Supporting young people to #StrideForward on Youth Mental Health day
This Youth Mental Health Day (7 September) the psychology in schools team from NSFT want to encourage understanding and discussion of mental health in young people.
Youth Mental Health Day 2021 is focusing on how young people can #StrideForward with their mental health, enabling them to live happy and healthy lives all year round.
In the latest ‘Mental Health and You’ podcast the psychology in schools team speak to Bethan about how the pandemic affected her mental health and how she’s using art to support her emotional wellbeing.
Talking about how she got through the pandemic and how she’s looking forward Bethan commented: “Looking back it was an incredibly difficult time but tapping into my creative talents helped me through. I looked to others for support but also looked to what I loved most, art, to get me through.
“I reassessed what I wanted to do in the future and have decided to go to university and I’m filled with so much excitement for September.”
The podcast is also filled with advice for parents and carers to help them support the emotional wellbeing of the young people in their life.
You can listen to ‘Mental Health and You’ on Apple Podcasts.
The psychology in schools’ team have also released their programme of parent and carer workshops. These 60-minute online workshops are filled with hints and tips for parents and carers to support young people’s mental health.
Workshops include:
- Supporting young people to manage big feelings
- Supporting young people to manage uncertainty
- Supporting young people with anxiety
- Supporting young people with challenging behaviour
- Supporting children/adolescents with sleep (11 Years+)
- Supporting young people who self-harm
- Supporting young people with low mood
To find out more and register for a workshop visit www.nsft.nhs.uk and search for psychology in schools workshops.
They are also encouraging young people to share their top tips for living well with anxiety to create a short film for other young people that can be shared on Instagram. If you are a young person and are interested in taking part please contact: Sophie.davies@nsft.nhs.uk
Dr Beth Mosley (Consultant Clinical Psychologist) says “On Youth Mental Health Day and beyond it is so important to provide opportunities for young people to strive forward and reach their potential, despite any challenges they might face with their mental health. Young people can be so inspiring to other young people and we hope to provide a chance for them to share what works for them in an easily accessible format. The last 18-months have brought many challenges and we don’t know what the next year brings; but hearing the stories of how others have found this time and found a way through can help us feel less alone in our struggles. Reaching out for help, or genuinely checking in with others, can make all the difference”.