Mental Health Support Team
We provide a range of mental health services across Westminster schools and colleges. We are passionate about delivering support for young peoples’ mental health, raising awareness of mental health issues and challenging stigma.
We work in schools across Westminster, providing evidence based interventions to children and young people with mild to moderate mental health needs.
Our team consist of Educational Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) and Child Wellbeing Practitioners (CWPs).
Our support in primary schools
For children in primary school, the evidence base suggests that working with parents, with some contact with children, rather than working directly with the child is more effective for making changes and improvements in children’s mental health, wellbeing and behaviour.
We assess all referrals on an individual basis, however as a majority the interventions we offer to primary school children are done through parents/carers, so as to equip the parents/carers with supporting the children with their needs.
Aims of parenting support:
- Guided self-help aims to empower parents to develop the tools and skills necessary to help tackle the difficulties their child is experiencing as a family
- We work together with parents to develop coping strategies to manage their child’s distressing thoughts and increase resilience to future problems
- Empower parents to play an active part; reading materials before each session, practicing strategies at home and problem-solving with the practitioner’s support
Our Support in Secondary Schools
Our work in secondary schools provides support to young people who are experiencing mild to moderate levels of anxiety or low mood.
Our team try to provide support at the primary onset of difficulties in the hope that early intervention and learning could enable the child to better manage by themselves, preventing the need for further support when their condition has worsened.
Aims of our 1:1 support
- Our practitioners work with children and young people to provide guided self-help
- Guided self-help aims to empower children and young people to gain the tools and skills necessary to tackle difficulties themselves
- We work together with children and young people to develop coping strategies to manage distressing thoughts and increase resilience to future problems
- Children and young people will play an active part; read materials before each session, practice strategies and problem-solve with the practitioner’s support
Helping your child with their fears and worries.
Description of the intervention:
This intervention is aimed at parents/carers of children mainly aged 5–12 years whose primary presenting problem is anxiety. Work is conducted mainly with the parents/carers (after an initial assessment that would involve the child and parent/s where possible).
We believe parents/carers are in the best position to implement these strategies at home, as you know your child better than anyone else and you will have a better understanding of your child’s daily needs.
The aim of the intervention is to provide cognitive behavioural strategies to parents/carers that they can use at home to support their child in order for them to overcome their problems with anxiety. This in turn will increase parent’s confidence in their ability to help their child overcome their difficulties with anxiety.
The intervention consists of an initial assessment session, setting goals followed by mainly 6 regular sessions over a set time period.
Knowledge of the key strategies is done through prior reading of chapters from the book ‘Helping your child with Fears and Worries’ by Cathy Creswell and Lucy Willetts. Accompanied by handouts to be completed as homework tasks.
Snippets of content.
- Understanding what is anxiety- Anxiety is a normal emotion. No single factor causes anxiety. When does it become a problem?
- What is keeping your child’s anxiety going.
- How to talk to your child about their worries in a way which helps them to think for themselves.
- What do they need to learn to overcome their fears and worries.
- Children’s fears and worries can be faced gradually devising a step by step plan involving your child throughout this process.
- Problem solving any difficulties encountered.
- Recording progress and continually working towards any goals set.
Guided self-help for Behaviour problems.
Description of the intervention:
This intervention is aimed at parents/carers of children mainly aged 5-8 years whose primary presenting problem is common challenging behaviour. Work is conducted mainly via parents/carers (after an initial assessment that would involve the child and parent/s where possible).
The aim of the intervention:
To increase parent’s/carer’s confidence in their ability to manage their child’s behaviour difficulties.
To increase positive parent/carer-child interactions in order to reduce the escalation of behavioural and emotional problems.
To provide frequent positive attention to your child and decrease the amount of attention provided to misbehaviour.
Increase parents’/carers’ skills through practising strategies for managing difficult behaviours in the sessions and home practice.
The intervention consists of an initial assessment session, setting goals followed mainly by up to 6 regular sessions over a set time period.
Snippets of content.
- The importance of play and ‘special time’.
- Praise and rewards.
- Selective ignoring.
- Effective instructions.
- Consequences.
- Time out and family rules.
- Parental self-care/emotional regulation.
A guided self-help intervention for anxiety (11-18 y.o)
Description of the intervention-
This intervention is aimed at mainly young people aged 11+ who may have mild to moderate anxiety, irrational fears and concerns, difficulties adjusting to change, family and peer difficulties or difficulty regulating emotions.
The aim of the intervention is to provide evidence-based researched Cognitive Behavioural Therapy interventions using a guided self-help approach to empower young people to develop their own skills and knowledge to manage different situations.
Young people will play an active part in reading materials provided before each sessions, practice strategies in and outside of the sessions, and problem solve with their practitioner’s support and the support of the back-up team.
The intervention consists of an initial assessment session, setting goals and 6-8 regular sessions over a set time period.
Snippets of content.
- Understanding anxiety and how it affects you.
- What keeps problematic anxiety going and use of relaxation strategies.
- Trying out new things devising a personalised step by step plan to face your anxiety.
- Problem solving and the use of additional strategies where required, for example using a worry time strategy.
- Staying well management- being mindful of causes you to be well/unwell, creating short term and long term goals for the future.
A guided self-help intervention for low mood (11-18 y.o)
Description of the intervention:
This intervention is aimed at mainly young people aged 11-18 who may have low mood, sadness or low motivation.
The aim of the intervention is to provide evidence-based researched Cognitive Behavioural Therapy interventions using a guided self-help approach to empower young people to develop their own skills and knowledge to manage their low mood.
Young people will play an active part in reading materials provided before each sessions, practice strategies in and outside of the sessions, and problem solve with their practitioner’s support and the support of the back-up team.
The intervention consists of an initial assessment session, setting goals and where appropriate followed by mainly 6- 8 regular sessions over a set time period.
Snippets of content.
- Understanding your low mood, what keeps it going and how you can overcome this.
- Information on how to break the cycle of low mood and creating activity diaries to support this.
- Recognising patterns of low mood and creating activities that match your values and trying these out. Problem solving as you go through this.
- Understanding and challenging negative thoughts.
- Various additional strategies depending on your needs example techniques to improve your sleep, forming coping strategies etc.
- Staying well management- being mindful of causes you to be well/unwell, creating short term and long term goals for the future.
Contact us
If you are a young person, teacher or a commissioner, get in contact with us to find out how we can support you.
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 020 7259 8116