Mental Health and Well Being
in schools
PMHW Conference Blackpool
Nov 2011
Peer Education Approach
Fiona Findlay
PMHW
Dumfries
Bonny Scotland
• Here is Dumfries
Chronology
• Feb 06 Lockerbie Academy
• Feb 06 Moffat Academy
• May 07 Langholm Academy
• Sept 10 Troqueer Primary
• Oct 10 Holywood Primary
• Sept 11 Cargenbridge Primary
Scottish policy
• Children and Young people Mental Health:
A Framework for Promotion Prevention
and Care 2005.
• Towards a mentally Flourishing Scotland
2009.
• Curriculum for Excellence 2010.
• Getting It Right For Every Child 2008.
Aims and Objectives
• Promote Mental Health Awareness in Children of
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•
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•
Primary School age.
Facilitate the School in delivering Mental Health
Training.
Give the children some coping skills when faced
with emotionally challenging circumstances.
Promote the children's ownership of their own
mental health.
Encourage the children to share this awareness
among their peers.
Format
• Speak to Head teacher about proposed
Mental Health Training for older children
proposing that the pupils cascade it to
their younger peers.
• In collaboration with school arrange two
one hour long teaching sessions.
• Be involved in seeing what the children
have achieved.
What do we deliver to kids in
Primary school?
• Mental health Definition.
• CBT Link between thoughts feelings and
behaviour.
• Good Physical health and link to good
Mental health.
• Thinking about the way you think.
• Worries – coping.
• What makes you happy.
Worries
• A word about worries.
• A wee word to kids about family events
that are difficult.
Health and Well Being
What does mental
Health Mean?
Thinking about thinking
Thoughts
Feelings
Behaviour
Good Physical health
• Good Physical health links to good Mental
health.
• Good Sleep
• Good Diet
• Exercise
FEELING DOWN ?
• Think Positive
I CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!
Worries
• Helping Hand
What Makes you Happy?
Health and Well Being
Evaluation Form
• Did you enjoy the Presentation
• Did you find presentation interesting?
• Did you find presentation helped your
understanding of Health and Well Being?
• Comments'
ENJOY
OUT OF 35 PUPILS
20
15
10
5
0
INTERESTING
OUT OF 35 PUPILS
20
15
10
5
0
UNDERSTANDING
OUT OF 35 PUPILS
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
What did the kids do?
• Slide show
• Role play
• Posters
• Short film
What is mental health?
Feelings
There are lots of different types of feelings
like listed below.
Happy
Sad
Scared
Angry
Surprised
Guess? … the feelings
Can you guess what this boy feels like by
looking at this picture of his face?
Guess? … the feelings
Look carefully and guess this boys feelings
by looking below.
Guess? … The feelings
• Can you Guess this boys feeling’s as
shown below in this picture.
Guess? … The feelings
• This one may be very tricky so look Very
carefully try not to get caught out
Comments from Children
• ‘we know that good sleep, diet and exercise is linked to
•
•
•
•
good mental health’
Behaviour effects your feelings, emotions and thoughts’
We know that a worry should be shared with an adult.
Younger pupils now know that too’
Before working with Mrs Findlay we didn’t know anything
about mental health’
‘I didn’t know we that we all had mental health’
Comments from the Head Teacher
• ‘Pupils are more emotionally aware.
• They understand their behaviour reactions and how to
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•
•
defuse it better’
‘We will build the work Mrs Finlay has developed into a
Mental Health programme for the whole school.
Our primary 7 pupils led a successful Mental health
afternoon for our pupils. They have been invited to
deliver their workshop at a local cluster primary school.’
Miss Dale – head teacher Holywood school
Holywood School evaluation
Circle three main features affecting mental
health - decisions, behaviour, moods, thoughts, anger,
communication, feelings, actions, ideas
What would you do with a worry?
What did p7 do well?
What didn’t work or was confusing?
Ideas for next time
Holywood Evaluation the results
• 80% Correct Responses to main features of Mental health
• 100% Knew what to do with a worry
What P7 did well – Sent clear message on video
Good discussion
P1 – P4 involved
Activities told us how Mental health Worked
Made it fun
What was confusing – Sometimes could not hear voices on video
we were not told if we were right
I thought it all worked out
What would we do differently?
• Not so long talking - more activities
• Change the evaluation form – more
specific
• Explore involving different disciplines from
Health e.g. School Nurses
• Explore involving partner agencies
Plans for the future
• St Andrew’s Primary
• Roll out to other Schools
• Pursue other Secondary Schools in the
Area
• More training to Universal Services in
regard to Mental Health Awareness
• Teach the teachers about mental health
Awareness