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16–18‐year‐old young people experience a relatively high incidence of mental health problems but there is a paucity of research on their experience of mental health services (MHS).

To gain understanding of young people's experiences of 16–18 MHS, we used qualitative Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Ten young people in two 16–18 MHS were interviewed about experiences of using MHS.

Five superordinate themes emerged from the data analysis, ‘Power Differentials’, ‘Parental Involvement’, ‘Developmentally Attuned Services’, ‘Developing Self‐Expression’, ‘Continuity and Loss of Relationships’.

Respondents valued developmentally appropriate MHS and emphasised the value of continuity in therapeutic relationships.