Nurturing Mental Health with Wellbeing Apps for Young People

Child and adolescents are experiencing a mental health crisis that is affecting all areas of education. How can schools and teachers help students build resilience and positive mental health so they can cope with the increased stress of modern society? Our editor, Jory Debenham, explores some of the apps available to help support our young people.

It is difficult to know exactly why there is what seems to be a sudden increase in mental health problems in young people. Provision for mental health wellbeing is being made at all levels of policy, in governments, schools, trusts, etc., but still the problem persists. It is possible that in some cases, the increase may be related to increased awareness, which accompanies overall improvements in knowledge about wellbeing and an increased belief that everyone has the right to feel good about life and have all their needs met. This situation is much different from past generations where hardship and trauma were more widespread and therefore people had different expectations and ways of coping.

Create an account to read this article

£5.83+ VAT

One-off purchase

Purchase and Download today

Register for free

No Credit Card required

Register for free
Access to 3 free articles
Free TeachingTimes Report every month

array(8) {
  ["distinct_key"]=>
  string(10) "post#43817"
  ["title"]=>
  string(50) "Good Sport, Bad Sport and Children's Mental Health"
  ["categories"]=>
  array(4) {
    [0]=>
    string(9) "Inclusion"
    [1]=>
    string(13) "Special Needs"
    [2]=>
    string(12) "Sport and PE"
    [3]=>
    string(9) "Wellbeing"
  }
  ["url"]=>
  string(56) "https://www.teachingtimes.com/ecj62-sport-mental-health/"
  ["post_date_timestamp"]=>
  int(1508248973)
  ["objectID"]=>
  string(12) "post-43817-2"
  ["_snippetResult"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["excerpt"]=>
    array(2) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(175) "Crispin Andrews reports on the growing recognition of the role sport can play in
improving children’s mental health - if the focus of the activity changes."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
    }
    ["content"]=>
    array(2) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(366) "... games to show young people the consequences of their actions, and how what they do affects others.’Chris Wright believes that sports provision targeted at health and wellbeing needs, would not just help students with diagnosable mental health issues, or people from poorer communities. ‘It could also be talented, high ..."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
    }
  }
  ["_highlightResult"]=>
  array(6) {
    ["title"]=>
    array(4) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(68) "Good Sport, Bad Sport and Children's Mental Health"
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
      ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
      bool(false)
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(2) {
        [0]=>
        string(6) "mental"
        [1]=>
        string(6) "health"
      }
    }
    ["author"]=>
    array(1) {
      [0]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(15) "Crispin Andrews"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
    }
    ["excerpt"]=>
    array(4) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(175) "Crispin Andrews reports on the growing recognition of the role sport can play in
improving children’s mental health - if the focus of the activity changes."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
      ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
      bool(false)
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(2) {
        [0]=>
        string(6) "mental"
        [1]=>
        string(6) "health"
      }
    }
    ["content"]=>
    array(4) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(5812) "Donovan Miller.The Foundation runs a Cricket Academy for 16-24 year olds. Some are excluded from school, others are former offenders. There are gang members and Afghan refugees on the project. Young people struggling to find their way in life, who without assistance, might never fulfil their true potential. During their first year at the Academy, the youngsters work with coaches on a personal development plan that aims to help them become more employable. They get visits from local employers and careers advisers, whose staff talk to the young people about job hunting, CVs, courses and aspirations. They also take a cricket coaching course, and in year two, will coach their own community teams. When they do play cricket, coaches focus on how aspects of the game apply to wider life. Decision making, communication, leadership and cooperation take precedence over technique training. ‘It’s how and when you apply your skills that makes the difference,’ Donavan Miller says. Miller’s coaching style is more youth worker than school teacher. The young people thrive on the responsibility he affords them. As practice matches play out on Cricket 4 Change’s Plough Lane cricket ground, the youngsters take time for a laugh and a joke, to chill out while they’re waiting to bat and engage each other with a bit of good nature banter. When the game starts, however, they’re watching, thinking, making decisions about how to best get the upper hand. ‘Through cricket young people learn discipline, responsibility and how to set goals,’ Miller says. ‘We use what happens in the games to show young people the consequences of their actions, and how what they do affects others.’Chris Wright believes that sports provision targeted at health and wellbeing needs, would not just help students with diagnosable mental health issues, or people from poorer communities. ‘It could also be talented, high achieving students who have a high level of expectation around them, either from parents, teachers and peers, who suffer from mental health problems,’ he says.Wright adds that schools need to redefine the purpose of PE and sport, working out how best to use it to teach life skills. ‘For school leadership this is a cultural issue,’ he says, ‘to do with the emphasis schools place on the role of PE and the time they give to it. Schools are under pressure to devote more of their time, and their pupils’ time, to academia and testing. This determines how staff are performance managed and how schools are funded.’Schools, today, seem to have less belief in how PE can help them perform better. In a briefing paper to MPs before the recent election, the YST explained that less than one in five children meet the current recommended minimum physical activity guidelines. To combat this, they want schools to engage the least active through specialist provision.YST wants to see physical activity opportunities embedded into every school day. Every school, the charity believes, should have targeted programmes to engage the least active, while also looking at ways to increase the activity levels of all children. Evidence, they say, shows that increasing the physical activity levels of the least active produces the greatest reduction in chronic disease.YST would also like to see a stronger role for Ofsted in ensuring health and wellbeing provision in schools remains high profile. Current guidance should be strengthened, the Trust argues, and additional measures added, so inspectors can measure explicitly, pupils’ all-round physical and emotional wellbeing. This, the charity says, should be included in school league tables alongside other accountability measures.The Youth Sport Trust also wants the government to include children’s physical activity indications in the Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF) The PHOF, produced by the Department of Health, sets out a vision for public health with desired outcomes and indicators. The current framework measures and provides targets for adult levels of physical activity, but not children’s. The Government, YST believes, should introduce a physical activity outcome measuring the percentage of children, by gender, socio-economic status, disability and ethnicity, who are achieving the Chief Medical Officers’ physical activity guidelines.‘We want to challenge the perception of PE as a separate, not influential part of whole school, business,’ Chris Wright says. ‘ If there is going to be a whole-school Health and Wellbeing Champion whole as part of a school’s senior leadership team, we believe that this person should be from the PE department.’According to the 2013 Sport and Recreation Alliance report, the Game of Life, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder reduces life expectancy by sixteen to twenty five years. People with depression are twice as likely to develop heart disease, and 58% more likely to become obese. In November 2014, Public Health England, the government’s health watchdog, released a report that stressed the link between health, attainment and physical activity. The report, entitled, the link between pupil health and wellbeing and attainment – a briefing for head teachers, governors and staff in education settings said that promoting the health and wellbeing of pupils and students has the potential to improve their educational outcomes and their health and wellbeing outcomes. According to the report, the intensity and duration of children’s exercise are linked to improved academic performance. The report also stated that"
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
      ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
      bool(false)
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(4) {
        [0]=>
        string(9) "emotional"
        [1]=>
        string(9) "wellbeing"
        [2]=>
        string(6) "mental"
        [3]=>
        string(6) "health"
      }
    }
    ["categories"]=>
    array(4) {
      [0]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(9) "Inclusion"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
      [1]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(13) "Special Needs"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
      [2]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(12) "Sport and PE"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
      [3]=>
      array(4) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(18) "Wellbeing"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(7) "partial"
        ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
        bool(true)
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(1) {
          [0]=>
          string(9) "wellbeing"
        }
      }
    }
    ["tags"]=>
    array(5) {
      [0]=>
      array(4) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(31) "Mental Health"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(7) "partial"
        ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
        bool(true)
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(2) {
          [0]=>
          string(6) "mental"
          [1]=>
          string(6) "health"
        }
      }
      [1]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(17) "Physical activity"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
      [2]=>
      array(4) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(29) "Self esteem"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(7) "partial"
        ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
        bool(true)
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(2) {
          [0]=>
          string(4) "self"
          [1]=>
          string(6) "esteem"
        }
      }
      [3]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(19) "social disadvantage"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
      [4]=>
      array(4) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(25) "Social Wellbeing"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(7) "partial"
        ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
        bool(false)
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(1) {
          [0]=>
          string(9) "wellbeing"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Inclusion

Good Sport, Bad Sport and Children's Mental Health

17 Oct 2017

array(8) {
  ["distinct_key"]=>
  string(10) "post#44302"
  ["title"]=>
  string(98) "Educational And Emotional Health Outcomes In Adolescence Following Maltreatment In Early Childhood"
  ["categories"]=>
  array(2) {
    [0]=>
    string(10) "Leadership"
    [1]=>
    string(20) "Leadership Briefings"
  }
  ["url"]=>
  string(60) "https://www.teachingtimes.com/maltreatment-childhood_160718/"
  ["post_date_timestamp"]=>
  int(1531757220)
  ["objectID"]=>
  string(12) "post-44302-0"
  ["_snippetResult"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["excerpt"]=>
    array(2) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(217) "A full and active experience of school has a positive effect on the health and achievements of children who experienced abuse or neglect at an early age, according to this report by the University of Bristol."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
    }
    ["content"]=>
    array(2) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(463) "... School related factors, including engagement in extracurricular activities, satisfaction with school and not being bullied were the most important in facilitating resilience in educational attainment, self-esteem and wellbeing. Protective effects of school went beyond academic achievement and included nurturing adolescents’ wellbeing and self-esteem. Good communication and social skills ..."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
    }
  }
  ["_highlightResult"]=>
  array(5) {
    ["title"]=>
    array(4) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(116) "Educational And Emotional Health Outcomes In Adolescence Following Maltreatment In Early Childhood"
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
      ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
      bool(false)
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(2) {
        [0]=>
        string(9) "emotional"
        [1]=>
        string(6) "health"
      }
    }
    ["excerpt"]=>
    array(4) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(217) "A full and active experience of school has a positive effect on the health and achievements of children who experienced abuse or neglect at an early age, according to this report by the University of Bristol."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
      ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
      bool(false)
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(1) {
        [0]=>
        string(6) "health"
      }
    }
    ["content"]=>
    array(4) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(3736) "Researchers looked at the influence of community factors such as education for children to successfully adapt if they were maltreated before the age of five. Using parental survey data revealing emotional or physical maltreatment of children from Bristol’s Children of the 90s longitudinal study they were able to assess how the children had good health and educational achievements despite their disadvantaged start in life. They found that factors such as taking part in after school clubs, being happy with school and not being bullied contributed towards good exam grades and general wellbeing as well as having strong communication and social skills. Overall, the report found evidence that good communication skills, enjoyment of school and extracurricular activities were important factors for children experiencing emotional maltreatment benefiting both emotional health and educational achievements. School environment is the most important area for policy to focus on, where there are multiple opportunities to improve both academic achievement and emotional health. For example, school-based strategies include zero-tolerance to bullying policies with a clear protocol for reporting abuse, more formal pastoral positions developed for teachers, and increased after-school programs and extracurricular activities. Amongst professionals who care for children in schools, the results highlight that an increased awareness of protective individual traits, including communication skills and cognitive ability, is important. Main Findings: School related factors, including engagement in extracurricular activities, satisfaction with school and not being bullied were the most important in facilitating resilience in educational attainment, self-esteem and wellbeing. Protective effects of school went beyond academic achievement and included nurturing adolescents’ wellbeing and self-esteem. Good communication and social skills was the most protective individual trait. It was the only individual trait associated with resilience in both educational attainment and emotional health. Children with better social communication may be more successful in finding non-aggressive solutions to problems in school and at forming trusting relationships, thereby enhancing their supportive network. There was insufficient evidence to suggest that family factors were associated with resilience to maltreatment. School-based interventions are recommended to promote positive adaptation following parental maltreatment. Future research should evaluate outcomes across the life-course to understand whether the protective influences of school persist into adulthood. Encouragingly, many of the identified factors are not unique to maltreated children, suggesting that factors promoting resilient outcomes in adolescence are universal. Interventions based within the school setting that seek to promote wellbeing and self-esteem among all children, appear most justified. Future work is necessary to understand how exposure to maltreatment interacts with protective factors over time and impacts on resilience across the life-course. WEB LINK Educational And Emotional Health Outcomes In Adolescence Following Maltreatment In Early Childhood: A Population-Based Study Of Protective FactorsKeywords Educational outcomes, emotional health, adolescence, maltreatment, early childhood, protective factors, influence, community factors "
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
      ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
      bool(false)
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(5) {
        [0]=>
        string(9) "emotional"
        [1]=>
        string(9) "wellbeing"
        [2]=>
        string(6) "health"
        [3]=>
        string(4) "self"
        [4]=>
        string(6) "esteem"
      }
    }
    ["categories"]=>
    array(2) {
      [0]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(10) "Leadership"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
      [1]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(20) "Leadership Briefings"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
    }
    ["tags"]=>
    array(5) {
      [0]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(15) "early childhood"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
      [1]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(18) "education outcomes"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
      [2]=>
      array(4) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(37) "Emotional Wellbeing"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(7) "partial"
        ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
        bool(true)
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(2) {
          [0]=>
          string(9) "emotional"
          [1]=>
          string(9) "wellbeing"
        }
      }
      [3]=>
      array(4) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(31) "Mental Health"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(7) "partial"
        ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
        bool(true)
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(2) {
          [0]=>
          string(6) "mental"
          [1]=>
          string(6) "health"
        }
      }
      [4]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(17) "social background"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Leadership

Educational And Emotional Health Outcomes In Adolescence Following Maltreatment In Early Childhood

16 Jul 2018

array(8) {
  ["distinct_key"]=>
  string(10) "post#42518"
  ["title"]=>
  string(40) "Developing your school-based counselling"
  ["categories"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(13) "Special Needs"
  }
  ["url"]=>
  string(66) "https://www.teachingtimes.com/developing_school_based_counselling/"
  ["post_date_timestamp"]=>
  int(1437652940)
  ["objectID"]=>
  string(12) "post-42518-0"
  ["_snippetResult"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["excerpt"]=>
    array(2) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(242) "Good mental and emotional wellbeing is vital if children and young people are to grow into emotionally healthy adults. But what happens when it suffers? Louise Kinnaird looks at the role of school-based counsellors."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
    }
    ["content"]=>
    array(2) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(353) "... have increased by 70 percent in the past 25 years.4Wendy Sharam of Mind Over Matter Kidsworks using mindfulness as a way to help childrenwith emotional and mental health issues, from girlswith low self esteem issues to those who have beenexcluded from school altogether. She has seenthat troubled children and ..."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
    }
  }
  ["_highlightResult"]=>
  array(4) {
    ["title"]=>
    array(3) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(40) "Developing your school-based counselling"
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "none"
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(0) {
      }
    }
    ["excerpt"]=>
    array(4) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(242) "Good mental and emotional wellbeing is vital if children and young people are to grow into emotionally healthy adults. But what happens when it suffers? Louise Kinnaird looks at the role of school-based counsellors."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
      ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
      bool(false)
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(3) {
        [0]=>
        string(9) "emotional"
        [1]=>
        string(9) "wellbeing"
        [2]=>
        string(6) "mental"
      }
    }
    ["content"]=>
    array(4) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(5815) "Vol 5.2 n www.teachingtimes.comIn-depth – Mental healthEvery Child Journal64Developing yourschool-basedcounsellingIt is estimated that in every classroom there areseven children who will have witnessed violence,one who will have experienced the death of a lovedone and three who will have experienced eitheremotional or physical abuse. One in five childrenGood mental and emotional wellbeing is vital if children and young people are to grow intoemotionally healthy adults. But what happens when it suffers? Louise Kinnaird looks atthe role of school-based counsellors.The charity YoungMinds says that we aresitting on a ‘mental health time bomb’.1Yet for all the adults with mental healthdisorders, three quarters of them hademotional and mental health issues in childhood.www.teachingtimes.com n Vol 5.2In-depth – Mental healthEvery Child Journal65have symptoms of depression and almost a third of16 to 25-year-olds think about or attempt suicide.2These are startling statistics, but too oftenchildren and young people don’t get the help theyneed as quickly as they should, if at all. One studyestimated that only 25 per cent of children with amental health problem get identified or treated.3 Ifchildren and young people are not given adequatesupport to deal with troubles when they arise theyare more likely to have a long-term serious impact.The determinants of children’s mental healthare complex. Depending on their age, they willexperience a variety of different emotional problemsand pressures that can put a strain on their mentalhealth. Poor self-image, exam pressure, bullying,parental discord, anxiety, depression…the list goeson – it’s no surprise poor mental health in childrenis on the rise. Indeed, among teenagers, the rates ofdepression and anxiety have increased by 70 percent in the past 25 years.4Wendy Sharam of Mind Over Matter Kidsworks using mindfulness as a way to help childrenwith emotional and mental health issues, from girlswith low self esteem issues to those who have beenexcluded from school altogether. She has seenthat troubled children and teens ‘are in great needof help to learn how to acknowledge and processtheir emotions to enable them to make level headeddecisions in any situation’.She adds: ‘I was astounded when I was askedto work with a ten-year-old boy who was havingsuicidal thoughts, saying, “My head is so busy, I justwant some quiet time.”’Sourcing supportOne tried and tested means of offering this vitalsupport to children and young people is school-based counselling. Charities such as Place2Be,the largest provider in the United Kingdom, aretaking responsibility for providing therapeutic andemotional mental health counselling and therapy.Place2Be supports over 90,000 children to copewith a wide range of issues, from bullying and familybreakdown to domestic violence and trauma. Theybelieve that early intervention is essential.Teachers are best placed to know their pupils’needs, yet often don’t have either the time orthe expertise to help them when they begin toshow signs of distress. So, if they are concernedfor a pupil’s welfare they may refer him or her forcounselling.Dr Stephen Adams-Langley, Senior ClinicalConsultant at Place2Be says: ‘Many teachers arenaturally empathic and can identify that a boy whois “acting out” may be in need of some help. But itis the quiet child at the back of the classroom whomay be overlooked. We work with teachers to helphttp://www.mindovermatterkids.co.uk/http://www.place2be.org.uk/Vol 5.2 n www.teachingtimes.comIn-depth – Mental healthEvery Child Journal66them identify these children who may be at even greater risk. Ours is a whole-schoolsystemic model. We work to help teachers develop an emotionally intelligent environmentthat is very open.’Pupil counselling in the UKSchool-based counselling may also come about through self-referral – although, accordingto a report by the BACP, self-referral accounts for only five to 25 per cent of secondaryschool pupils who receive counselling.5In secondary schools, a one-to-one ‘humanistic’ approach is used where young peopleare encouraged to talk through their troubles in a supportive environment. In primaryschools, the one-to-one counselling work incorporates play or art-based methods, andmight involve family members.The demographic of pupils most in receipt of counselling are those between 13-15years old, white, female and are experiencing family problems.For boys receiving counselling, it is predominantly for anger, for which there are awhole host of underlying reasons/emotional needs. Among these, pupils from blackand minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds are severely under-represented6, while a highproportion of children accessing school-based counselling receive free school meals7.Benefits and problemsOne of the major benefits of school-based counselling, as opposed to an externalcounselling service, is the availability of a skilled professional on the doorstep for pupils totalk to about the difficulties in their lives, regardless of the seriousness of their problems.This proximity of a school-based counsellor promises early intervention, which is vitalin ensuring that all young people can get timely help for their problems and potentiallyreducing the likelihood of more serious problems emerging at a later date.www.teachingtimes.com n Vol 5.2In-depth – Mental health Every Child Journal67Stigma can be a problem with school-basedcounselling and is part of the reason why still so fewpupils who need this service will access it. Parentalattitudes seem to be a part"
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "full"
      ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
      bool(false)
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(6) {
        [0]=>
        string(9) "emotional"
        [1]=>
        string(9) "wellbeing"
        [2]=>
        string(6) "mental"
        [3]=>
        string(6) "health"
        [4]=>
        string(4) "self"
        [5]=>
        string(6) "esteem"
      }
    }
    ["categories"]=>
    array(1) {
      [0]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(13) "Special Needs"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Special Needs

Developing your school-based counselling

23 Jul 2015

array(8) {
  ["distinct_key"]=>
  string(10) "post#41756"
  ["title"]=>
  string(24) "The route to empowerment"
  ["categories"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(13) "Special Needs"
  }
  ["url"]=>
  string(55) "https://www.teachingtimes.com/the-route-to-empowerment/"
  ["post_date_timestamp"]=>
  int(1407409863)
  ["objectID"]=>
  string(12) "post-41756-2"
  ["_snippetResult"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["excerpt"]=>
    array(2) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(248) "Children’s wellbeing and mental health is a contested field with both medicalisation and talking cures criticised for being damaging or ineffective. But is empowerment a third way? Tim Linehan looks at the Jepeca model."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
    }
    ["content"]=>
    array(2) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(393) "... impacting on children’s ability to perform at school, ontheir ability to socialise, and their ability to respect other people’sand contributes to low confidence, self esteem, behavioural issues,depression, bullying, self-harming, stress and anxiety. However, ‘screenwatching’ exists in a context of other problems; relationships; tensionand so on and ..."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
    }
  }
  ["_highlightResult"]=>
  array(4) {
    ["title"]=>
    array(3) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(24) "The route to empowerment"
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "none"
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(0) {
      }
    }
    ["excerpt"]=>
    array(4) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(248) "Children’s wellbeing and mental health is a contested field with both medicalisation and talking cures criticised for being damaging or ineffective. But is empowerment a third way? Tim Linehan looks at the Jepeca model."
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(7) "partial"
      ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
      bool(false)
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(3) {
        [0]=>
        string(9) "wellbeing"
        [1]=>
        string(6) "mental"
        [2]=>
        string(6) "health"
      }
    }
    ["content"]=>
    array(4) {
      ["value"]=>
      string(5705) "wellbeing Every Child Journal89Children are asked questions across six themes at the beginning andthe end of the course, along the following themes:Their environment – are they happy? The unhappier they are, thesmaller their world is and the more isolated they often prefer to be.Their behaviour/feelings – can and do they control theirbehaviour and feelings? Many young people do not know how todo this.Their abilities – what they think they are good at.Their values and beliefsTheir identity – Do they like being them? How they describethemselves?Their future – Their plans and dreams.The themes also include questions about confidence and self esteem.At the end of the six weeks, the answers asked before and after theprogramme are compared to note progress.ImpactIn January 2011, a pilot was commissioned by a consortium ofschools in Hertfordshire, in the UK, to assess the benefits of the programme offeringempowerment coaching with young people who were experiencing emotional, social andbehavioural difficulties in some aspects of their lives.The commissioner described the work with students as: ‘swift and significant withparents calling to say what a positive difference [it] had made to their child’s emotionalwellbeing. From a student’s perspective, [its] involvement resulted in a student feeling“magical” after only six weeks’ work.’ The work was rated as the singular most effectiveintervention that the school had seen in several years.The evaluation revealed that 25 out of 26 children had benefited from the programme,with one child referred to another agency.Outcome of Jepeca pilotnnnnnnCase study 3: Kevin’s storyKevin was 16 when he was referred to the JepecaProgramme. His mother was terminally ill. He wasreceiving counselling, but he was still tense andgetting angry with people. He said at counsellinghe talked about his feelings but didn’t know whatto do with them. After attending the programme,he said he knew how to channel his feelings. Hedescribed the experience as ‘changing, relaxingand exploring’. His concentration improved and hefelt calmer around people and less tense.A year after the course, his mother had died. Kevinwas still using the techniques he had learned tohelp him with his homework and to build andmaintain his friendships.Vol 4.5 n www.teachingtimes.comMental health and wellbeingEvery Child Journal90The testimonies are powerful. One child said: ‘Thisprogramme saved my life. I am so different now. I amhappy and love my life. I wish I could have done this along time ago. My eczma has really improved and I nolonger pull my hair out. Everyone at home treats medifferently. I still use the techniques when I need to.Without this programme, I don’t know what would havehappened to me.’ Hadden’s own evaluation reveals that92 per cent of interventions with children have achieved apositive result.Although these results are strong, the evaluation issmall scale, a fact that she is well aware of. In order to testthe method, she is planning more robust tests including anfull evaluation which will be ready in the autumn.Contributing factorsOne of the main concerns that emerged from the study,and confirmed by Hadden’s experience, is how a troubledhome environment can contribute to a child’s difficulties,and how video games can often contribute to a chaotichome life. Some of the examples she gives are of theyoung boy whose mother played avatar games leaving him to look after his younger sister,and losing track of where they were. She cites the cases of boys who playing computergames well into the night becoming tired, cranky and unable to concentrate at school,and taking that behaviour onto the playground and causing chaos.Other problems are more based around diagnosable issues which remain unresolved,such as the boy who had ADHD and hated himself and life because of his behaviour bothat school (where he was reminded of how badly behaved he was every class) and at home,or another young boy also with ADHD who loved his mother and wanted to be good forher but couldn’t help reacting to his sisters causing upset and tension.Hadden believes that ‘screen watching’ needs to be addressedbecause it is impacting on children’s ability to perform at school, ontheir ability to socialise, and their ability to respect other people’sand contributes to low confidence, self esteem, behavioural issues,depression, bullying, self-harming, stress and anxiety. However, ‘screenwatching’ exists in a context of other problems; relationships; tensionand so on and in an environment where parents, as well as children, areusually struggling.Whatever the sources of the problems, the clock is ticking forchildren in need of practical support. As well as the one in ten childrenwith mental health problems, 89 pupils are suspended each day fromschool for behavioural issues. Being unable to understand, process anduse feelings and emotions in a productive way leads to unproductiveand often destructive behaviours which, if not addressed can escalateinto serious problems of self-destructiveness and violence.The damage that children can suffer and the cost to individuals andsociety and are apparent in the disappointed aspirations of children andthe costs to services of supporting them. The worry is that some of theprocesses intended to help children can sometimes alienate them byfailing to offer them the opportunity to resolve their problems and cometo terms with them themselves.For more information about the Jepeca programme, contactJulianne Hadden at julianne@jepeca.com or visit"
      ["matchLevel"]=>
      string(4) "full"
      ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
      bool(false)
      ["matchedWords"]=>
      array(6) {
        [0]=>
        string(9) "emotional"
        [1]=>
        string(9) "wellbeing"
        [2]=>
        string(6) "mental"
        [3]=>
        string(6) "health"
        [4]=>
        string(4) "self"
        [5]=>
        string(6) "esteem"
      }
    }
    ["categories"]=>
    array(1) {
      [0]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(13) "Special Needs"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Special Needs

The route to empowerment

7 Aug 2014

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Create an account to read this article

£5.83+ VAT

Register for free

Cookies