The bulk of mental health disorders onset during adolescence. Poor emotion regulation is common across these ‘disorders’ evidenced by young people engaging in behaviours such as self-harm and alcohol and substance use to manage their emotions. Support is often not available for these young people when it is needed. Digital technology has been touted as a potentially powerful way to address these increasingly pressing concerns. Evidence shows that these tools work, if people use them. This is a key challenge in the field. Engaging end-users to ensureinterventions are engaging and useful is critical. The term ‘co-design’ can be used to describe processes that are better understood as ‘consultation’ (users commenting on an already designed product); however, co-design engages users as ‘experts’ in exploring needs and designing products together. In this presentation I will describe a journey through a range of co-design approaches utilised in the context of developing digital tools for young people and highlight the critical need we have identified for strengths-based, personalised and customisable digital experiences. I will highlight the challenges of shifting from traditional research practice to this methodology, and the rich experience gained when those with lived experience are engaged in a meaningful way.