Oxfordshire County Council Unveils Mental Health App for Young People

Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) has introduced an application designed to offer mental health assistance to young individuals. This app, named Tellmi, specializes in providing digital, pre-moderated peer support and was commissioned with the goal of “improve outcomes” for young people. Through this application, young people within the county will gain continuous, year-round access to an anonymous platform where they can openly discuss their emotions. The council reported that Oxfordshire has observed a steady rise in the population of school pupils requiring support for social, emotional, and mental health needs since 2015. Tellmi is designed to allow in-house counsellors to intervene and assist high-risk users as necessary. Additionally, its directory feature will connect users with more than 700 crisis specialists and various local support services. Councillor Nathan Ley, OCC’s public health chief, stated: “This app will be freely available to support all young people in secondary schools in Oxfordshire and local organisations that would like more support to help them deal with young people’s concerns about mental health and wellbeing.” The application is intended for use by young individuals aged between 11 and 18 years old. Kerstyn Comley, co-CEO of Tellmi, expressed the company’s anticipation of “working closely” with educational institutions and other bodies across the county to “build trust” and “improve outcomes for young people.” She further noted, “In addition to our digital service, we will be delivering outreach activities, which include outreach campaigns, school resources, workshops, and training for anyone working directly with young people.”