What young people think

In the 2009/10 Kooth user survey 84% of users said they preferred online counselling to face-to-face or telephone support.

82% of users rated the Kooth service as either good or excellent

The take-up for Kooth is high. In the 12 months to mid-March 2010:

over 8,100 chat room counselling sessions took place

6,850 forum posts were moderated by counsellors

11,300 advice and support messages were sent to young people by counsellors

2,400 young people used one-to-one chat

2,200 young people used the Kooth mail system to send messages to counsellors

Kooth eliminates a barrier that young people often experience in accessing help and support

The service has broken the stigma surrounding mental and emotional health for the young people who use it. Kooth is seen as 'cool', credible and trustworthy

Kooth enables young people to talk about difficult issues in an open and honest way whilst maintaining their anonymity until they are ready to come forward and access face-to-face services.

Young people have reported that it is this ability to disclose their concerns whilst maintaining a 'locus of control' about what happens next, that they particularly like.

"Kooth has been a life saver for me"

"it helps people with their problems and you can talk anonymously"