Mental health
chat support

^{My Black Dog is a community-focused platform offering peer-to-peer conversations for people who are struggling with mental health challenges and trauma.}

*For People, not pets.
Speak to us by using our chat box below when you don't know who to talk to. Whether you're experiencing uncertainties, feeling trapped, or simply curious, we are here to support you. Talk to someone who gets it.

Free, available online and every day

We are volunteers

We understand that coping with mental health is HARD, and not knowing who to talk to can make you feel scared and alone.

You might be worried about what people will think of you, you might feel ashamed, you might feel that they won't understand you.

We do.

Every single person that is a part of My Black Dog, from the volunteers to the ambassadors have felt this way before. We get it.

My Black Dog is not a crisis point or a suicide line. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please contact the Samaritans by calling 116 123.

This site is for adults. If you are under 18 years of age, please visit Childline.

Online Mental Health Chat Opening Times

We can get busy, so please stay with us!

Take a look around the My Black Dog website; there are some great articles and blogs to read, as well as some alternative therapy ideas.

You are NOT ALONE. We're here for you.

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Saturday

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Sunday

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7:00pm

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We are volunteers

All of My Black Dog's volunteers have their own experiences of struggling with emotional well-being. They can offer an empathetic ear for someone who really needs their help.

Become a volunteer

Feedback

We're delighted to have such moving feedback from our guests, here are some of their experiences, in their words.

If you'd like to share your experiences with My Black Dog, you can email us. All feedback is anonymous. Thank you.

See our case studies

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August 23, 2024

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My Black Dog Golf Day

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Mental health can affect all of us in different ways, here are some additional resources for specific circumstances.

Browse our resources

They were very kind to me, empathetic. Just made me feel heard :) was a great experience!

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to me. I’ve tried all day to speak to my GP or just someone from 111 but after 6 hours with no call back, I came on here just to talk to someone and it really helped me acknowledge that I need further help

I love my black dog. Thank you for all the support

whoever i got lucky enough to speak to, you genuinely are such an amazing person n im so so grateful for that chat thank you sm

Absolutely wonderful, I didn't know about this until my doctor, Katherine rice told me about this website. After what I've been through recently, this is the lift I need. Thank you

The agent I just spoke with (don't know their name) is absolutely amazing. A genuine, kind soul. One in a million

Why didn’t I know this existed sooner! Amazing person whoever I was taking to. Finally felt like I was talking to someone real who got i

Who I spoke to was absolutely amazing helped me have a really honest conversation which helped

Thank you for holding space and speaking openly. I felt heard and it is encouraging to know that I am not alone

I felt like the agent was hearing what I was saying and reflecting with kindness - very helpful and appreciated

This is the first time I have used this chat and I am really impressed with what I got. I felt able to type things I can't say and that means a lot more than not being able to get any further help anywhere else

First time visitor. Thank you so much, it really helped

Fab listening and not judging

The agent today was brilliant! I felt so much better after sharing my thoughts and feelings without judgement or time limits. They also offered their experiences and perspectives with light humour too. This is such a great service and has helped through dark times between therapy sessions

First time using this chat, lovely agent, definitely would come back as felt very supported

Brilliant I just really needed a quick chat to get it all out

Amazing support and guidance and kind words to keep me grounded

Thank you so much. I feel like I can breathe again

The agent was very kind and respectful, I didn't feel rushed at all even though I used quite a lot of time and I felt very heard and validated. Really appreciated being able to talk to someone, this is one of the only services which works well for me

very helpful volunteer, extremely compassionate and responsive with lots of good insight. they’re also extremely friendly and offered their own personal experiences in the conversation which made it feel more personal and animated

Sally was very kind and helpful, I felt much better after speaking with her about my problem, she listened to me and made me feel like I was being listened too and that my emotions are valid. it meant a lot

The volunteer was amazing, empathetic, non-judgemental and gave me some great advice and tips without overstepping their role; amazing person and amazing service

Spoke to the most loveliest person ever. Really put me at ease about EVERYTHING!!!!💗

An 😇

I cant thank you enough

as always, the most amazing chat. will forever be grateful for my black dog - thank you so so much. use really do help

The only place to help me this evening. Other places were just giving short sentence answers that weren't helpful, but the lovely volunteer I talked to offered advice and found me links to try and find local help. So grateful. Thank you

They were amazing, took my mind off things and let me know my feelings were valid and normal and really made me feel at ease. I dont know what i would have done if i didn't have this conversation

as always, the most amazing chat - whoever the first person i was speaking to is; you’re incredible thank you so so much<3

Real

Wonderful conversation! Vastly improved my overall mood! Thank you for a lovely service will most certainly come back when feeling low

Grateful Thanks too the wonderful person who listened too my very lengthy chat tonight. You are a Caring Thoughtful Person with a Heart of Gold , we are possibly very similar in our thoughts, and do the very best we can for the ones we Love very much. My Heart feels better now . Thankyou Everyone for asking about me. Take Care Catch up Soon. Xxx Bye

Extremely caring, helped me feel less alone, thank you :)

Thank you for giving me a safe space, you're amazing whoever you are, I can't thank you enough :)

Ty this was a much needed conversation with a wise soul at a time of heightened anxiety x

I vented and they've listen. I needed it

Got things off my chest. Still feel wobbly but feel empowered to do something about it

My first MBD chat was amazing, I feel less overwhelmed and more in control of my anxiety, the agent was brilliant!

whoever i got lucky enough to speak to, you genuinely are such an amazing person n im so so grateful for that chat thank you sm

Absolutely wonderful, I didn't know about this until my doctor, Katherine, told me about this website. After what I've been through recently, this is the lift I need. Thank you

The agent I just spoke with (don't know their name) is absolutely amazing. A genuine, kind soul. One in a million

The agent I spoke with was so kind and helpful when I was feeling utterly lost. It really helped to be able to talk to someone who’s been through their own struggles. Thank you a thousand times. I really appreciate this service

Amazing, caring. I have never felt more respect and part of this world :)

First time I have ever reached out to anyone and this was amazing. For the first time ever I felt like someone was really listening.

To have had someone to talk to and connect with in that moment of need was amazing. Their words were kind and comforting, non judgemental and helped so much to make sense of the moment. Thank you for an exceptional service.

Amazing! Started off the chat was crying my eyes out while talking, and then this lovely person just real-time cheered me up and made me feel 10x better. Would recommend this service to anyone💕

Great to get some reassurance and know I can come back on her at any time for suport when I need it.. Would highly recommend this site to others

The agent was so genuinely caring, sincere and empathetic. Really helped to get things off my chest, thank you.

They were more helpful than they know and I truly felt like I could tell them anything

It was patient and honest, and the advisor helped me work through my feelings and a plan to help me make little changes in my life through the conversation. I will definitely be coming back again if I need any more help, I feel so much better than I thought I would and couldn’t be more grateful.

Couldn’t have asked for anyone more understanding and supportive of my feelings. So grateful, thank you!!