1. Year 9 – Solving problems
I know that there are effective treatments for many mental health problems
© Leeds South and East CCG

2. Learning outcomes Knowledge Skills
I have developed an awareness and understanding of talking therapies; counselling, coaching, solution focused practice, CBT for managing mental health problems including stress, anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide, and sources of help and support
I can listen to others talking about a problem.
I can help others develop coping strategies that will work for them using a solution focused approach 2

3. How we will work together
Can you remember the ground rules we have already talked about, let’s take a minute to think about them
Teacher notes
Read these through with the children. Hopefully the ground rules will be displayed in the classroom already. 3

4. What do we already know?
Define a talking therapy as ‘Talking therapies involve talking to someone who is trained to help you deal with your negative feelings. They can help anyone who is experiencing distress’. From mentalhealth.org.uk
Ask how much they know about talking therapies in general. 1 being nothing at all at one end and 10 being a lot at the other.
Ask them about individual therapies is they already have some knowledge. If not ask if anyone can name a talking therapy.
It is important to remind them that they will not be challenged about their answers and it is ok to be at the lower end of the ladder.
Ask them to think about the way they came up their number as this will be looked at later on. 4

5. Let’s get started Talking therapies may also be referred to as…
Think about a time when you have offered someone help. Tell your partner what you did and why. You don’t need to talk about the details just how you did it.
Talking treatments
Counselling
Psychological therapies or treatments
Psychotherapies
Pairs work to get learners thinking about helping by listening and talking 5

6. CBT Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
A range of problems including depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, managing long- term illnesses, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress and schizophrenia.
It suits people who want a therapy that works towards solutions, with clear goals and using practical techniques
Works by looking at how we can react differently to our thoughts and feelings and how changing the way we behave can help us feel better
Based on scientific methods
Sessions are clearly structured and are focused on current problems and practical solutions
Treatment is usually short-term and for a set length of time (between six and 24 one-hour sessions)
Taken from 6

7. Counselling Private and confidential
Exploring difficulties or loss of purpose
Involves listening and is person-centered
Enables choice
Is non-judgemental
Can be short term or longer term
Full text: Counselling takes place when a counsellor sees a client in a private and confidential setting to explore a difficulty the client is having, distress they may be experiencing or perhaps their dissatisfaction with life, or loss of a sense of direction and purpose. It is always at the request of the client as no one can properly be ‘sent for counselling’.
By listening attentively and patiently, the counsellor can begin to perceive the difficulties from the client‘s point of view and can help them to see things more clearly, possibly from a different perspective. Counselling is a way of enabling choice or change or of reducing confusion. It does not involve giving advice or directing a client to take a particular course of action.
Counsellors do not judge or exploit their clients in any way
Taken from Good practice guidance for counselling in schools BACP 7

8. Services in Leeds
Click on the image to see what services are available in Leeds. Go through some with the class. 8

9. What are talking therapies?
Think about what some of the advantages or disadvantages are
Think about how they differ from taking medicine
In small groups…
…come up with an explanation of what a talking therapy is and who might benefit from them.
Talking therapies involve talking to someone who is trained to help you deal with your negative feelings. They can help anyone who is experiencing distress. You do not have to be told by a doctor that you have a mental health problem to be offered or benefit from a talking therapy.
Talking therapies give people the chance to explore their thoughts and feelings and the effect they have on their behaviour and mood. Describing what'€™s going on in your head and how that makes you feel can help you notice any patterns which it may be helpful to change
If time allows learners could create a leaflet or poster for a talking service. 9

10. Pros and cons? (Myths/stigma)
Write up some pros and cons of talking solutions.
Explore if cons are actually myths
Typical cons which are myths with myth busters
Don’t want to talk about my feelings – talking about feelings is proven to help. Practice is all that is needed.
Find it difficult to say how I feel - talking about feelings is proven to help. Practice is all that is needed.
It’s personal to me so I don’t want to talk to a stranger – often someone who is not your friend or family is a great person to talk to as they are there to help and listen.
People will know what I will talk about. I don’t want others to know my issues – your time and discussion is always confidential unless you or others might be at risk of harm
People will see me go to the ‘nut doctor’ – this is stigma (myth and negative viewpoint) . Mental health is the same as physical health, sometimes it gets better on its won, sometimes you can look after yourself, sometimes you need a trained person to help.
I should be bale to sort things myself – ometimes you can seomtimes you need help. That’s quite normal with any problem.
Nobody else has a problem – EVERYONE has a problem at some point. 1 in 4 of us has a mental health problem that may need help and support. That’s a quarter of your class. Not everyone will talk about it.
People won’t understand how I feel – counsellors are trained to understand how you feel and help you understand your feelings and issues.
Nobody can help me – lots of people feel better after having had talking therapies. It’s not guaranteed but we know overall it is helpful.
Pills will be better and quicker – anti depressants are not recommended for C&YP under 18. Talking therapies are advised.

11. Developing your own strategies
There is no one solution to a problem
Remember that advice-giving often fails
One person’s solution might not work for another
Talking therapies help you to come up with a solution that works for you
One way of doing this is a solution focused approach
Give an example here of a solution that might work for you but not someone else.
Click on the image for the video. Explain that it is a work based one but that the principles can apply to any situation. The second video is from the US but is a teenager talking about their life.
Watch the video clip
© Atom Wave, All Rights Reserved. 11

12. Practising a solution focused approach to problem solving
On your own think of a small problem that you have at the moment
Then pair up and use the handout to lead you through the practice session
Take about 5 minutes each
Go through the practice and support them to give it ago and not give each other advice.
Solution focused approaches often use scaling like the one at the beginning of the lesson. 12

13. How has our learning progressed?
Ask how much they know about talking therapies in general. 1 being nothing at all at one end and 10 being a lot at the other.
Ask them about individual therapies is they already have some knowledge. If not ask if anyone can name a talking therapy.
It is important to remind them that they will not be challenged about their answers and it is ok to be at the lower end of the ladder.
Ask them to think about the way they came up their number as this will be looked at later on. 13

14. Taking the learning away
When someone tells you a problem listen and ask questions like the ones we have practised today
Try and avoid giving advice
Notice how you feel when someone gives you advice rather than listening to you or helping you find your own solutions 14

15. Want to know more or get help?
im-a-young-person
get-support
Contact:
Call, or go online 15