XenZone has today released 2018 data showing more than 1,700 log-ins from children and young people every day to Kooth, its flagship anonymous online support and counselling service. This represents a rise of 72% on the previous year.
The service, which offers mental health support for free to children and young people n commissioned areas in the UK, saw more than 90,000 new registrations last year alone.
Most (95%) of Kooth users* responding to a questionnaire said they would recommend the service to a friend.
Headline 2018 Kooth data
- 71% increase in log-ins compared to 2017
- Almost 1 in every 5 (18%) of new registrations identified as BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic), a typically harder to reach group
- Children and young people sent over 335,000 messages to counsellors and emotional wellbeing practitioners, a 49% increase from 2017
- Kooth counsellors held over 38,500 one-to-one online therapy sessions, 36% more than 2017
- 72% of logins to Kooth were outside traditional office hours (9am-5pm)
- Moderated online forums were viewed over 223,000 times by over 23,000 young people
- Children and young people on the site set more than 42,000 personal goals, with 60% of those being achieved or progressed
Most common goals set in 2018:
- Getting professional help
- Self-care/self-help
- Emotional exploration
- Overcoming anxiety
- Feeling happier
Top 10 most commonly presented issues:
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Self-worth
- Depression
- Friendships
- Family relationships
- Confidence
- Self-harm
- Confidence
- Loneliness
Anonymous quotes from Kooth users:
- "Thank you very much for your help and support last night, you really helped me out of a tough and dangerous time and situation. It is much appreciated, thank you for being the only one to listen"
- "The online counselling here on Kooth is fab I feel supported and listen to and the councillors here are so great at understanding how I am feeling, and they help me to deal with things that I may not be able to say with words."
- "I have struggled with my confidence for a very long time and have often thought there was no way round it. I turned to Kooth for support after hearing about it through a friend. They have really helped me through a lot and over time, helped me develop the confidence to make new friends and stand up to bullies. Thank you everyone at Kooth!"
XenZone's Clinical Director, Dr Lynne Green, said: "It's great to see that so many young people are using Kooth for their mental wellbeing and to hear in their own words how much the service has helped them. Now that Kooth is available in one out of two Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) areas, more children and young people have the option to use a free, online service which allows young people to get support at the time that they need it, which can help to prevent issues from progressing further than they otherwise might."
Kooth is a BACP-accredited service available 365 days a year to children and young people in Cheshire. Online chat sessions with a qualified counsellor are available to young people from 12-noon until 10pm on weekdays and from 6pm until 10pm on weekends. Kooth also gives young people access to self-help materials, mood-tracking and peer-to-peer support. The service is available in 96 CCG areas and is free at the point of use.
*taken from 16,687 responses to the end of chat session feedback questionnaire.