Emotional & Mental Health Support
At St Michael’s we are committed to supporting the whole child to feel safe, supported and secure so they can aspire and flourish in the love of God. Please see below our graduated approach to supporting children with mental health difficulties:
Our Mental Health Team
At St Michael’s, we have two Senior Mental Health Leads – Mr Bhatti and Ms Joyce.
We also are lucky enough to have a trained ELSA member of staff (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) – Mrs Evans.
Support Websites
- Anxiety Canada – anxiety in youth; great for young people.
- Bethel Rapha Service – people suffering low level mental health problems can have someone local to talk to in confidence about whatever is on their minds and have someone sincerely listen. Listen in a way which is not judgmental and by someone who has been professionally trained to hear and understand..
- Coping Skills for Kids – coping skills for calming anxiety.
- Give Us a Shout – free, confidential, 24/7 text message support in the UK for anyone struggling to cope. They can help with issues including suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, abuse, self-harm, relationship problems and bullying.
- Hub of Hope – a link to many mental health resources in your area. You just need to put in your school post code to access the resources available in your area..
- Screen Savers: Online Working – We are spending more time online than ever before, possibly sitting and working with poor posture as we use makeshift desks and chairs. There is a tendency to take fewer breaks and less exercise and this is affecting our physical well-being. Beacon House, the specialist therapeutic service for young people, families and adults has produced a series of six posters outlining ways to keep safe and alert when working at home, whether children or adults.
- The Children’s Society – The Children’s Society has a range of support materials for young people, parents and schools in their mental and emotional health resource vault including: Anxiety, Depression and Mood, Loneliness, Obsessive compulsive disorder, Phobias, Self care, Emotional resilience, Mental resilience.
- Young Minds – Times are tough for many people right now. Parents find themselves pulled in many different direction and children may be struggling being in the house for so much longer than usual. A mixture of concern about COVID-19, work from home and children at home, along with possible financial impact make for a stressful household. Young Minds have created a useful ‘Supporting Parents Helpfinder’. By answering six questions, parents can find out how to support their child’s mental health during the pandemic (and beyond).
- Young Minds: When Emotions Explode Poster – a useful poster highlighting ways to give support to children when they have angry feelings or outbursts and may help families start a conversation and talk about each other’s feelings.
- YouTube: Taming And Tending Your Meerkat Brain – a heart-warming talk about how our brains develop.
- From Birmingham with Love – Birmingham City Council, Birmingham Children’s Trust, Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, West Midlands Police and Birmingham Voluntary Sector Council.
Ollee – a virtual friend (ParentZone/BBC Children In Need
Ollee is a digital friend for children aged 8-11, created by Parent Zone and funded by BBC Children in Need’s A Million and Me initiative, which aims to make a difference to children’s emotional wellbeing.
It’s designed to help children reflect on how they feel and to process their experiences with the support and help of their parents and carers – and it does this by offering them advice about a range of subjects: school, family, friends, their body, the internet and the world.
For each of these subjects, children can choose an emotion that matches how they feel about it: happy, angry, sad, confused, frustrated, stressed or worried.
Next, they can choose from a list of topics – for instance, a child who was worried about school might be able to select ‘I haven’t done my homework’ as the cause of their worry. Finally, they’ll see a page of advice about the topic, presented in child-friendly bite-sized chunks they can read then or save for later.
Downlod the app from:
If you have any concerns regarding your child’s mental health, please contact Ms Joyce.