The mental health booklet, which will be distributed across Nottinghamshire secondary schools where our MHSTs provide support, aims to encourage open conversations about mental health in young people, encourage empathy and foster a supportive environment where they can share their experiences without judgement.
It provides young people with a greater insight into their wellbeing, what is working, what isn’t working and for them to share their knowledge with others to help them through their life challenges.
The booklet called ‘Give it a try’ is split into sections covering, self-care, low mood, anxiety and panic, stress, identity and coping strategies and helps young people with advice on ways to manage their mental health to help stay in control and activities that can be tried if they are feeling out of control.
Tracy Duke, Senior Education Mental Health Practitioner at Nottinghamshire Healthcare said, “We’re excited to launch our new youth mental health booklet across Nottinghamshire secondary schools. Having open conversations about mental health, encouraging empathy and fostering supportive environments where individuals can share their experiences without fear of judgment is needed within our society. Our resource will support students to have those conversations with each other and feel able to ask for help and support if they need to.”
The mental health initiative was co-created between the Trust’s CAMHS Mental Health Support Team and its young people involvement champions. As a service for young people, its involvement champions are at the heart of everything they do, and they work together making their voices heard to bring about positive change.
Ruby, MHST Involvement Champion at Nottinghamshire Healthcare, said, “We made this booklet because everything in it is most helpful for secondary school children and what they may be going through in daily life. They can use it in their day to day to help them through their wellbeing.”
Phee Liburd, Mental Health Referral Coordinator Lead, Ashfield School in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, said, “The books have been really useful for some of our more anxious learners and some of our learners who are struggling with their mental health.”
Kazia Foster, Deputy Director, Mental Health Care Group at Nottinghamshire Healthcare said, “We know that it is so important for young people to talk about their mental health and that we must value and understand it as much as physical health. This fantastic resource in schools will provide even more opportunity for young people to share their experiences of mental health without feeling judged and gain valuable coping strategies in a supportive and safe environment.”
Our CAMHS Mental Health Support Team is an early intervention mental health and wellbeing service providing support to 135 schools across Nottinghamshire. The team help children, young people and families with low-level emotional wellbeing needs, such as anxiety, low mood, managing emotions and sleep.