Qwell is a digital wellbeing service for adults that offers specific mental health support for parents and carers.
While Best For You exists to make it easier for young people to access the mental health support they need, we know that adults who look after young people also need space and resources to take care of their own wellbeing.
How to access Qwell
Qwell is funded by the NHS in lots of areas, including north-west London (Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster). This means it is free to access.
You don’t need anyone else to give you access or refer you to Qwell – you just sign up online. This also means that you don’t have to experience specific symptoms or struggles to give it a go. Qwell is for every adult (as well as offering specific mental health support for parents) – no problem is too small.
Get support for your own wellbeing through Qwell
Qwell has a few key features.
Firstly, it offers text-based counselling and wellbeing support through a live chat. This is not 24/7 (for 24/7 support, check out Samaritans or your local NHS urgent mental health helpline in England), but you can send a message to the team inbox at any time.
Qwell also has moderated forums for peer support. In the forum, you can chat about what’s going on in your life and share your experiences and advice with others.
There are also interactive features: a journal with in-built mood tracking (the team review entries to keep people safe and reach out if there’s a need) and a space to set goals. If you’re looking for digital tools with other features, like breathing animations or interactive CBT exercises, check out the Best For You app library.
And finally, there’s a space full of helpful content (like tips and stories of personal experiences) written by other adults and Qwell’s professional team. The content is broken down by topic, including culture and religion, depression and low mood, stress and anxiety, and housing and finance.
Qwell is for all adults, not just parents, but there are specific resources and mental health support for parents and carers.
Get parenting support through Qwell
In addition to all of the general wellbeing support, Qwell has content that’s especially relevant for parents and carers.
The parenting category on the forum, for example, is the perfect space to get mental health support for parents. There are discussions about lots of different aspects of being a parent, with responses from people who know what it’s like. The Qwell forum is a safe, moderated space to discuss how parenting affects your wellbeing, as well as any specific parenting challenges you might be facing.
And there’s a wealth of helpful content for parents and carers too. Some focuses on supporting your child, for example, helping them through difficult experiences (like exam stress or being bullied), having conversations about how they’re feeling, or preparing them for transitions like moving school.
But there is also content to support the mental health of parents, covering topics like balancing work and parenting, and managing parent guilt.
Qwell and Kooth
If you’re a parent or carer, you’ve probably heard of Kooth. Qwell is run by, the same people, but it is a separate offer designed specifically for adults. It has different content to Kooth, and the forums are entirely separate.
