best to open communication with them about it, and where and how to find confidential and non-judgemental, professional help.

Alongside the training programmes, individuals such as young footballers, coaches and referees will also be able to access the company’s website www.kooth.com, where they can access free and confidential support, 24/7, no referral required, just register using any internet-able device.

Speaking of the new partnership, Andrew Rose-Cook, Northumberland FA’s Executive Officer, said: “Football is enjoyed by huge numbers of young people – who get physical, mental and social benefits from taking part.

“We know that we can use this love of football to promote positive messages and help people who might be in need of support with their mental health and wellbeing.

“Teaming up with Kooth means we can point our young players to a safe space to seek any support they may need, which can be easily accessed via the technology and devices that they use day to day.”

In addition, Malcolm Connelly, the Senior Kooth Engagement Lead, added: “Asking for help with mental health concerns is not always easy – especially when you are a child or young person.

“It’s essential that a safe space is provided where they feel that they have time to talk and will be listened to; having somewhere they can share their worries when feeling anxious, without judgement and fear of stigma can really help.

“I have been involved in Grassroots football, as a coach, for over 20 years, and also worked in a number of schools supporting children and young people.

“This is why I am so excited about this partnership. By working with Northumberland FA we can ensure young players involved in club and league football in the region feel supported.

“And are able to access the help they need, when they need it – no matter the issue or situation, Kooth is here to help.”

At Kooth, they have a team of fully-trained, qualified practitioners and professional counsellors who provide support at a range of levels.

This includes counselling and wellbeing support sessions, one-on-one sessions running from midday to 10pm on weekdays and from 6pm to 10pm at weekends for which appointments can be booked in advance or accessed as a drop-in instant text-based chats.

As well as counselling, self-help articles, forums, and discussion boards are also available – with content that is age appropriate, pre-moderated and clinically approved.

Kooth can also be used by children and young people to keep an online journal and track their wellbeing via an interactive goal-tracker.

About KOOTH PLC

Kooth is the UK’s leading digital mental health platform. Our mission is to provide accessible and safe spaces for everyone to achieve better mental health. Our platform is clinically robust and accredited to provide a range of therapeutic support and interventions. All our services are predicated on easy access to make early intervention and prevention a reality.

Our four services are:

•        Kooth: for children and young persons

•        Kooth Student: for university and higher-education students

•        Kooth: for Adults

•        Kooth Work: for employees

Kooth is a fully safeguarded and pre-moderated community with a library of peer and professional created content, alongside access to experienced online counsellors. There are no thresholds for support and no waiting lists. Currently, Kooth sees over 4,000 logins a day. 

For adults, Kooth operates across distinct locations and serves specific cohorts, including parents, teachers, victims of crime, and those who have suffered from or continue to experience domestic violence. It is also offered as a benefit by a number of corporate organisations delivering anonymous digital mental health support services to employees.

Kooth is the only digital mental health provider to hold a UK-wide accreditation from the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

In 2021, Kooth was named ‘Best Newcomer’ at the European Mediscience Awards, winner in the category of ‘Tech for Good’ at the UK Tech Awards and recognised as the ‘HealthTech Pioneer of the Year’ at the UK Business Tech Awards for its role in ‘Supporting the Nation’s Mental health’.

Visit the Kooth website via https://www.koothplc.com/ and the Northumberland FA website via https://www.northumberlandfa.com/