Positive Approaches to Mental Health
Who could use this?
Positive Approaches
Mindful approaches to mental health for young people are needed in education settings to consider the collective traumas and systemic injustices that Black communities face on an ongoing basis.
Recommendation:
As an individual, you may not be racist, but it's important to acknowledge the participation in institutional racism whilst working in UK schools. To reduce the impact of institutional racism in schools it is important to learn about the historic and present experiences of the local community.
Real World Examples:
Black young people’s exposure to adverse childhood experiences, including racism, has an impact on their wellbeing outcomes and developmental behaviours (BLACHIR, 2021). They are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and stress as a result. In addition to this, in some parts of the UK Black students are 5x more likely to be excluded than their white peers (Guardian, 2021).
MEDIUM
Mindful Moves:
Heritage Projects
GOAL: Offer a creative outlet for emotional expression and healing.
To empower young people with the tools and resources to understand and manage the effects of trauma, fostering resilience and a strong sense of cultural identity, and providing them with safe spaces to express their experiences and emotions.
Engage in projects that explore and celebrate Black cultural heritage. This can include researching historical figures, creating artwork, or organising cultural events.
- Invite Community Leaders: Invite local Black leaders, activists, and business leaders to share their work with the class.
- Celebrate Culture: Host cultural days celebrating the cultures of minority communities, including black communities. It's even better if these are separate from national holidays.
- Explore New Resources: At the end of the session, ask for a recommendation for a person, place, book, or resource to show the young people next as a follow-up to keep the initiative going.
- Plug into Local Initiatives: Engage in local community activities - kids programmes, talks, library activities, etc.
When engaging the community and inviting them into school, do ensure they have DBS Checks done to prioritise safeguarding.
EASY
Mindful Moves:
Expressions Workshop
GOAL: Offer a creative outlet for emotional expression and healing.
To empower young people with the tools to understand and manage the effects of trauma, fostering resilience and a strong sense of cultural identity.
To provide them with safe spaces to express their experiences and emotions.
Participate in workshops that use art, music and writing to help young people express and process their emotions related to trauma.
- Setting the scene: Find a comfortable, quiet space in your home without distractions. Let everyone know it's a time for open communication and trust.
- Grounding techniques: Before diving into activities, introduce simple grounding techniques like deep breathing exercises or short meditations to help everyone feel calm and present.
- Respecting boundaries: Make it clear that participation is voluntary and emotions are valid. If someone feels overwhelmed, they can take a break or skip an activity.
- This isn't therapy, it's about connecting. If an activity sparks a genuine conversation about something difficult, that's fantastic!
- Don't feel pressured to complete every exercise perfectly or force discussions if no one is ready.
MEDIUM
Mindful Moves:
Positive approaches to mental health workshop
GOAL: Give parents/carers the knowledge to identify and address trauma in their children, fostering a supportive home environment.
To help young people to understand and manage their emotions, build resilience, and connect with peers and mentors.
To equip parents/carers with the knowledge and skills necessary to support their child through trauma-informed approaches. This will help foster a safe and nurturing home environment that acknowledges and addresses the impact of trauma and institutional racism on their children’s wellbeing.
Attend workshops that focus on understanding trauma and its effects on children, particularly within the Black community. These workshops should cover recognizing signs of trauma and learning effective support strategies.
Here are some organisations who offer mental health resources, workshops and sessions for parents/carers.
- Our Time/Mental Health Foundation
Offers KidsTime Workshops for families where a parent has a mental illness: https://ourtime.org.uk/training/
- South London Listens
Provides mental health support and resources for the community: https://www.southlondonlistens.org/get-involved
- Rethink Mental Illness
Provides support for siblings of those with mental illness, offering in-person support groups in Vauxhall and online forums: https://www.together-uk.org/service-finder/
- Place2Be
Provides parent-child training sessions for primary-aged children: Mental health services for parents and carers in our partner schools
Mindfulness for pre-teens requires careful consideration to avoid potential harm. Key risks include cultural insensitivity, re-traumatisation, and an over emphasis on individual responsibility. Effective implementation needs comprehensive staff training, and fostering inclusive practices.
- Prioritise cultural relevance and sensitivity.
- Involve families and the wider community.
- Offer ongoing support for students and staff.
ADVANCED
Mindful Moves:
Trauma-informed training programme
GOAL: Give teachers the skills to recognise and address the unique challenges Black pre-teens face, and effectively communicate with parents and/or carers to support student wellbeing.
To provide teachers with comprehensive training, resources on mindful trauma-informed approaches and bias enabling them to create supportive and inclusive classroom environments.
Attend workshops that focus on understanding trauma and its effects on children, particularly within the Black community. These workshops should cover recognising signs of trauma and learning effective support strategies.
- Prioritise Self-Care and Create a Safe Space: Teachers should focus on their well-being and establish a supportive environment.
- Practical Application and Ongoing Support: Provide real-world examples and continued assistance for integrating trauma-informed practices.
- Measure Impact and Gather Feedback: Evaluate the program's effectiveness and use feedback for improvement.
- Focus on cultural competence: Deepen understanding of Black culture and systemic issues.
- Build collaboration: Involve diverse staff and create a supportive school climate.
- Ensure sustainability: Offer ongoing support and measure the program's impact.
- Bonus tip: Incorporate mindfulness for teacher well-being.
advanced
Mindful Moves:
Community Engagement Initatives
GOAL: Foster a collaborative environment where the school and community work together to support the wellbeing of students.
To guide school leadership in embedding trauma-informed practices within the school’s policies and culture, ensuring that the entire school environment supports the mental health and wellbeing of Black young people. This includes fostering a commitment to decolonisation, addressing institutional racism, and promoting cultural competence among staff.
- Build Knowledge: Prioritise training on trauma, its impact on Black students, and culturally responsive teaching. Develop shared language around trauma-informed practices.
- Foster Collaboration: Involve all staff in developing trauma-informed initiatives. Create safe spaces for open dialogue.
- Implement Strategies: Use evidence-based practices like multi-tiered systems of support to address challenges as early as possible. Prioritise cultural competence in all school aspects.
Implementing mindful approaches in schools for students requires careful consideration. Key risks include:
- Re-traumatisation,
- Cultural insensitivity,
- Overemphasis on individual responsibility,
- Inadequate staff training.
Schools must also address underlying issues, avoid stigmatisation, engage families, and provide ongoing support.
MEDIUM
Mindful Moves:
Creating a feedback loop
GOAL: Create a way for young people to receive support in their lives from parents/carers, trusted adults and teachers.
To empower young people with the skills and confidence to understand and communicate their own needs, fostering self-advocacy and mutual understanding within their families and educational environments.
Set up a regular session with a young person where a trusted teacher or adult can listen, discuss with the young person their needs and progress.
Build a strong foundation of trauma understanding. Educators must learn about trauma's impact and how it intersects with other factors.
Foster open and trusting relationships. Create a safe space for students to share their experiences and build resilience.
Implement ongoing evaluation. Regularly assess the activity's impact, gather feedback, and adapt accordingly.
Undiagnosed neurodiversity needs
Providing a space where parents/carers and children feel empowered to deal with services that can provide external support