We will call you or send you a letter to let you know what has happened with your referral and what is going to happen next.

  • This might be an assessment with our specialist service or directing you to someone who can support you in your local community.

We have included some tips and resources below to support yourself that other young people and their families have found useful while waiting for the next step in their journey.

We are always looking to improve the experience of young people who are waiting for appointments. If you have any feedback or ideas of things to include on this page, we’d love to hear from you.

How long do I have to wait for an appointment?

There can often be a wait between your referral being made and your first appointment with us.

The length of this wait will vary depending on the support you need but we will always try and see you as soon as possible.

We are really sorry about any time you have had to wait for an appointment. We are doing our best to see you as quickly and safely as possible.

Click here for what to do if you are worried about your own safety or the safety or others around you prior to your appointment.

Ahead of my appointment

Ahead of your appointment, it may be helpful to ask yourself:

  • What challenges are you facing? How long have these challenges been going on for?
  • What would you like to be different? How would you know if things were different?
  • How might these challenges have started?
  • What has been helpful or unhelpful so far?
  • Who’s in your family and how do you all get on?
  • What support already exists within your family, friends and wider network?
  • What is life like at school and with your friends?
  • How has your mood been recently? Have you been feeling stressed or low?
  • What do you want to achieve or change?
young person writing in a note book

It might also be useful to do the following:

  • Keep a diary of issues or feelings that you are worried about
  • Track your mood and what’s been happening with you for a few days – you could use one of the apps listed on our Resources page
  • Think about any questions you may want to ask your practitioner
  • Check out CAMHS Ready for a list of things you may want to talk or think about

Our resources

We have a lot of information, advice and resources available in this section all for young people.

Have a click through and you might find something useful.

We’re always looking for ways to improve the content available on this website. If something on this website has been useful or there’s something missing that would be helpful, contact us to let us know.