Frequently asked questions

If you feel mentally unwell, your best starting point is usually your GP (family doctor). GPs are trained to assess, treat and manage many mental health issues. Your GP can refer you to your local community mental health service or elsewhere if needed. Some GP clinics also have Health Improvement Practitioners (HIPs) who can support you to manage your mental health without needing to refer you to other services.

Your local community mental health team provides free mental health services and is usually run at the hospital. There may be specialist Māori, Pacific Island, Adult, Older Persons and Child & Adolescent mental health services. You will usually need to be referred by your GP who will need to assess you first and check if you meet the referral criteria set out by the service.

If you are not referred to other services, or wait times are too long, there are other options: you can call a helpline, visit a drop-in café, or use an online health provider. Find out more about these pathways on our page Accessing Mental Health Services.

We’ve listed some directories where you can find a therapist on our page about Accessing Mental Health Services. The Mental Health Foundation does not employ therapists and cannot recommend particular organisations or individuals. We provide information to help you to make your own choice. 

Have a look at our Community Support Groups page to find free mental health support organisations near you. Your GP may know of others, or you could contact your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau.

Have a look at our Community Support Groups page to find free mental health support organisations near you. You could contact your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau.

To find out about your rights, or to make a complaint about a health service, contact the Health & Disability Commissioner's Advocacy Service.

If you’re very worried about someone’s immediate safety, the quickest way to get support out to them is by contacting your local police with their name and location. Your police can talk to other police stations around the world quickly through Interpol.

Otherwise, sharing a number for a helpline is a great way to offer support. The Find a Helpline directory is a useful tool for finding helpline numbers around the world.

If you are under the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992, you can request a visit from a District Inspector who will advise you of your rights and the review processes.

Changing Minds has very useful information about the Act on their website including a pamphlet about your rights when under the Mental Health Act.

You can contact your local Community Law Centre for free legal advice. They have in depth information mental health laws and your rights on their website.

Aotearoa Disability Law offers a free specialist legal service and can give you free legal advice about your rights under the Mental Health Act. the Mental Health Act.

District inspectors are lawyers who can meet with you and advise you of your rights when under the Mental Health Act. They are the watchdogs of patients’ rights, ensuring the Mental Health Act is correctly applied and the rights of individuals are respected and upheld. On the Ministry of Health website you will find the latest Directory of District Inspectors along with guidelines for their role.

If you believe you have been discriminated against, you can contact the Human Rights Commission on 0800 496 877.

You can contact your local Community Law Centre for free legal advice. They have in depth information mental health laws and your rights on their website.

Aotearoa Disability Law offers a free specialist legal service and can give you free legal advice about your rights under the Mental Health Act.

For complaints about mental health services, contact the Health and Disability Advocacy Service on 0800 555 050.

You can contact your local Community Law Centre for free legal advice.

Aotearoa Disability Law offers a free specialist legal service and can give you free legal advice about your rights in regards to mental health and the law.

If you are under 25 years old, YouthLaw has an advice line on 0800 844 529 or email legal@youthlaw.co.nz.

There is a Code of Rights issued by the Health and Disability Commissioner that outlines the rights of users of any health and disability service. If you feel your rights have been breached, you can contact the Health and Disability Advocacy Service on 0800 555 050.

If you have concerns about a health or disability service, the Health and Disability Commission Advocacy Service offers independent advocates who can give you information on your rights and support you to make a complaint.

Order your free mental health resources online from our resource shop.

The easiest way to navigate is to look at View all resources. On the left-hand side, you can tick a topic, such as wellbeing, quick guides, or suicide prevention etc. In addition, you can also tick the “Printed resources” box at the bottom of the list. This selection will show you all items within that topic that can be ordered for delivery. Or choose no topic, and just tick “Printed resources” – showing you everything you can order.

If you log into the website with your account, this will give you access to resources and bundles specific to your role, as well as your order history. You can always still order in the "All resources" section as well.

All shipping and packaging is free. Please be aware when you order that our budget is limited. Try to consolidate orders with others in your school or business where possible, and please be mindful of how frequently you are ordering, to reduce costs.

The resources have maximum order limits in place, so we can make sure we have enough for everybody. If you need more resources than the webstore will allow for a particular event or kaupapa, please get in touch.

You can leave us a comment at checkout to let us know how many you need, and for what purpose. You can also email resource@mentalhealth.org.nz to discuss your resource needs. Please don’t split it into several orders as that adds to our packing and shipping costs. We may need to cancel duplicate orders if needed.

It usually takes between 7-10 days to receive your resources. If your order is urgent, please let us know on resource@mentalhealth.org.nz.

To make sure the free resource programme stays sustainable, we use a combination of postal (letter) and courier delivery. This means that tracking is not always available. If it is, you will be sent your tracking link at the time of dispatch.

The free resource programme is funded through a combination of government (Te Whatu Ora) funding and the MHF’s own fundraising. Please consider making a donation at donate.mentalhealth.org.nz if you would like to support the resource programme.

If there is any trouble with your order, please contact us at resource@mentalhealth.org.nz. Please let us know your order number from the confirmation email. Thank you!