HealthInfo Canterbury
Getting help for my teen with anxiety
Whai āwhina mō taku rangatahi mānawanawa
There are lots of things you can do to get help for an anxious rangatahi (young person).
General practice team
Talk to your general practice team first. Reassure your rangatahi that it's confidential and they can go with you or on their own if they prefer. If necessary, your general practice team can arrange more specialised assessment and treatment.
Counselling and social support
These organisations can provide counselling for rangatahi or whānau (family) members. They also provide parenting courses and one-to-one parenting support.
- Manu Ka Rere
Manu Ka Rere (formerly CYMHS) is free for rangatahi (young people) aged 13 to 24 who may have mental health or alcohol and drug issues. The service provides short-term intervention, which includes assessment, treatment and support. It also coordinates and supports rangatahi and their whānau (families) to get longer term treatment if needed. Rangatahi can refer themselves to the service. A general practice team, counsellor, teacher or parent can also refer them.
- Christchurch Methodist Mission
Home-based social services to help with parenting and work individually with tamariki (children) and rangatahi who have experienced trauma or changes or who are struggling.
- Catholic Social Services
Individual and whānau counselling for anxiety using a variety of approaches.
- Presbyterian Support Family Works
Includes trained counsellors, psychologists and social workers who can provide support suited to the needs of your rangatahi.
- Home & Family Society
Counselling for tamariki and rangatahi aged 5 to 18 to help create environments for positive change to enable people to overcome difficulties and achieve emotional wellbeing.
- Te Tahi Youth
Te Tahi Youth provides free medical care and counselling services for 10- to 24-year-olds.
- Community Wellbeing North Canterbury Trust
Free support for whānau through wellbeing services across the Waimakariri and Hurunui districts.
- The Anxiety Helpline
A free and confidential service. They support hundreds of people each month experiencing all forms of anxiety. This includes panic attacks, phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorders. You can phone the Anxiety Helpline at any time on 0800-ANXIETY (0800‑269‑4389).
Right Service Right Time can help you find the most appropriate services. For more information, phone (03) 378‑2782 or 027‑654‑7788, email info@rightservice.org.nz or visit their website.
Family talking therapy
It's important to consider the whole whānau when a rangatahi has anxiety. If a parent is anxious, stressed or unhappy, their rangatahi will probably have difficult emotions to manage. Getting help for the parent’s problem will also help the teenager’s anxiety.
Talking therapy might involve:
- one to-one parenting support for the parents
- whānau (family) therapy
- counselling for the parent or rangatahi.
It focuses on:
- helping the rangatahi and their parents understand what is at the heart of the anxiety
- supporting whānau to make changes to reduce causes of stress at home
- teaching the parent to respond to stress in a healthy way so the rangatahi can follow their parent’s example.
School support
The Ministry of Education lists services that can help your rangatahi at school.
HealthInfo recommends the following videos
- Whāraurau – Mental health services
This series of videos is designed to help rangatahi (young people) and their whānau (families) navigate their way through child and adolescent mental health services. The videos show examples of different kinds of therapies and health professionals who work in these services. They also include information about medications that are sometimes used to treat anxiety, depression and psychosis. Each video is around 5 minutes long.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- Mental Health Advocacy and Peer Support (MHAPS)
MHAPS provides a service called ps.Youth that offers free one-on-one peer support for rangatahi with mental illness. Youthful peer support workers who understand what it's like to struggle with mental illness are trained to support rangatahi who are going through mental distress. Phone (03) 365-9479.
- The Lowdown – Understanding anxiety
Information written for rangatahi.
- Common Ground
A website that aims to ensure parents, whānau and friends of rangatahi have easy access to information that will help them support rangatahi to manage hard times and enjoy positive mental health and wellbeing.
- Ask Aunty Dee
Aunty Dee can help you solve problems with issues like bullying, depression, drinking, grief and sex. The website is designed for young Pasifika people, but it can help all rangatahi.
- YoungMinds – Medications
If you're prescribed medication, you can go to this site for information about common medications, including what they're used for and what their side effects are.
- Smiling Mind
A free mindfulness meditation developed especially for rangatahi. It's available as a web-based program or an app.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed May 2023.
SourcesReview key: HIAXY-53690
