Psychology Associates 
Festive cheer or festive fear? The pressure to feel festive and enjoy the Christmas period can feel overwhelming at times for many of us. The expectation to socialise, buy gifts and prepare for the occasion can bring along dread and stress as well as potential loneliness, money worries, family feuds and anxiety. A time of … Read more
The theme of World Mental Health Day this year is ‘It is time to prioritise mental health in the workplace’. The impact of poor mental health in the workplace is well documented. Businesses can support their employees in a variety of ways, to protect and promote good mental health in their workforce. Although there are … Read more
The return to school can be a challenging time for many children and young people, particularly those who are predisposed to experiencing mental health challenges. Sometimes, parents and teachers can feel a bit stuck as to how to best support these children through this difficult time. Advice for Parents: Increasing numbers of parents of school-aged … Read more
For millennia, humans have led physically active and engaged lives. However, in recent times the way we live and work can sometimes make it more difficult to find time to add exercise and movement, meaning we are often disengaged from our body’s basic need to move in order to thrive. For many of us, screen-bound … Read more
Children’s Mental Health Week is a special time when we celebrate the uniqueness of every child and raise awareness of children’s mental health. The theme of this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week is ‘My Voice Matters’, running from 5th – 11th February 2024. The theme ‘My Voice Matters’ empowers children and young people to recognise … Read more
There are many ways in which a young child can benefit from therapy sessions. For example, there could be a family breakdown with separation or divorce, difficulties at school, attachment or trauma issues, grief or loss, low self-esteem, anxiety or depression. Increasingly, issues such as self-harm and eating disorders are sadly presenting more often in … Read more
We all experience grief and loss in our lives. We mostly consider this in terms of the loss of a loved one, however other forms of loss such as losing a job, moving school/home/area and divorce can also be difficult experiences that might cause us to go through a grieving process and this process is … Read more
The aim of World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to celebrate the efforts being made in support of mental health. The Day provides an opportunity for everyone who is interested in mental health issues to talk about their experiences, and to think about what more … Read more
Work Life Balance, three simple words we hear often but how much notice do we really take? For many this may seem an impossible dream, something we’d like to aspire to, but not a reality we can maintain. Demands on our time can be endless. Work, family, keeping up with the household chores, friends, demands … Read more
What does it mean to be brave? The theme of this year’s Youth Mental Health Day is #BeBrave. Bravery can be different for different people, and what it means to one probably isn’t the same as what it means to another. It could be brave for one person to go into a shop on their … Read more
Visualisation exercises can be a really effective way to relax our bodies and minds by picturing a peaceful and calming scene. In this audio, Karen Allin, Integrative Counsellor and Psychotherapist, guides you through imagining a soothing walk through a woodland to help create a calming state.
Visualisation exercises can be a really effective way to relax our bodies and minds by picturing a peaceful and calming scene. In this audio, Karen Allin, Integrative Counsellor and Psychotherapist, guides you through imagining a relaxing trip to the beach to help create a calm state.
Making the decision to begin therapy for the first time can take a lot of thought and time, and can result in you having questions about what it involves and what it might be like. Below are the answers to some common questions that you may have. How does therapy work? Therapy is very individual … Read more
A ‘glimmer’ is the exact opposite of a trigger for our nervous system and are small moments that help bring you back to feelings of joy, safety and connection. Take a look at our Occupational Therapy Team’s examples of ‘glimmers’ from a sensory perspective, which you may find helpful to look out for and embrace … Read more
What is it? Emotional literacy is the understanding we have about ourselves, our feelings and the feelings of other people. It’s thinking about what may make us act out in poor behaviour or choices or, acting in with low self-esteem or withdrawing ourselves. It’s also about our communication, either verbally or through body language and … Read more
Many people like an element of challenge in their life as challenge can be interesting and exciting for us to overcome and a little stress can be a positive force to give us energy, to motivate and improve our performance. However, stress is like an electric current, and if the current remains too high for … Read more
Reflecting on things which have happened is the gateway to understanding these events. Working within the health and social care fields (or any job where we are working directly with people), it is important that we consider and reflect on how we are executing that care or support. When we talk about reflective practice, we … Read more
Stress is a feeling of being overwhelmed and under a lot of pressure, which everybody experiences in their lives. You may get feelings like everything is getting too much and that you cannot cope. It can be in response to pressure you have put upon yourself, or to your environment. These feelings can often stem … Read more
Anxiety is a normal feeling and can affect us all from time to time, but it can become a problem when it makes you feel very stuck, overwhelmed or worried for a long period of time. Click here to read our top tips for tackling anxiety for young people.
For many people, winter, and especially over the festive period, can be a testing time of year. We have fewer opportunities for natural light as the days become increasingly shorter and the nights draw in. Temperatures typically drop and it can often feel like the rain is relentless. Many of us are consequently drawn to … Read more
While the festive period is a very exciting time of year for many it is also a whirlwind of lights, smells, singing and important changes to routine with plays at school, late night trips and family and friends visiting. These things can become overwhelming for many children and adults, especially those with sensory needs. It … Read more
In partnership with Operation Encompass, we are very proud to provide our expert, immediate advice to professionals calling the Advice Line seeing guidance to help them best support children and young people in their care. An evaluation of the Professionals’ Advice and Guidance Line was carried out between October 2021 and March 2022, which highlighted … Read more
Although there is no legal definition on what constitutes as bullying, the anti-bullying charity Ditch defines it as “an imbalance of power which is used to either defame, harass, intimidate or upset another person.” A recent Ofcom report (2022) indicated that 39% of 8–17-year-olds reported some form of bullying either online or face to face. … Read more
Like many of us, I found growing up really hard going, a rollercoaster of emotions, trying to navigate relationships, not least my relationship with myself. After what seemed like years in the wilderness, I became fascinated in understanding ‘what makes us tick’ as human beings, and the core ingredients to a balanced, meaningful life. I … Read more
Losing someone close is always a difficult experience at any age but experiencing grief as a child can be particularly complicated. So many difficult emotions can arise and it can feel very overwhelming and hard to navigate. What kind of reactions might we see in children who have experienced grief or loss? There are a … Read more
Moving from primary to secondary school can be a really exciting time full of positive change, but it can also be a time where young people feel overwhelmed and anxious. This transition period involves many changes: the physical environment, new rules and expectations, change of peer group, change of teachers, increasing independence, and different ways … Read more
What is self-care? The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines self-care as a way to promote, prevent and maintain good health for individuals and communities without outside help. The same term is often used by individuals and professionals to consider a holistic approach to our mental, emotional, physical, social and spiritual wellbeing; to prioritise and maintain … Read more
When a child experiences difficulties in attending school, the impacts can be far-reaching for both the child and their family. Various terminology is used to describe school non-attendance (SNA), such as ‘Emotionally based school non-attendance’ and ‘emotionally-based school avoidance’ (EBSA). Often researchers and educators distinguish between truancy and EBSA; however, it is useful to consider … Read more
Humans seek social contact and meaningful connection with others. When there is a discrepancy between our individual need for social contact and the actual contact we are getting, we may experience feelings of loneliness. Loneliness is often a concept only associated with adults, however people of all ages can experience loneliness and research has shown … Read more
This year’s theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is loneliness with the aim to encourage us to consider the impacts of loneliness on mental health and how we might all play a part in reducing loneliness in our communities. What does it mean to be lonely? Loneliness is a human experience, one which perhaps we … Read more
This year’s theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is loneliness with the aim to encourage us to consider the impacts of loneliness on mental health and how we might all play a part in reducing loneliness in our communities. What does it mean to be lonely? Loneliness is a human experience, one which perhaps we … Read more
Overcoming challenges and setbacks can be difficult for children and young people (as well as adults), however it can really help to boost their resilience and to help them bounce back from struggles they encounter. We share out tips on supporting children to develop the emotional skill of resilience in our Building Resilience in Children … Read more
The theme of this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week is ‘Growing Together’, which encourages children (and adults) to reflect on their emotional growth and how they can support others to grow too. We share our thoughts on this important topic here in our Growing Together Blog. Growing Emotionally We are all invested in helping the … Read more
If you know someone who is experiencing mental health difficulties it can be difficult to know what to do, but there are a number of things you can do to support them. One of the most important ways to help is to talk to them in order to find out what is bothering them and … Read more
Heart rate variability is closely linked to your heart rate, in particular how long it takes your heart to return to a steady rate after exercise or experiencing a fright. Anxiety and stress can reduce our heart rate variability. Our Information Sheet explores further what is meant by Heart Rate Variability, and provides practical ideas … Read more
Resilience refers to our ability to withstand, recover and adjust after something difficult or traumatic has happened to us. Being resilient is not about just ‘getting on with it’ and staying positive all the time. It comes from being in touch with life’s challenges. Resilience can be seen as a set of skills that can … Read more
We all experience stress at times throughout our lives, however too much stress can have a major impact on our lives. Take a look at our Stress Management Guide to learn more about what stress is, the symptoms you may experience and stress management techniques to build your resilience and support your well-being.
This video is an introduction to the Operation Encompass Teachers’ Helpline, supported by Psychology Associates. The helpline provides advice and guidance to school staff working with and supporting vulnerable children and their families who have been impacted by domestic violence.
This short video provides advice and guidance for professionals working with vulnerable young people living with or who have experienced domestic abuse.
This short video explores the vital role that schools and their staff have in supporting child victims of domestic abuse.
This short video focuses on domestic abuse in context, and the important considerations for staff working with young children (KS1-2).
This video provides advice and guidance to support police officers attending domestic incidents in homes where children or young people are present.
This short video aims to help support staff and professionals working with Early Years children by providing advice and guidance, with a focus on domestic abuse.
Children’s emotional well-being is of equal importance to their physical health, and having an understanding of what mental health is and how to look after it is vital. Our resource aims to break this down for children to help them learn to support their mental health as early as possible and to discover key supportive … Read more
Young people’s emotional well-being is of equal importance to their physical health, and being able to understand their mental health is vital. Our Understanding Mental Health for Young People resource explains what is meant by mental health and how to recognise mental health difficulties, as well as providing guidance on how young people can look … Read more
Self-care is the deliberate practice of any activity that we do in order to support our mental, physical and emotional health. It is so vital for maintaining a positive relationship with ourselves and our well-being, as well as helping us to be better equipped to manage the stressors of daily life. Our comprehensive Self-Care Guide … Read more
Books are an effective way in which to engage children in important concepts that may be challenging and difficult to discuss. Domestic Abuse can be viewed as one such subject. In partnership with Operation Encompass, our team have written a range of reviews on books which can be used to support vulnerable children and young … Read more
Our Meditation and our Mental Health resource explores the many benefits that practicing meditation can bring for our mental health and overall wellbeing. It also explores suggestions for how to incorporate meditation in to your daily routine as a mindfulness and self-care activity.
Evidence strongly suggests that being connected to nature helps us to flourish by improving our mental and physical health. We explore the psychological and physical wellbeing benefits of nature on our Nature and our Mental Health Resource, and also outlines suggestions for how you can connect with nature to better protect and support your mental … Read more
There is a very close connection between sleep and mental health; poor mental health can cause sleep difficulties, and poor sleep can have a negative effect on our mental health. Our resource explores this relationship further and covers key guidance on improving sleep quality. For further advice and resources to help you and your family … Read more
Visualisation exercises and goal setting can be very effective strategies to boost your wellbeing, both by helping you to regulate your emotions, as well as promoting feelings of security, positivity, and achievement. Our Visualisation and Goal Setting resource explores the positive impact visualisation can have for supporting our mental health, and also guides you throw … Read more
Physical and mental health are interconnected and equally important. To learn more about how exercising can help to protect and support your mental health and wellbeing, please read our The Benefits of Exercise for our Mental Health resource.
Sometimes, the way we think can keep us trapped in a viscous loop. Download our get Rid of You’re A.N.T.S resource to read our expert guidance on identifying your automatic negative thoughts, Recognising your Triggers and challenging your ANTS.
Our managing low confidence resource aims to help children and young people understand what is meant by confidence and the impact that having low confidence can have. It also features helpful tools that young people can use to boost their self-confidence.
Protecting and supporting our mental health is just as important as looking after our physical health. This resource is a guide to improving your mental wellbeing by identifying and tackling triggers for stress and anxiety and by implementing positive and effective strategies for prioritising your mental health.
Did you know that your brain releases happiness chemicals that help to make you feel good? In our Daily Dose of Happiness resource, we explore the role of each of the four happiness chemicals, how deficiency can impact your wellbeing, and how to utilise practical strategies to naturally increase happy brain chemicals.
Our mental health in the workplace resource outlines our expert advice for recognising and supporting colleagues with mental health difficulties in order to help promote a more positive and productive working environment.
Self-esteem is the opinion we have of ourselves, and having good self-esteem can help you to feel more positive and will boost your overall wellbeing. This resource offers practical suggestions for teenagers to improve their self-esteem.
Our Progressive Muscle Relaxation Activity Sheet shares four different activities aimed at children to help them reduce stress and anxiety in their bodies by tensing and relaxing their muscles.
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