Mental Health & Emotional Wellbeing
‘The capacity to live a full, productive life as well as the flexibility to deal with its ups and downs. In children and young people, it is especially about the capacity to learn, enjoy friendships, to meet challenges, to develop talents and capabilities.'
Young Minds.
Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing in Young People
Mental health and emotional wellbeing is not just the absence of mental illness. It includes our emotional, physical and social wellbeing and affects our feelings, our thinking, our emotions and our moods.
Like physical health, mental health is something we all have. Just because we can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not important and we shouldn’t talk about it. It can range across a spectrum from healthy to unwell; we all have small feelings that can vary from day to day, and at different points in the day, but it’s when we experience big feelings which don’t go away, that can affect our mental health. These feelings can stop us getting on with out lives, they can change how we feel, our behaviour and how we see the world.
Mental illness in young people is linked to:
Unemployment, low income and poverty
Risky behaviour
Poor physical health
Being excluded from school
Low educational achievement
Anna Freud
Advice for parents and carers: Talking mental health with young people at primary school
Children and Young People’s Mental health in schools
Schools are the ideal environment for children to learn about mental health and wellbeing. Lessons can support students to understand and manage their thoughts, feelings and behaviour, and build skills that help them to thrive, such as working as a team, persistence and self-awareness. It also supports to normalise conversations about mental health and can help to identify pupils who might need additional support. Additionally, school programmes which promote social and emotional skills, can improve the mental health and academic attainment of their students.
PPEP Care Training
PPEPCare has been designed to help staff in primary care, education and other professionals to recognise and understand mental health difficulties in children and young people and offer appropriate support and guidance to children, young people and their families.
Training is delivered FREE of charge by specially trained local CAMHS staff.
For more information download an information leaflet here
Resources for Schools on Mental Health and Emotional Well-being
Schools are the ideal environment for children to learn about mental health and wellbeing. Lessons can support students to understand and manage their thoughts, feelings and behaviour, and build skills that help them to thrive, such as working as a team, persistence and self-awareness. It also supports to normalise conversations about mental health.
#Coping Guides
Providing the best reliable and free sources of information and advice to help children, young people and their families cope with life under lockdown.
Time to Change
Assemblies, activities and campaigns to get talking about mental health in schools
Even Super Hero’s Have Bad Days
Materials and videos for use in schools co-produced with children and young people
Stay in touch
Get the latest information on case studies, blogs and more.