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

NHS Digital

Mental Health of Children and Young People Survery 2017

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

Mentally Healthy Schools

Free PSHE lesson plans for primary schools

Little Blue Book of Sunshine

Tips and ideas for coping when you feel a bit blue

Even Super Hero’s Have Bad Days

Materials and videos for use in schools co-produced with children and young people

Anna Freud Talking Mental Health

Free resources for primary schools

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