Supporting Someone You Care About: A Practical Guide with Worksheets (PDF Guide)

Worried about a partner, parent, friend or child? A calm, practical UK guide to listening, helping without taking over, getting help when it is needed, and looking after yourself too, with seven printable worksheets.

When someone you care about is struggling, it is hard to know what to say or do. This guide brings together official UK health information and what Mind, Samaritans, Carers UK, Rethink Mental Illness, YoungMinds and other UK organisations say about supporting someone, in one clear, practical place.

It covers how to notice that someone may be struggling, how to start a conversation, and how to listen, including Samaritans' SHUSH listening tips and examples of open questions. It explains how to offer emotional and practical support without taking over, how to encourage someone to get professional help (with the talking therapies routes in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), and what you can and cannot do if an adult does not want help.

A careful section explains what to do if you are worried someone may be thinking about suicide: why it is okay to ask directly, what helps, what to avoid saying, who to call, and what to do in an emergency. It is based only on official UK health information and Mind, Samaritans and nidirect pages, and it is not crisis training.

The last part is about you: setting boundaries, confidentiality (what you can and cannot be told), looking after yourself, carers' breaks, and how to ask for a carer's assessment in each part of the UK. There is also a clear comparison of supporting a child or teenager and supporting an adult, with where to turn for each.

The seven A4 worksheets help you put your worries into words, plan a conversation, be clear about what you can and cannot take on, prepare for a GP appointment, make a crisis contacts plan together, look after yourself, and get ready for a carer's assessment.

What you get: one 34-page A4 PDF. Print the worksheets as often as you like for your own use. Information checked against official UK health, government and charity pages on 28 October 2026, with every source listed.

Please note: This guide is general self-help information only. It is not medical advice, therapy, counselling, diagnosis or treatment, it is not crisis or suicide prevention training, and it is not a substitute for a GP, another health professional or the emergency services. No particular result is promised. It does not give medicine or supplement advice. If you are worried about someone, encourage them to speak to a GP. If someone's life is at risk, call 999 or go to A&E. Samaritans are free to call on 116 123, day or night, including if you are worried about someone else.

Guide 10 in the Mental Wellbeing: Small Steps series from Long Room Learning. Guide 1, Coping with Seasonal Low Mood, and Guide 2, Better Sleep, are also available.