Back to School – Supporting Children’s Mental Health

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 children report difficulties regarding their children’s mental health and wellbeing. Sometimes, school attendance can exacerbate mental health challenges, due to the added demands and pressures. Some general guidelines to help children who are experiencing mental health difficulties include:

• Maintain a clear and predictable daily routine for your child. Help them to feel that their world is predictable and manageable, by providing structure.  Ensure they have plenty of time to prepare for their school day, as well as ‘down time’.
• Consider sleep and diet as fundamentally important to good mental health and wellbeing.
• Show an interest in your child’s school experience but try not to bombard them with too many questions, particularly at pick up time when they may be tired, hungry etc. Try to keep it light and focus on the positives e.g. tell me about the best part of your day today.
• Explicitly praise their achievements, in and out of school, no matter how small, to support their self-esteem and confidence. Focus your praise on effort over outcome in relation to school-based endeavours.
• Provide regular opportunities for your child to engage in activities or hobbies they enjoy. Physical movement/exercise can support positive mental health and wellbeing. Social opportunities can be important too.
• Make yourself available to speak with your child about their feelings and normalise this. Talking things through and putting feelings into words can help make things a little better. For children with communication difficulties, visual methods can help support expression and understanding.
• If your child expresses lots of worries and this is consuming their day, try and set aside some ‘worry time’ each day. During ‘worry time’, ensure you have a safe space and the time to focus your attention on your child. Where possible, try to help your child make a plan to manage their worries, for example drawing or writing it out can help.
• Change can cause a lot of anxiety and distress for some children. Prior to changes or transitions, talk about how things will be the same/different to help prepare your child. Link in with key adults in your child’s school in relation to school-based changes.

Advice for Teachers:

It is widely recognised that teachers in modern schools have a really challenging job at times. They are often supporting many children with a wide range of ability and need. Whilst managing the demands of delivering the curriculum, teachers are often naturally involved in promoting and supporting the mental health and wellbeing of the pupils in their care. Some top tips for promoting good mental health in school include:

• Creating a culture where people talk about their mental health; sharing the message that everyone has mental health and normalising and modelling this in everyday discussions with the class. This often starts with recognition and guidance from senior leaders in the school about the importance of mental health.
• Sharing the message that experiencing anxiety or feeling depressed on occasion does not mean there is anything ‘wrong’ with you. It is important that children and young people understand these feelings can be a normal part of life. Having teachers and supporting adults that are trained to recognise and respond when emotional needs may be tipping into ‘abnormal’ levels is also important.
• Being mindful of ‘checking in’ with children who are vulnerable to having poor mental health. These check ins may be direct conversations with the child, providing time and space to raise any concerns if this feels comfortable. Other check ins may be indirect; just paying extra attention to the demeanour of students when they enter the classroom/return from lunch and responding accordingly.
• Providing opportunities throughout the day for breaks / mindfulness activities targeting the whole class, not just students you feel need it. Incorporating movement during these breaks can also be beneficial in relation to mental health and wellbeing.
• Create a wellbeing area in the classroom/school for children who might be struggling emotionally. It is important to emphasise that anyone can use the space, whilst maintaining healthy boundaries around the use of this space.
• Provide alternative ways that children can communicate how they are feeling e.g. visual and interactive methods such as scaling for those who are unable or do not feel comfortable engaging in conversations about their feelings.
• Referring for additional support and intervention in school for children at risk of developing mental health difficulties, for example, Emotional Literacy interventions delivered by ELSAs or other suitably trained members of staff/external professionals.

Communication is key –  Regular liaison between supporting adults at home and in school allows for any emerging mental health concerns to be picked up and addressed through early intervention.

Where children’s mental health becomes a significant concern, it may be necessary to seek professional support and advice. A joined-up approach between key adults supporting the child can be an important first step to providing effective early intervention.

Support from Psychology Associates

At Psychology Associates we provide training and school-based support in relation to children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties. Please see our Training Calendar and Directory for a list of our trainings or contact enquiry@psychologyassociates.org.uk for further information on the support we offer.