HappyMaps is an award-winning charity developed by healthcare professionals with help from parents and young people. We’ve pooled what we think are  some of the best mental health resources for parents, carers, and young people, all in one place. Most of these are relevant for you wherever you live in the UK or elswhere in the world. Some resources in the Help Directory section are UK-specific.

The idea for HappyMaps started from my work as a GP in Bristol. I have been a GP for over 25 years and also have a background in Paediatrics (Children’s Medicine) as well as being a parent myself. I started to notice that more and more families were looking for help for their children’s behaviour or mental health, and that it was often difficult to find sensible and reliable advice. In addition mental health specialist services are over-stretched and there are often long waits for professional help. Existing advice and support for parents is scattered across many different websites or in professional guidelines.  In 2018, I  started to research these mental health resources and gather support and ideas from colleagues, charities and parents. The HappyMaps website was launched in 2019 and we have had 145,000 users from all over the UK and worldwide as of April 2022.

HappyMaps was developed  in consultation with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), Bristol City Council, Off The Record and Bristol Mind as well as many other charities and individuals. Thanks go to Dr. Elaine Lunts (GP and Primary Care Paediatric Lead, Bristol ) and Dr. Cara Roberts Roberts-Collins (Clinical Psychologist) who co-wrote some of the content and gave expert advice and moral support. Many other people contributed to the website with their expertise, advice and support but particular thanks go to Dr. Clare Short (CAMHS Consultant in Bristol) and Tom Hore (CEO Bristol Mind) both of whom supported the idea from the beginning and Dr. Georgina Griffiths, who gave up her own time to run parent focus groups, which helped shape how the website has developed. Huge thanks also go to to family, friends and all the parents and young people who contributed comments and ideas, and to the team at 180 Degrees Consulting who helped with the website, social media and publicity. Special thanks to Lee D’arcy who has tirelessly offered his expertise to help with technical issues and much more.