How can I find local and online support?

This information tells you how you can get local and online support for your mental health. It is for people who are 18 or over and live in England.

Here find out about peer support groups and community support services. Also, local crisis houses, cafés, and helplines, and other ways of finding local services and online support. 

How can I find local crisis services?

Local mental health crisis services are provided in some areas by the NHS and other providers, such as charities. These local services can include:

• crisis houses that provide short-term accommodation for people experiencing a mental health crisis,
• crisis cafés that provide a safe, welcoming place where people can go if they are feeling emotionally distressed or are in a mental health crisis, and
• crisis helplines that provide emotional and sometimes practical support.

You can search on the internet for these services or ask NHS 111.

What are peer support groups?

In peer support groups people who have similar experiences get together to help each other.

Getting peer support can make you feel understood, supported and give you hope for the future.

We have over 140 peer support groups across England. You can search for them here.

You can also search for local peer support groups below:

• Local Minds 
• Hub of Hope 
• Bipolar UK for people who live with bipolar disorder: 
• Andy’s Man Club for men
• Men’s Sheds Association for men

Some NHS services also run peer support groups. To find out if the NHS run any peer support groups in your area you can:

• search on the internet using a search term like ‘NHS [the area where you live] mental health peer support group’
• ask staff at your GP practice
• ask staff at your NHS mental health team, if you are with one
• ask your local NHS Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) service
• call NHS 111 and ask
  
  

What are Rethink Mental Illness’ community support services?

Community support services give people affected by mental illness help to:

• build their confidence,
• stay in or return to work, and
• take part in social activities they enjoy.

You can search for them here. 

Other charities may run community support services within your area.

How else can I find local services?

You can:

• search on Hub of Hope website using your postcode
• contact your local council
• search Local Minds 
• see a social prescribing link worker.

There these online peer support services:

• Side by Side
• Mentell for men who are 18 or over
• Together All

Do you have accessibility tools for this information?

There is an accessibility function on this webpage called Recite. On the desktop site, click on the icon in the top right-hand corner next to ‘Donate.’ On the mobile site, scroll right and click on the ‘Turn on accessibility’ icon. You can watch a short video about Recite here.

Can you help us and leave a Google review?

Leaving a review of your experience with Rethink will be a massive help to us. You can leave a review here. A huge thank you in advance for taking the time to help!

Did this help?

We would love to know if this information helped you or if you found any issues with this page. You can email us at feedback@rethink.org 

© Rethink Mental Illness 2025

Last updated April 2025
Next update April 2026, subject to any changes

Version number 1