Children/young people and mental health:

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According to the NSPCC (2022), mental health is as crucial to a child's safety and wellbeing as physical health; therefore, Focusing on academic catch-up without first addressing wellbeing would be counterproductive. Schools and children have been under significant pressure to compensate for the learning lost during the pandemic, but poor mental health can impact all aspects of their life, including their educational attainment, relationships, and physical wellbeing. To help children catch up academically, we must also focus on their social and emotional wellbeing. Clear research confirms the link between a child's wellbeing and his or her ability to learn. Children who are happy and calm have a better chance of learning.

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The work I do with children and young people is intervention based. The Early Intervention Foundation (2021) demonstrates how Interventions improve not only pupils’ well-being, but also their mental health and behaviour.  Interventions have been shown to improve outcomes including resilience and self-esteem, reduce anxiety or depressive symptoms, and prevent violent and aggressive behaviour.  Mental health interventions  have also been shown to  improve academic achievement. Children and young people’s academic achievement and their mental health are interrelated and both are strongly associated with outcomes in later life. 

 

Facts about mental health:

• One in six children aged five to 16 were identified as having a probable mental health problem in July 2021, a huge increase from one in nine in 2017. That’s five children in every classroom (NHS, 2021).

• In a YoungMinds survey, three-quarters (76%) of parents said that their child's mental health had deteriorated while waiting for support from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

• In a YoungMinds commissioned survey by Censuswide, two-thirds (67%) of young people said they would prefer to be able to access mental health support without going to see their GP but half (53%) said they didn't know how else to access this help.

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Children of Primary School age:

A recent study in 2021 explains how the physical, social, emotional and psychological directions we take throughout our adolescence and into adulthood are influenced by our early childhood experiences, primarily due to the marked neuroplasticity and growth of the brain in its first six years. At this age, a child's brain has grown to 95% of its adult size, which has both positive and negative effects: young children are vulnerable to the long-term effects of abuse, depression, and dysfunction. Additionally, young children are more receptive to the benefits of positive environments; hence, through Personal, Social, Health and Emotion (PSHE) lessons and psychological wellbeing interventions, children of primary age quickly understand how to maintain their mental health and wellbeing.

 

 

 

 

 

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Adolescents:

Understanding why teenagers occasionally behave impulsively, irrational, or dangerous can be challenging. Teenagers are often accused of not thinking about their actions or consequences. There is a biological explanation for this: teenagers' brains differ from adults' brains regarding behaviour, problem-solving and decision-making. Studies show that brains continue to mature and develop throughout childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood.

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The Brain.

The amygdala is a specific region of the brain which develops early on and is responsible for immediate reactions, including fear and aggressive behaviour. However, the frontal cortex, the area of the brain that controls reasoning and helps us think before we act, develops later and is still changing and maturing well into adulthood.

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Of course, this does not mean that teenagers do not understand the difference between right and wrong, nor does it excuse them from being held responsible for their actions. What this information does do, is help parents, educators, and anyone else that works with young people, understand, anticipate, and manage their behaviour.

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How can I help?

My role will be to provide interventions such as guided self-help and therapeutic activities for children and young people with anxiety, low mood and behavioural difficulties. These interventions are delivered in person, either in their home or school. I will also signpost, if appropriate, any further support services that may be required. My work offers evidence-based interventions for children and young people to help them understand what is happening in their brains, and provide them with the tools they need to improve their wellbeing. I can help with:

• Behaviour

• Confidence

• Self-Esteem

• Anxiety

• Grief

• Lego Therapy

• Children's Yoga and Mindfulness

• Nurturing approach.

• Anger.

• Diet.

• Theraplay activities.

• Resilience.

• Relationships.

• Stress.