Surrey Homes | SH101 | June 2023 | Education Supplement inside

Education Supplement
In Your
Head
We’re exploring how mental health
and wellbeing are approached in
schools today
5 Steps
Ever wondered how to help your teenager
open up and support them through
difficulties? We’ve asked psychotherapist,
Georgina Sayce, for some tips!
1
Don’t worry, you don’t need to have all the
answers just because you are the adult, the
important thing is to show them they are
worth your time and effort, and that they will
definitely not incur any judgement from you.
“I’m definitely not an expert in this, but if you
can tell me what’s been going on let’s see if we can
find some solutions together – it’s so true that a
problem shared is a problem halved.”
Build trust and validate their feelings.
“That sounds really difficult for you, I can see
how upset you are by this.”
Be positive about the conversation.
“I’m so glad you’ve come to
talk to me about this.”
Reflect back to them, paraphrasing their
words. “I think you’re saying it’s this aspect…
that is the most difficult for you…am I right
in thinking that?”
Always try to end conversations with a
positive distraction so they are not left
flooded with the feelings they have let
out. Try to find something funny to get them
laughing and change the mood, or suggest you
get something nice to eat together or watch
their favourite TV programme – whatever
you feel will bring some temporary relief
after a potentially emotionally overwhelming
conversation.
2
34
5
to a
Healthy
Conversation
For more advice visit georginasaycetherapies.co.uk
On Your Mind
We explore how changing attitudes towards mental health
and wellbeing are affecting education, with Ashford School
Long gone are the days when “chin-up” was the standard response to a
child saying they felt worried, anxious or low. In fact, ten years ago,
would a child have even used the words anxious or low to explain how
they felt? So much regarding mental health and wellbeing has progressed
over recent years. It is excellent that the stigma attached to mental
health and wellbeing is reducing, allowing pupils to open up about their
emotions, but this does mean the pressure on external services to provide
support has become significant. More frequently, it falls to schools to
offer higher levels of support than ever before. Students today are very
tuned into their own mental health and wellbeing; they use the correct
terminology and know when they need to talk, but schools have a duty of
care to meet that need.
At Ashford School, staff have been working hard to ensure they can
support mental health and wellbeing and over the last eight years,
significant progress has been made. The staffing of the team has been
refined and increased – going from an initial single counsellor working
two days a week, to a team of five counsellors working across both
Prep and Senior School all week. They also have a team of four nurses
working across both sites, as well as a School Chaplain focused purely on
offering spiritual wellbeing support to the whole school community. The
Wellbeing team’s support offering includes a ‘Time4Me’ drop-in support
service; 1:1 therapy sessions, including play therapy, art therapy, and
talking therapy; group support; parent consultations; staff consultations;
parent workshops and talks.
Health and Wellbeing is also a timetabled lesson at the Senior School and
is offered to all Y11-13 students. Within these sessions pupils can choose
from a range of activities such as mindfulness, yoga, understanding mental
health workshops, and fitness and sport sessions. At the Prep School,
each child has a Wellbeing Journal to map how to become the ‘best me’
they can be by reflecting upon the challenges and goals of their week,
identifying feelings, and plotting how to make things even better. There
are also numerous activities that focus on skills of resilience that will put
children in good stead for the next stage of their lives and enable them
to live life to the fullest in the present. The aim is to ensure pupils are
happy and emotionally resilient without burying their feelings, because
happiness breeds success.
Learn more about Ashford School online at ashfordschool.co.uk