It happened thanks to Rest to Reset, a mental health service for young people and families, based in Sussex.
The service was set up by Ruth Jacobs, Tia Bowman-Sims, and Kaya Giovanni, who met while working in CAMHS inpatient services.
Through their work, they repeatedly saw families reaching crisis point before getting any meaningful support.
Rest to Reset was created to offer practical help and respite before that point.
Ms Jacobs said: “Improving mental health support needs action from both directions.
“Families need practical help before they reach breaking point, and the professionals around young people need the confidence and skills to respond well.
“That is why Rest to Reset and Certified Minds exist alongside one another.”
Certified Minds, also co-founded by the trio, focuses on training professionals in healthcare and education to better support children and young people.
The need for earlier intervention became clear through their work with families who waited up to two years for specialist care.
Many parents believe that earlier help could have prevented the need for hospitalisation.
One young person supported by Rest to Reset felt comfortable enough to encourage her family to go out for a meal together—something they hadn’t done in more than three years because they didn’t have anyone they trusted to stay with her.
That moment, Ms Bowman-Sims said, summed up the importance of what they are trying to offer.
She said: “I’ve spent most of my working life alongside young people when things have already become really difficult, and one thing I’ve learned is that support shouldn’t only arrive when someone reaches crisis.
“Sometimes it’s the smaller things, at the right time, that make the biggest difference—someone who listens, someone who understands, or simply giving a family a little bit of breathing space.
“That’s what Rest to Reset is about for me.”
Rest to Reset supports young people aged nine and above, including young adults, across a 20-mile driving radius of Brighton.
The team works with those experiencing eating difficulties, low mood, anxiety, self-harm, childhood trauma, neurodivergence and other complex emotional or mental health needs.
Support is tailored to each individual and can take place at home or in the community.
It might include emotional support, meal support, routine-building, social activities, or help reconnecting with education.
Ms Giovanni said: “Young people do not always need another clinical appointment.
“Sometimes they need a safe, consistent person who will listen, meet them where they are and help them take small steps back towards the life they want.”
A key part of the service is giving parents and carers genuine respite.
Rest to Reset enables them to rest, attend appointments, spend time with other children, or simply take a break—knowing their child is in safe hands.
All support workers are DBS checked and trained in mental health and neurodiversity.
Certified Minds, meanwhile, offers clinician-led training to professionals in healthcare, education and social care.
Their training covers mental health, eating disorders, neurodiversity, self-harm, suicide risk, safeguarding and communication.
More than 300 professionals have been trained within local hospitals, with teachers in schools also now receiving support.
Certified Minds has received national recognition, including the HSJ Partnership Award for Best Educational Programme for the NHS.
Rest to Reset will be attending the Hove Lagoon Festival on Saturday, September 5.
The team will host a mental health and wellbeing space for children and families, including a quiet area, sensory resources, a wish tree and relaxed activities.
Families will have the chance to meet Ms Jacobs, Ms Bowman-Sims, and Ms Giovanni, learn more about Rest to Reset and discuss support available in the area.
The founders said: “We want families to receive support before they reach crisis point.
“No young person should have to become more unwell to prove that they deserve help, and no parent should feel they have to manage everything alone.”