FAQ

navigator is operated by spunout, a registered charity in Ireland. spunout is governed by an independent Board of Directors. Our Charity Registration Number from the Charities Regulator is 20057923. Our Companies Registration Office number is 384783 and our CHY Number from Revenue is 16212.

navigator is funded by the Health Service Executive (HSE).

spunout staff and contracted web developers created navigator in partnership with the Health Service Executive (HSE), a steering committee of youth mental health sector experts, and mental health researchers. Creators of navigator consulted with a youth advisory panel of volunteers and young people throughout the development process. Members of the youth advisory panel, who have lived experience, both of seeking help and using mental health services, were involved at every stage of the tool’s development—from choosing mental health-related topics, to design and promotion. Additionally, spunout staff conducted a national survey of nearly 1000 young people in Ireland to inform the design and development of the tool.

The tool will ask you three short questions. You start by choosing a mental health topic or concern. Next, you refine your search by focusing on the specific aspect of that topic that is most relevant to you right now. In the final step, you receive personalised results, including expert-checked factual articles, real-life stories, calming activities, and signposts to appropriate support services in Ireland.

navigator provides a range of resources, including:

• Expert-checked videos and articles providing reliable information on mental health
• Guided activities to lower distress in the moment
• Lived experience videos and articles created by young people
• Books, podcast and app recommendations from experts
• Signposts to support services relevant to a range of mental health difficulties

navigator is not a clinical service and does not provide emergency mental health support, although it may signpost to other services that offer such support. It cannot be used in place of professional mental health support. If you or someone you care about is in danger, visit our page I Need Help Now for clear, step-by-step advice on what to do in a mental health emergency.

If you or someone you care about is in danger or is experiencing a mental health emergency, reach out to someone you trust – a friend, family member, teacher or youth worker. Sharing what’s going on can be the first step to feeling better.

If you have a safety plan, use this to remind yourself of some of your preferred coping strategies for feeling calmer in the moment. You can also follow the steps in your safety plan to make your present environment safe by reducing access to things that could be used to harm yourself.

If you don’t have a safety plan yet, that’s okay. navigator can also connect you to Text About It by spunout – a free, anonymous 24/7 messaging service – where a trained volunteer can work with you to develop a safety plan together. They can also help you discuss further options like in-person mental health support, or contacting emergency services.

You can find out more information by visiting the page I Need Help Now.

spunout staff write all information provided by navigator based on thorough, credible, and up-to-date research. Subject matter experts, including mental health professionals, fact-check and approve this information, and spunout volunteers aged 16-25 proofread the content to ensure it is accessible, relevant and written in an appropriate tone. spunout staff proofread and approve all service listings, which contain information provided by the services themselves. Services included in the Support service directory are selected based on spunout’s Resource Inclusion Policy, which requires services to meet certain quality standards.

These standards include criteria such as:

• Being a recognised Charity or State Body
• Having clear funding streams
• Being in line with spunout’s ethical standards and values

All services listed must be free or low-cost and GDPR-compliant. If you do not see a certain service listed, it may be that it does not meet our criteria. If you would like to suggest a new service, fill in this form.

navigator is completely free. You can use the tool as often as you like at no financial cost.

navigator covers a range of mental health topics, including:

• Anxiety and stress
• Depression and low mood
• Burnout
• Getting professional support
• Building wellbeing skills
• Self-harm
• Suicidal thoughts
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Autism and your mental health
• ADHD and your mental health
• Eating disorders
• Body image
• Relationship difficulties with family/friends/dating/intimate partners
• Understanding mental health

navigator does not provide comprehensive information on all possible mental health topics, so you might notice that some are missing. For the first version of the tool, creators of navigator have prioritised the inclusion of 13 topics. These topics were chosen based on findings from consultations with our youth advisory panels and national surveys. In future versions of navigator, we hope to add many more topics, including sexual health, gender and sexual orientation, grief, loneliness, discrimination and more. Please leave feedback and let us know what topics you’d like to see added to future versions of navigator.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for on navigator, try going through the tool again and selecting different options that might better address your specific concern. You can also click “Explore all topics” on our “I can’t see what I’m looking for” page. If you’re still unable to find what you’re looking for, you can search the main spunout website, where you’ll find a broader range of information and peer experiences on topics like sexual health, substance use, climate, education, housing, employment and more. We’d also love to hear your feedback about what topics you’d like us to include in future versions of navigator.

You can use navigator as many times as you like. You may want to use the tool several times to explore various needs or topics. You can choose to return to the homepage at any point to restart the process.

navigator will not ask you for any personal information and is completely anonymous. You do not need to share your age, email, name or location, and there is no need to login or create a profile. However, If you’d like to save specific content or results to look at later, you have the option to email them to yourself – but this is completely optional.

Currently, navigator does not allow you to save content directly within the tool, as it is designed to be freely accessible without requiring a login or an account. However, you can add articles, videos, and other content to your Favourites by clicking the star icon ‘Add to Favourite’ button on an individual piece of content. At any point during your navigator journey, you can view all your Favourites by clicking the star icon at the top of the page next to the menu bar. From there, you can choose to send your Favourites list to your email.

Leaving feedback is optional and anonymous, but doing so helps us improve navigator for future users. Your input is greatly appreciated.

Feedback is used to improve navigator by introducing new content and features that meet your specific needs. This includes addressing technical issues, choosing future content topics and improving the overall user experience. All feedback is confidential and is reviewed by members of the spunout team.

If you experience technical difficulties, please check your coverage or Wifi connection or try accessing navigator from a different device. navigator has been optimised for both desktop and mobile use. If you encounter a bug, glitch or error in the tool, please use our feedback form to let us know and we will aim to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

If you need to quickly hide the page for any reason while using the tool, please click the ‘Hide Page X’ button on the right hand side of the page. This feature will open a blank Google search page in a new tab, allowing you to quickly navigate away from the page, temporarily hiding the tool.

navigator does not store personal data or search history. Your privacy is a priority, and all searches are anonymous. Any data collected is anonymised and used solely to improve the tool and track its usage.

If you have any questions, requests or concerns about how we collect or process data, you can contact our Data Protection Officer by emailing [email protected]. Please note that the Data Protection Officer cannot respond to emails not related to data protection issues.

navigator is designed to be accessible to a wide range of users. Features include use of plain English, video captions, the ability to resize text, and adjust colour contrast, along with compatibility with screen readers. While we’re continuously working to enhance accessibility, we welcome your feedback on any potential areas for improvement. If your experience with Navigator has been impacted by the lack of an accessibility feature, please include this in your feedback.

navigator is fully optimised for use on mobile devices, tablets, desktop, and laptop computers making it easy to access information and support wherever you are.

No, there is no age requirement to use navigator. However, the content is primarily designed with individuals aged 14 to 34 in mind.

Absolutely. Navigator offers resources and information specifically designed to help those supporting a friend, family member, or loved one who is experiencing mental health difficulties, or who simply wants to learn more about positive mental health.

While navigator is designed with users in Ireland in mind, many of the resources and general information may be applicable worldwide. However, many of the services listed are location-specific.