Teaching about and promoting mental and emotional wellbeing through PSHE education Slide 1 Sonia Cross Healthy Schools Team School Improvement Liverpool

Mental Health on a Continuum Resilient Vulnerable Facilitator Notes for Slide 21 Introduce the idea of mental health upon a continuum and facilitate a discussion around recovery and the fact that it is possible to have good mental and emotional wellbeing despite having a diagnosis of a mental health disorder. The emphasis is on the fact that we all have mental health challenges and various things affect our equilibrium. At any time in our lives we may be moving along the continuum. Activity Linked to Slide 21 Participants are asked to consider events and occurrences that would move them along the continuum. The facilitator should make some suggestions such as bereavement pushing a person along towards the vulnerable end and winning the lottery placing you at the resilient end, or not? Additional factors should be introduced and considered such as being made redundant, being bullied, achieving success in exams, feeling safe and secure and having someone to talk to who you can trust.

MH & EW in PSHE education Prevention through developing protective factors Harm reduction Enabling help-seeking & disclosures Reducing stigma Safeguarding What is PSHE’s role?

Protective factors that PSHE can develop? Communication skills Problem-solving skills Healthy coping strategies The knowledge, skills and confidence to seek help The ability to recognise, name, describe and understand a range of emotions The ability to manage difficult emotions in a healthy way Positive self-esteem and appreciation of difference and uniqueness Experience of, and ability to manage, failure Growth mind-set can develop both academic and emotional resilience Prevention through developing protective factors

Factors impacting on the wellbeing and emotional health of young people Fear of failure Bullying Body image The online environment Sexual pressures Employment prospects Family relationships/difficulties Peer relationship difficulties Trauma Being exposed to unhealthy coping mechanisms in other pupils or the media Difficult times of the year , such as anniversaries Trouble in school or with the police Exam pressure Transition to a new school Illness in the family Vulnerable groups

Classroom ground rules Keys to teaching about mental health and emotional wellbeing Classroom ground rules Implementing safeguards to ensure the wellbeing of vulnerable pupils Signposting support Informing staff and parents Preparing or withdrawing vulnerable pupils Starting where the pupils are Grounding teaching in ‘real life’ contexts Distancing the learning Reflection and assessment Teaching in a non judgemental way Ensuring you as the teacher get the right support

Summary Five Steps Prepare Protect Educate rather than instruct Distance Support Be familiar with school policy in case a child causes concern or makes a disclosure. Warn teaching, nonteaching and pastoral colleagues (and parents where appropriate . Discuss pupils known to be vulnerable with relevant staff to ensure support before and after . Have a plan for supporting in case of distress Ensure ground rules are negotiated and revisted frequently Always include the right to passand no personal stories

Prepare Be familiar with school policy in case a child causes concern or makes a disclosure Warn colleagues both teaching, non teaching, pastoral colleagues (and parents where appropriate) Have a plan for supporting in case of distress Ensure ground rules are negotiated and revisited frequently Always include the right to pass and no personal stories Be familiar with school policy in case a child causes concern or makes disclosure. Warn colleagues and parents where appropriate .Discuss pippupils known to be vulnerable before and after. Have a plan for supporting in cases of distress. Ensure ground rules are negotiated and revisited

Supporting pupils known to be vulnerable Discuss content of lesson with them beforehand Possibility of withdrawal or ‘exit plan’(consider how to follow up the missed lesson)

Educate rather than instruct Review all lesson content to ensure it does not provide a how to guide for inspiration for vulnerable pupils

Distance Keeps pupils safe Allows them to explore the subject objectively Avoids embarrassing or re-traumatising them Imagine someone of about your age who lives near you and goes to a school just like ours … Stories/scenarios/case studies Dialogue Video clips Puppets Photos Diary extract Problem page Review all content for any similarities to pupils in your class, name appearance, story

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A Helping Hand …

Five Ways to Wellbeing Connect Be active Take notice Keep learning Give (www.nef.org) Classroom display The best way of assessing someone's psychological wellbeing is to ask them how they feel. (Thompson, 2006) Facilitator Notes for Slide 29 As groups may find it difficult talking about mental health problems it is a nice idea to end on a positive note. Introduce the New Economics Foundation Five Ways to Wellbeing found on a handout at the end of this section. Activity Linked to Slide 29 Ask the group to discuss how they connect, give, are active, keep learning, take notice and share with each other. A handout can be found at the end of this section.

Fill the bucket with your worries, keep all of your coping strategies in your treasure chest.

Coping Strategies for Reducing Stress and Increasing Resilience

Activities KS3 and KS4 Coping with pressure Exam stress Five Ways to Well Being Identifying strengths

Coping with exam stress Two students are studying for an exam and both fear failure. Student A copes by working harder, asking for help and letting off steam by playing tennis with friends. Student B copes by avoiding work , denying that they are worried and letting off steam by drinking with friends. Consider what the outcomes of these different coping strategies might be.(5mins) Which method is likely to have the more positive outcome?

Everyone experiences some kind of stress over exams. Stress can be good for us as it heightens our performance level, but too much is not good for our health, so it is Important to look at how to manage stress . Complete coping planner. Try different ways of managing your stress. Look at 5 areas of well being . Balance is the key. Are they doing something in each of the five areas? Could use it as homework. Report back what they did and how it felt.

Useful websites for resources www.pshe-association.org.uk www.Samaritans.org/deal-teaching-resources www.cornwallhealthyschools.org/stop-stigma www.Time-to-change.org.uk www.youngminds.org.uk www.liverpoolcamhsfyi.com www.inourhands.com

An apple a day keeps the doctor away …

Thank –you sonia.cross@si.liverpool.gov.uk