It is natural then to consider how society manages when there are fewer resources and increasing demand? In my experience, it is the public service workers that are plugging this gap where they can. It is the teachers working extra hours and going the extra mile to reach out to and support their students. It is the pastoral staff who are managing harrowing and ever increasing caseloads, it is the counselling services with long waiting lists and occasionally it is young people with mental health issues picked up by the police with nowhere to send them. Despite their difficult days and weeks, these public services staff are the glue holding together a breaking system. However, they are only people, and all people burn out or have breaking points. The hope, inspiration and resilience of those who care about their jobs cannot sustain the ever increasing mental health needs of a nation.

Wellbeing and Access

I believe that a focus on wellbeing, early prevention and access to support would be beneficial to all, especially adolescents. From an early age, wellbeing can be embedded into children’s lives and education – this would include supporting young people to be emotionally literate, have an awareness of mental health issues and an understanding of psychoeducation around technology, sleep, food and mood. This would facilitate early prevention and detection of issues. This would need to be backed up with mental health services that are accessible to all and able to meet demands.

An example of this was the service I set up within a secondary school which offered one-to-one brief counselling provided for pupils after liaison and consultation with staff, parents or by self-referral. This is supported by a daily drop-in service for students and a triage system – a weekly meeting of support staff and a counselling psychologist to discuss referrals, support management of caseloads, group work and highlight the need for education of pupils in mental health and wellbeing. Members of community organisations and CAMHS were invited to these meetings to facilitate collaborative working across the city. It is through these systems of collaboration across the school and community that we are able to provide good practice and implement recommendations for supporting young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Power of Therapy

Despite moving on from the school, what will stay with me is the power and potential of positive therapeutic relationships. To offer young people a space in which they are not judged, where they can speak freely and discuss their mental health and choices, allows them time to reflect and hopefully make positive changes. It instils the idea the we all have mental health and at times we can be in a good space with our mental health, other times not. The service sought to model that there is always someone we can go to in crisis and that young people are not alone in what they are experiencing. Improving access to and protecting these spaces, for adults and adolescents alike, has never been more pressing. I aim to continue my work supporting young people in distress and raising awareness in the specific issues and challenges facing adolescent mental health today.

REFERENCES:

Davies, Sally (2014). Chief Medical Officer (CMO) annual report: public mental health. London, UK: Department of Health

Greenfield, Susan (2015). Mind Change: How 21st Century Technology is leaving its mark on the brain. London, UK: Random House.

Horvarth, M.A.H., Alys, L., Massey, K., Pina, A., Scally, M. and Adler, J.R. (2013) 'Basically... porn is everywhere': a rapid evidence assessment on the effect that access and exposure to pornography has on children and young people. [London]: Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC).

Marc Prensky (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1. On the Horizon 2001 9:5 , 1-6

