Sam Blake’s Young Adult books touch on many themes and issues that you may recognise and feel you need help with or advise on. Scroll down to find details of organisations in the Ireland and UK who can help – there is always someone out there you can talk to. Please don’t be afraid to reach out.

If you need immediate assistance, especially if someone is hurt or in danger, call the emergency services straight away. Emergency services can be contacted at any time by dialling 999 or 112 in the UK and Republic of Ireland, or 112 in Europe.

Ireland:

Samaritans. To talk about anything that is upsetting you, you can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can CALL 116 123 (free from any phone), email jo@samaritans.ie  or visit some branches in person.

50808 A first of its kind for Ireland: a free 24/7 text service, providing everything from a calming chat to immediate support for people going through a mental health or emotional crisis – big or small. From breakups or bullying, to anxiety, depression and suicidal feelings, crisis volunteers are available 24/7 for anonymous text conversations. Start a conversation by free texting the word HELLO to 50808 any time, day, or night.

Pieta If you are experiencing suicidal ideation, have attempted suicide, or are engaging in self-harm FREE CALL 1800 247 247 or Text HELP to 51444

Our Therapy Services team is available to support you. No referral is needed. Start your therapy journey today CALL 0818 111 126

Further information and contact details are available at Pieta

Teenline The ISPCC operates Teenline, a confidential, non-directive and non-judgmental listening service for teenagers,. Teenline can be contacted 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, by calling 1800 833 634.

Childline (ISPCC) Ireland’s 24-hour national listening service for young people up to the age of 18

Freephone 1800 666 666 (any time, day or night)

Text 50101 (from 10am to 4pm every day)

Chat online at Childline (from 10am to 4pm every day)

Youth Suicide Prevention Ireland If you are concerned about yourself, friends or family get immediate support and information 24/7 Free Text HELP to 50015. This service is fully confidential. Further information is available at Youth Suicide Prevention Ireland and I NEED HELP

National LGBT+ Helpline 1800 929 539 Available Monday – Thursday (6.30pm – 10pm), Friday (4pm-10pm), Saturday and Sunday (4pm-6pm) Find support in your area

Out-Of-Hours: Freephone the Samaritans on 116-123 available 24/7 and 365 days a year

Transgender Family Support Line 01 907 3707

Offered twice weekly. Available: Tuesday (10am-12pm) and Sunday (6pm-9pm)

in collaboration with Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI)

Out-Of-Hours: Freephone the Samaritans on 116-123available 24/7 and 365 days a year.

BeLonG To Youth Services provide support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI+) young people in Ireland between the ages of 14 – 23 years

Text LGBTI+ to 086 1800 280 to chat in confidence with a trained crisis volunteer (anytime day or night, standard SMS rates may apply)

Further details at www.belongto.org 

Jigsaw is a mental health charity focused on providing expert advice and support, online and in person, to young people across Ireland aged 12 – 25 years-old. Talk to one of our team through 1:1 Live Chat by visiting jigsaw.ie/livechat

Contact our support line on 1800 JIGSAW (544729) (1pm to 5pm Mon to Fri)

Text CALL ME to 086 180 3880 and one of our team can call you back when it suits you

Visit jigsaw.ie for more information or email help@jigsaw.ie 

Spunout provide a wide range of articles and information for young people aged 16 – 25 years, on many different topics, including mental health

Free-text SPUNOUT to 50808 to chat anonymously to a trained volunteer 24/7 Visit www.spunout.ie for more information.

Additional services and support for young people are available at HSE

United Kingdom:

Samaritans. To talk about anything that is upsetting you, you can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call 116 123 (free from any phone), email jo@samaritans.org or visit some branches in person.

 SANEline. If you’re experiencing a mental health problem or supporting someone else, you can call SANEline on 0300 304 7000 (4.30pm–10.30pm every day).

 National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK. Offers a supportive listening service to anyone with thoughts of suicide. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK on 0800 689 5652 (6pm–3:30am every day).

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). You can call the CALM on 0800 58 58 58 (5pm–midnight every day) if you are struggling and need to talk. Or if you prefer not to speak on the phone, you could try the CALM webchat service.

Shout. If you would prefer not to talk but want some mental health support, you could text SHOUT to 85258. Shout offers a confidential 24/7 text service providing support if you are in crisis and need immediate help.

The Mix. If you’re under 25, you can call The Mix on 0808 808 4994 (3pm–midnight every day), request support by email using this form on The Mix website or use their crisis text messenger service.

Switchboard. If you identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, you can call Switchboard on 0300 330 0630 (10am–10pm every day), email chris@switchboard.lgbt or use their webchat service. Phone operators all identify as LGBT+.

Helplines Partnership. For more options, visit the Helplines Partnership website for a directory of UK helplines. Mind’s Infoline can also help you find services that can support you. If you’re outside the UK, the Befrienders Worldwide website has a tool to search by country for emotional support helplines around the world.

Childline.If you’re under 19, you can also call 0800 1111 to talk to Childline. The number will not appear on your phone bill.

NHS Every Mind Matters nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/youth-mental-health

Information and advice on mental health and wellbeing for young people. Includes videos about dealing with change, social media and sleep.

Tellmi tellmi.help A safe, anonymous app where you can talk to other young people about how you’re feeling or what you’re experiencing. Tellmi is moderated to keep you safe and also has counsellors if you need more support.

Bayo bayo.uk An online search tool to find mental health and wellbeing support or services, run by and for the Black community.

Mermaids UK 0808 801 0400 mermaidsuk.org.uk Support for transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse people up to 18. Runs events, local groups, online courses and a webchat.