Many people around the world hesitate to seek help for mental health concerns, even when they’re struggling. This hesitation often stems from stigma, fear of judgment, or not knowing where to begin. These barriers can stand in the way of getting needed support.
The Asking For Help With Mental Health Struggles handout offers guidance on how to reach out for support. It explains who to approach — such as parents, guardians, teachers, school counselors, or healthcare professionals — and provides conversation starters to make opening up less intimidating. The handout also teaches how to clearly express needs.
Learning to ask for help can make young people feel validated — that their struggles are real and worthy of attention. To get started, they can highlight or write down the conversation starters that feel most natural.
Caring adults can create safe spaces online or offline where they can discuss freely. They can also encourage the use of mood-tracking apps or journals to help young people notice patterns in their feelings.
This handout can be paired with our resilience-building Ask For Help handout for additional encouragement.
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Want more resources like this? Check out our full catalog of coping skills worksheets and handouts.
References:
- Omondi, K. (2024). Mental health stigma and its impact on help-seeking behavior. International Journal of Humanity and Social Sciences, 3(3), 15-29. https://doi.org/10.47941/ijhss.2082
- Patte, K. A., Battista, K., Goddard, J., Ferro, J., & Leatherdale, S. T. (2024). Students’ reasons for being reluctant to seek help for mental health concerns in secondary schools. Cogent Mental Health, 3(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/28324765.2023.2298918
- Pretorius, C., Chambers, D., & Coyle, D. (2019). Young people’s online help-seeking and mental health difficulties: Systematic narrative review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(11), e13873. https://doi.org/10.2196/13873
- Varma, S., & Batterham, P. J. (2025). Self-recognition and formal help-seeking for mental health conditions: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 388, 119612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.119612
