It’s Children’s Mental Health Week!!

What troopers they have been over the last year and they very much deserve a little focus on their well-being. The side effects of all the last year and the stresses in their families will have had repercussions for many. So how best to talk about Mental Health? Here are a few tips:

1.    Don’t make a big deal about having to talk about it. Let them know they can always talk to you. Dragging information out of them isn’t going to help, however knowing you care will.

2.    Choose a suitable time: When it’s just the two of you, when you’re involved in a task (driving, cooking, clearing up) so that you’re not necessarily putting your focus directly on them which can make someone feel self-conscious and clam up.

3.    Listen, really listen. Reflect back what they’re saying so you can properly understand, for example ‘so it sounds like you’re finding it difficult not seeing your friends like you used to’.

4.    Don’t try to fix their problems. That obviously doesn’t mean be ambivalent or brush over it with a ‘it’ll be ok’ but it’s all to easy to try and find a solution. You can later suggest that you could try and come up with ideas together that might help but sometimes problems can’t be solved and simply being able to tell someone how you feel and why you might be quiet/angry/tearful/confused/lacking in concentration will already be a big help.

5.    Some problems may be too big/complex, or you may be too close. Accept that sometimes your child may prefer to talk to someone else. Don’t take it personally, just make sure they’re talking, and encourage it to be someone who is sensible and can guide them to suitable support and, where needed help them find a suitable professional.

6.    Find something to laugh about every day. This can be really hard. But even if it’s just a short TV programme like ‘you’ve been framed’ the slap stick humour is highly likely to make a child giggle releasing loads of good endorphins.