No traffic in MH forum, and too much in Chat, so trying here:
DS (14) has told me he would like to talk to someone about his MH. He has symptoms consistent with social anxiety and possibly some mild undiagnosed autistic traits. He does talk fairly openly to me about these things and has managed without external help up to now, but he's recently experienced a girlfriend/friendship issue that has got him down, and, as a consequence, has been doing some online self-diagnosis which may or (more likely) may not have been helpful. I have ordered a relevant book for him, and told him I would look at options for finding someone he can talk to. He thinks he needs a psychologist, so he can be 'diagnosed' but I wonder if a counsellor would be a better option. This is new territory for us. He is not keen to talk to pastoral staff at school and I know that our local CAMHS service has very long waiting lists so want to avoid it if possible. We do have BUPA through DH's employer and I've confirmed that MH is covered by the policy. There is a helpline for parents who want advice, so I'm thinking of calling. Has anyone used this service? Ideally I'd like to know more about it before we dip our toes in.