Asking for Help Beyond Your Friends
Friends can offer support, and you can also ask a safe adult or professional for help. Notice distress, changes in daily life and safety concerns. Choose someone to tell, describe what is happening, and get urgent help if anyone is in immediate danger.
What a learner can do afterwards
- Describe reasons to ask for help, including ongoing distress, disrupted school, eating or sleep, and safety concerns; explain that help can be sought early and immediate danger needs urgent action
- Name three people or services they could go to and what each one is actually for
- Write two opening sentences that describe a concern, its duration or impact, and the support needed
1 · Read
You can ask for help whenever something worries you. Ongoing low mood, changes in eating or sleep, or trouble managing school are reasons to tell a safe adult or health professional. You do not have to wait two weeks or prove a cause. If a friend's daily life is being affected, help them reach an adult rather than keeping the concern between friends.
If someone may hurt themselves or another person, tell a safe adult straight away. If danger is immediate, contact local emergency services or ask someone nearby to do so. Move to safety if you can. Do not promise to keep a risk of harm secret. If one adult does not act, tell another.
A teacher can help with assignments and workload. A school counsellor can listen, help you find support and explain available services. A doctor can assess health concerns, including sleep and mood, and discuss treatment or referrals. These roles overlap. A safe adult can help you make contact; you do not need to pick the perfect service first.
Alba is stuck on a history assignment. She asks her teacher for a time to talk and points to the instruction she does not understand. She asks what to do next. Bringing notes or an attempt can help explain the problem, but she can ask even if she has not managed to start.
Start with what is happening, how long it has lasted or how it affects daily life, and the help you need. Two sentences can be enough to begin. You can read from a note or ask someone to come with you. You do not need a polished speech or a record of attempted solutions.
Therapists are trained to help with emotional and mental health concerns. You can seek support before a crisis. Sessions and methods vary. Ask about their experience with teenagers, their approach and what may stay private or need to be shared. If the fit is poor, discuss your concerns or ask a safe adult or service about another option.
Ask for help early, describe what is happening, and keep asking if you are not heard. Immediate danger needs urgent help.
Lesson, questions, diagrams and cards written for this dataset.
Readings and cards written for this dataset. Background study included guides to asking for help, approaching a teacher and choosing a therapist, plus Types of Treatment; their wording was not adapted.
More to read
You can ask before a crisis
You do not need a diagnosis, a clear explanation or a certain number of difficult days before asking for support. Changes in eating, sleep, schoolwork or mood can give you something concrete to describe. A friend can listen, but you can also involve a safe adult or health professional.
Treat danger as urgent. If someone may hurt themselves or another person, tell a safe adult straight away. For immediate danger, contact local emergency services or ask someone nearby to do so. Move to safety if you can. Do not promise secrecy about a risk of harm. Tell another adult if the first does not act.
Giving a teacher a place to begin
Suppose a reading task asks you to compare two passages, but you cannot tell what the instruction means. You could show the instruction and ask the teacher to explain what a comparison should include. A clear stuck point gives the conversation a starting place.
Ask when you can talk about routine schoolwork. Bring notes or an attempt if you have them, but you can ask before you have managed to start. For a personal concern, you can request a conversation away from the class. Do not wait for an appointment to report immediate danger.
Learning about a support service
Before or during a meeting, you can ask a counsellor or therapist what concerns they help with and what sessions involve. You can also ask about their experience with teenagers. Different approaches do not all use the same activities.
Ask what stays private, what may be shared, and with whom. The service should explain its own limits rather than leaving you to guess. If the approach feels unsuitable or you feel unheard, describe the concern when you can. You can ask a safe adult or service to help explore another option. Availability and access may need planning.
Choosing a contact and finding words
A teacher can discuss assignments and workload. A school counsellor can listen and help you find services. A doctor can assess health concerns, including sleep and mood, and discuss treatment or referrals. Their roles overlap. If you are unsure where to begin, ask a safe adult to help you make contact.
Prepare a short opening: describe the concern, say how long it has lasted or how it affects daily life, and ask for support. Two sentences can begin the conversation. You can read a note, hand it over, or ask someone you trust to come with you.
2 · Watch
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