Working with Teenagers Janine Wain & Lauren Murphy – Mental Health Practitioners.

Role of the Mental Health Practitioner  Our aim is for children and young people to build resilience and improve their mental health; enabling them to access education. We help them become effective members of society, independent, emotionally resilient and happy. We use a dual approach depending on individual need of CBT, Solution Based Therapy, Psychodynamic Approach, Emotional Resilience, among others.

Typical therapies and interventions provided  Cognitive behaviour therapy techniques  Solution based therapy  Mindfulness  Psychodynamic therapy approaches  Life story  Restorative justice  Mental health first aid  Well-being tool-kit  Bereavement counselling  Therapeutic play  Social skills/communication  Staff training  Family Therapy

What is Mental Health?

‘…the emotional and spiritual resilience which allows us to enjoy life and survive pain, disappointment and sadness. It is a positive sense of wellbeing and an underlying beliefs in our own and others’ dignity and worth.’ Mental Health First Aid.

Mental Health and young people. Mental Health is a way in which teenagers think, feel and behave. Many terms are used to describe mental health however, they do not give much information about what is really happening with that young person.

Mental Health Continuum Maximal mental wellbeing Minimal mental wellbeing Maximal mental health difficulties Minimal mental health difficulties A person with a diagnosis of a serious illness but who copes well and has positive mental health. A person with no diagnosis or disorder who has positive mental health. A person with a diagnosis of a serious illness and who has poor mental health. A person with no diagnosis or disorder but who has poor mental health.

CAN’T prevent it happening CAN prevent escalation  Awareness  Understanding the individual  Allowing expression  Strategies  Referring to appropriate services

One thing affects another  Important to have an awareness that young peoples emotions are vulnerable and one aspect of their life can easily affect another and their ‘islands of personality’.  Everyone is different, with different history and life experience  In order to achieve positive mental health and build emotional resilience there needs to be a balance.  Disney Pixar – effectively demonstrate balance between joy and sadness:  Inside out clip