Wellbeing
Young Minds define mental health and wellbeing in young people as
“The strength and capacity of our minds to grow and develop, to be able to overcome difficulties
and challenges, and to make the most of our abilities and opportunities.”
Often when we talk about mental health, people immediately think of the negative aspects of certain mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety or self-harm. But we all have mental health and wellbeing: it is on a spectrum. Just like physical health, people can have good mental health or have problems that they need help to overcome and this can be different from one day to the next.
At Stockport School we take mental health and wellbeing very seriously. There are lots of ways for students to get help for their wellbeing at school and to get involved with wellbeing activities. Our wellbeing strategy is all about building the tools to:
- look after ourselves,
- to look after each other
- and to seek help when we need it.
Although other people can support us to be happy and healthy, we have the best chance of being able to stay happy throughout our time in school if we learn how to take responsibility for our own wellbeing.
If you would like some more information on self-care to support your child, please contact a member of the Wellbeing Team.
The Wellbeing Team
We are proud to have a Wellbeing Team in school. The Wellbeing Team is led by Mrs Walker and is made up of a team of staff as well as Student Wellbeing Ambassadors.
We are always developing our Wellbeing provision in school so any students with ideas are encouraged to speak to a member of the team.
We offer support in school from both the team and external agencies who visit school.
There are a wealth of resources available for parents and students to access, many of which are listed below:
Stop.Breathe.Think gives eligible young people aged 8-21 access to free 1-1 counselling sessions. No wait times and available nationally, they provide vital support to those who need it right now
Free counselling for:
- people with learning difficulties
- people with autism, including Asperger’s and autism spectrum conditions
- parents or carers
- couples
- individuals
We also offer specialist counsellors with expertise in play therapy, for example.
All their counsellors have either personal or professional experience of being with their client group and all hold an enhanced CRB check and personal insurance. They offer counselling in English and British Sign Language.
Live chat function with qualified professionals and resources for young people. Accessed online on the website for free, further information provided. All anonymous. Ages 25 and below.
|
The Mix Counselling service is suitable for you if you are looking for short-term help with your mental health and emotional wellbeing. The Telephone and Webchat counselling service is available to young people aged 25 years old and under. Their counsellors aim to support by listening to your problems and helping you find ways to cope in a confidential, safe space. Counselling sessions could help with issues such as: – A bereavement (death) or relationship breakdown – Stress / anxiety – Exploring issues like your sexual identity / gender identity – Dealing with issues that are stopping you achieving your ambitions – Dealing with feelings of depression or sadness – Understanding yourself and your problems better – Feeling more confident You will usually be offered up to eight counselling sessions that last around 50 minutes each. |
YoungMinds website offers guidance for children/young people accessing support for themselves based on their mental health concerns.
Everything DePaul provide is led by the young person and the support is tailored to their needs. When relationships break down, DePaul provide support and mediation to keep families together. Mental health issues like anxiety, depression and self-harm can be a barrier to moving forwards. DePaul work with young people to plan and overcome these barriers at the start of their journey with the service.
SWA provide 1:1 or group sessions with children/young people if impacted by domestic violence. These sessions focus on thoughts, feelings, and behaviour as a consequence of the domestic violence.
These sessions can take place on school premises or at a community venue. They consist of a minimum of 8 sessions and are designed for 5 -18 year olds. Topics covered will include domestic abuse, emotional security, safety planning, family and respectful relationships.
Everything DePaul provide is led by the young person and the support is tailored to their needs. When relationships break down, DePaul provide support and mediation to keep families together. Mental health issues like anxiety, depression and self-harm can be a barrier to moving forwards. DePaul work with young people to plan and overcome these barriers at the start of their journey with the service.
SWA provide 1:1 or group sessions with children/young people if impacted by domestic violence. These sessions focus on thoughts, feelings, and behaviour as a consequence of the domestic violence.
These sessions can take place on school premises or at a community venue. They consist of a minimum of 8 sessions and are designed for 5 -18 year olds. Topics covered will include domestic abuse, emotional security, safety planning, family and respectful relationships.
Mosaic provide support to anyone aged up to the age of 26 who are experiencing issues with drug or alcohol use. Also, Mosaic support children affected by a parent or caregiver who is using substances, and work with parents and carers to help them understand the impact of their drug or alcohol use on their children. As well as this, Mosaic provides support to parents or carers of young people who use substances.
Mosaic offer a wide range of therapies including:
1:1 working
group work
complimentary therapies
wraparound activities
peer mentor support
training and support for schools
SHINE is an arts studio project, providing young people aged 11 – 17 with a safe space in which they are able to express themselves without judgement. Over 12 weekly sessions they develop visual arts skills and create their own artwork – which boosts their confidence, increases a sense of pride and belonging, and impacts on their mental health, building resilience to help them cope. And it’s fun!
Sessions take place on Wednesdays 16:30–18:30 at Hat Works. For more information or to make a referral please contact Beacon Counselling.
The Jigsaw Team is a multi-agency mental health team which works as a part of The Pendlebury Centre and CAMHS. The work is based in Stockport secondary mainstream schools, and at The Pendlebury Centre. They aim to work alongside mainstream secondary schools and detached education services to improve the educational and emotional opportunities for those students experiencing mental health difficulties and to offer support for their families and carers. The support is suitable for all secondary-aged students who are:
- currently receiving education from a Stockport-LA mainstream schools and detached units, and
who are experiencing mental health difficulties, which have an impact on their emotional, social and educational abilities.
Winston’s Wish is a charity that helps children, teenagers and young adults (up to the age of 25) find their feet when their worlds are turned upside down by grief.
Helplines / apps:
0800 014 9995
Pennine Care free helpline. 24/7 support for all who need urgent mental health support.
0800 068 4141
Confidential support and advice for children and young people experiencing thoughts of suicide
116 123
24/7 helpline that provide free, confidential support for anyone struggling with their feelings and needing urgent help.
0800 1111
Free telephone support for all children and young people.
0333 335 0026 Strut Safe is a volunteer-operated and judgement-free support line. Strut Safe staff will stay on the phone with you until you arrive safely at your destination. Strut Safe stand in solidarity with marginalised people and are unaligned with the police. Strut Safe provide kindness and reassurance to anyone who needs it during their travels. |
Smiling Mind app encourages you to practice your daily meditation and mindfulness exercises from any device. Smiling Mind is a unique tool developed by psychologists and educators to help bring balance to your life. Recommended 10 minutes per day. |
Daylio is a Self-Care Bullet Journal with Goals Mood Diary & Happiness Tracker. Keep a diary and capture your day without writing down a single word
Calm Harm is a free app that helps you manage or resist the urge to self-harm.
Parent/carer support:
Live chat function with qualified professionals and resources for adults. Accessed online on the website for free, further information provided. All anonymous. Ages 25+.
Across the UK and internationally, the Solihull Approach supports mental health and wellbeing in parents, children, schools, older adults and high stress workplaces through an evidence based model in trainings, online courses and resources.
Parents/carers can access this support for free online by themselves.
Empowering Parents, Empowering Communities is a parent/carer support group ran by parents/carers to support your child. This is completed online. Parents/carers can be referred to this service through schools.
Arc offers a wide variety of wellbeing programmes to support the specific needs of adults experiencing mental health issues such as low mood, depression, anxiety and isolation.
Please see website for further information:
https://arc-centre.org/adult-wellbeing-programmes/
NHS Stockport Talking Therapies is for people over the age of 16 years, who are registered with a GP in Stockport. They were previously called Stockport Healthy Minds.
Talking Therapies offer support and treatment if you’re experiencing problems such as low mood, stress, anxiety, panic attacks or difficulty sleeping. Also they can work with you if you have post-natal depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, phobias, or eating difficulties, and they help you to manage the emotional impact of a long-term physical health problem, or chronic pain.
With the help and support from their team of therapists and counsellors, these feelings and symptoms can be managed, guiding you to a successful recovery. You can also access online support via Silvercloud on our website.
YoungMinds website offers guidance for parents/carers on how to access support for themselves, but also how to support their children with mental health concerns.
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/parents-a-z-mental-health-guide/
Cruse offer support through their website, national helpline, group, zoom, telephone or one-to-one in person support. Cruse want to make sure everyone grieving gets the help they need in a way that works for them. Cruse have a specially trained dedicated team of 4,000 bereavement volunteers.
Sue Ryder offer support for individuals who have experience loss or bereavement, alongside support for individuals helping others. Their expert information and advice can help you or someone close to you cope with grief and deal with the practical issues after someone has died.
The Mind website offers information about support and services, alongside tips to support your own wellbeing.
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/