Mental Health and Resilience Aicha Reid Senior Educational Psychologist DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

Workshop contents  The importance of context  Mental health matters  How resilience works  So what?  Sources of information and support DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

Urie Bronfenbrenner 1917–2005 DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

Context......Russian dolls and ever increasing circles DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

We all have mental health Good Not so good O K DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

“ Mental health influences how we think and feel about ourselves and others and how we interpret events. It affects our capacity to learn, to communicate and to form, sustain and end relationships. It also influences our ability to cope with change, transition and life events…” Friedli 2004 DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

Mental health and mental illness a continuum, not absolutes Minimal mental health Maximum mental health Minimal mental illness Maximum mental illness Diagnosis of serious illness but copes well and positive mental health No diagnosable illness or disorder but poor mental health No illness or disorder and positive mental health Diagnosis of a serious illness and poor mental health DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

UK statistics  1 in 10 children aged 5-16 suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder  Between 1 in 12 and 1 in 15 children deliberately self-harm  Nearly 80,000 children suffer from severe depression  The number of children aged with depression nearly doubled between the 1980s and the 2000s Association for Young People's Health 2013 DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

A life graph Guess whose celebrity rags to riches story involving romance and sibling rivalry this is… DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

Click to edit the outline text format Second Outline Level  Third Outline Level Fourth Outline Level  Fifth Outline Level  Sixth Outline Level  Seventh Outline Level  Eighth Outline Level  Ninth Outline LevelClick to edit Master text styles  Second level  Third level  Fourth level » Fifth level Click to edit the outline text format Second Outline Level  Third Outline Level Fourth Outline Level  Fifth Outline Level  Sixth Outline Level  Seventh Outline Level  Eighth Outline Level  Ninth Outline LevelClick to edit Master text styles  Second level  Third level  Fourth level » Fifth level Click to edit the outline text format Second Outline Level  Third Outline Level Fourth Outline Level  Fifth Outline Level  Sixth Outline Level  Seventh Outline Level  Eighth Outline Level  Ninth Outline LevelClick to edit Master text styles  Second level  Third level  Fourth level » Fifth level Mental health Age ‘It fits!!’ DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired and success achieved.” Helen Keller 1880 – 1968 DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

Resilience  Develops through practice.  Exposure to difficult situations is necessary to develop the stamina to deal with them.  We can all expect good and bad things to happen through our lives.  We can all develop resilience despite our personal histories.  Promoting resilience is no different from promoting positive normal development.  Resilience is complex. In education we need to focus on things within our influence to change DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

Resilience is not fixed It changes as we develop and as our circumstances change DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

Resilience Building Blocks DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

Individual Factors  Positive view of oneself  Social skills, friendships  Empathy  Responsibility  Intelligence  “I have..., I am..., I can...” DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

Resilience Building Blocks DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

Family Factors  Close bond with at least one other  Secure and nurturing  Autonomy encouraged (girls)  Expression of feelings encouraged (boys)  Close grandparents  Being valued  Sufficient financial resources  Parents’ mental health DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

Resilience Building Blocks DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

Environmental Factors  Positive experience of education  Secure and nurturing  Belongingness  Supportive relationships  Friendships  Being valued  Realising strengths  Opportunities for personal agency DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

Resilience Building Blocks DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

What you can do Offer security Encourage a positive view of self Help build and keep friendships Highlight strengths Share any concerns “You have...” “You are...” “You can...” Encourage autonomy and express feelings DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

Three good things  What did you notice today that went well?  Why did this happen?  How can you increase the likelihood of this happening again or more often? DATA LABEL: PUBLIC

Sources of information  Edinburgh mental health information  Forth Valley self-help resource guide  WL services, fact sheets, self-help, training and events  charity committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children DATA LABEL: PUBLIC