Mental Health Services

Part of Brighton & Hove’s Adolescent Health Service, ru-ok? works with people under 18 to offer:

• free confidential advice, guidance, support and information on drugs, alcohol and sexual health for under 18s, their parents / carers or concerned others
• preventative work, providing education and advice on sexual health and substances, delivered in schools or the community on an individual or group work basis
• school and studio-based music activities provided by Audio Active peer mentors to give young people  a new focus and passion

We work with all residents of Brighton & Hove, or those who go to local schools or colleges, who want our help.

We accept referrals over the phone, from those dropping in or through our referral form. We accept referrals from anyone, including parents / carers and professionals. If the young person has not given consent, we can provide advice and guidance to those who may be concerned about a young person.

What we do

We will listen to you and will try to work with you in identifying how drugs and / or alcohol are affecting your life. We work with you on the goals that you set.

We can offer you support with home, school, housing, health, relationships, confidence issues and more. Most of our work takes place one to one but occasionally we offer group work and, depending on your circumstances, we may work with you and your family.

For those young people who need to know more about drugs, alcohol or sexual health, we can provide a short programme involving activities designed to increase your knowledge and confidence in these areas.

If we think that you may be at risk from some of your life choices and are interested in music, we may ask Audio Active to introduce you to one of their Shift mentors who can engage you in creative and positive activities.

What to expect

We often meet young people in schools to offer sexual health or drug & alcohol advice or to work together on treatment plans. We also meet young people in their homes, cafes or anywhere that they feel comfortable. Since COVID restrictions, we have increased our virtual work, including video chats or phone calls.

Through our conversations with you, we’ll work with you to figure out what problems alcohol or drugs are causing in your life and create a support plan to tackle them. We’ll do this together with you, at your pace.

If you’re unsure about meeting with us, we’re happy for you to bring along a friend, family member, carer or key worker for initial appointments.