Mental Health Resources for Parents and Young People

If you are experiencing low mood it is important to speak with somebody that you can trust. That can be somebody you know personally or there are a range of services that you can reach out to:

• Kooth is an online mental wellbeing community for young people.

 

• With Me in Mind has a number of tips on finding the right person to talk to as well as resources on how to self-care for low mood. You can also speak with your local With Me in Mind team if you are experiencing low mood.
• The Doncaster School Nurses service and their E-Clinic.
• Young Minds has information on dealing with Low mood and how to reach out for help and support.
• The Children’s Society has guides on spotting the signs of low mood and depression as well as how to access crisis support services.

Doncaster Kooth Slide

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Bereavement is hard under any circumstances  and can have a large impact on mental health.

It can be difficult to know what to say to someone who is grieving, Dying Matters have suggested these tips on how to support someone who is grieving:

• It's better to do something than nothing - to acknowledge loss rather than ignore it
• Look for invitations to talk from the other person. If they start talking about the person who has died, encourage them, even if it seems to make them upset
• Be comforting when opening up the conversation rather than business-like
• Try and create an environment where the person has the freedom to talk or not talk, according to what they want. I'm around all day if you fancy a chat...

Children, young people & families who have been bereaved by suicide have developed a new toolkit to help the people who support them in the aftermath of their bereavement, supported by Chilypep, the NHS and Local Authorities from across the region. You can download the Bereavement by Suicide toolkit through the Chilypep website.

There is support available if you are struggling to deal with a bereavement of a loved one.

• Winston's Wish is the UK's childhood bereavement charity providing support to children and their families after the death of a parent or sibling.
• Doncaster Council’s website has resources on dealing with the loss of a loved one.

An eating disorder is a mental health condition in which the control of food is used to cope with feelings and other situations. There are a number of eating disorder that somebody could struggle with, and they can share common signs and symptoms:

• Dramatic weight loss or weight gain
• Spending a lot of time thinking about weight and body image
• Avoiding socialising when food is involved
• Taking laxatives or making themselves sick after eating
• Having strict rules or habits with food
• Over-exercising
• Feelings of guilt, shame or worthlessness around food

There is support available, BEAT is a UK based eating disorder charity that has advice on coping with an eating disorder and several helplines on their site for those who may wish to speak with somebody about what they are struggling with. You can call their helpline 9am- Midnight daily at: 0808 801 0677. You can also email the BEAT team at: help@beateatingdisorders.org.uk.

Support and resources for eating disorders is also available from:

• The NHS
• Young minds
• CAMHS

If you believe that you are suffering from an eating disorder speak to someone you trust, speak to your school nurses, or contact your GP. It might feel scary, but help is available.

Anxiety is not only a feeling, but also a very common symptom of several mental health conditions, including generalised anxiety disorder. This is where you feel anxious most days, about a range of situations, and struggle to relax to the point that it may impact everyday life.

There are other mental health conditions of which anxiety may be a symptom, such as a panic disorder and social anxiety disorder. When you are anxious, you may feel:

• Restless and unable to concentrate
• Out of breath
• A sense of dread or unease
• Physically sick or achy
• More aware of your heartbeat
• Fatigue and have trouble sleeping

Feeling anxious at times is normal, and everyone could experience it throughout times of hardship or stress. However, if it starts to affect what you do on a day-to-day basis, it’s time to reach out for some help. There is plenty of support available, a few of the support networks available include:

• The NHS have resources on recognising the signs of anxiety alongside coping mechanisms and where to reach out for help and support.
• With me in mind has many resources surrounding how to cope with anxiety- you can also reach out to your local with me in Mind team via their webpage.
• Anxiety UK provides support if you have been diagnosed with an anxiety condition. You can phone them on: 03444 775 774 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30pm)
• Mind have support on how to self-care with anxiety as well as advice on how to/when to reach out for help.

If you are suffering with severe anxiety please speak to someone you trust, ask at your school/work about counselling services and speak to your GP.

Exams are stressful for us all, but some of us can deal with the pressure better than others. For some people, exams can cause severe stress and affect how you feel all of the time. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed when there is a lot going on, but it’s worth seeking help if these feelings are starting to:

• Give you feelings of anxiety
• Make you feel depressed or hopeless
• Impact your sleep
• Impact your eating habits
• Prevent you from doing things you would normally enjoy

If this is happening for you, speak to someone you trust to get it off your chest. It is worth doing, and could make you feel a lot better.

If you are suffering from exam stress please ensure that you:

• Speaking to trusted teachers and family about it, so they are aware of how you are feeling.
• Being kind to yourself and take time to relax.
• Ask your teachers about counselling or support available.

There is lots of support available to you if you find yourself suffering from exam stress such as:

• Young minds has lots of advice and coping mechanisms for coping with exam stress.
• Student minds has resources on how to self-care for your exam stress.
• Mind has tools on how to cope with and overcome exam stress.
• Call Childline on - 0800 1111

If you feel as though your stress is getting out of hand, make sure to speak to your GP, local CAHMS Service or With Me in Mind team to get the help you need.

It is important to recognise the signs of self-harm, it can occur when overwhelming feelings build up inside or/and when somebody feel isolated, angry, guilty or desperate.

Although it may feel hard, there are alternatives that can divert the habit from causing physical harm.

Some of these are comforting options:

• having a warm bath
• spending time with pets
• massaging the areas you want to harm

Other coping mechanisms are designed to let emotions out:

• screaming into a pillow
• using an elastic band to ping when you feel the urge to self-harm
• drawing on arm with red marker
• squeezing a stress ball or ice

If you are struggling to cope with urges to self-harm, there is lots of support available:

• Alumina is a free, online 7 week course for young people struggling with self-harm. Each course has up to 8 young people, all accessing the sessions from their own phones, tablets or laptops across the UK.
• Young Minds provides advice on how to receive help if you are struggling with self harm. You can also contact the Young Minds Crisis Messenger by texting YM to 85258.
• MIND are available via their support line on 0300 123 3393 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm)
• Contact Childline at 0800 1111
• Contact HOPElineUK at 0800 068 4141 (9am to midnight, every day of the year)

When children are feeling anxious and worried, it can be really hard for them to explain or understand how they’re feeling. You may notice that your child behaves a little differently and it can be really stressful as a parent/carer to understand what’s happening and how best to support your child through it. Sometimes, what could easily be seen as being naughty, could be your child’s way of trying to show you that something is wrong and they aren’t feeling happy. One way to understand this is by knowing your child’s typical behaviours, and identify whether there is any change or behaviour out of character.

The first step is to recognise the signs that a child might be struggling with worry or anxiety, such as:

• become irritable, tearful, clingy or have angry outbursts
• have difficulty eating or sleeping
• feeling tense and fidgety, or using the toilet often
• complaining of tummy aches and feeling unwell
• wake in the night, have bad dreams and/or start wetting the bed
• lack confidence to try new things or seem unable to face simple, everyday challenges
• find it hard to concentrate, constantly worrying and have a lot of negative thoughts

More information regarding recognising signs of low mental wellbeing can be found on the CAMHS Doncaster Webpage or via the NSPCC.

If you are concerned about your child’s mental health, Young Minds provide a webchat, phone and email service to provide support to parents.

There is also a free online course that you can take, which will help with 'Understanding your teenagers brain' This course can be found here. please use the code STGEORGE

Life has been turned upside down for all of us over the last few months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Below is a list of practical support and ideas about how to help your child manage any worries or anxiety they might have during this difficult time.

It's important to keep in mind that changes in behaviour may also be a developmental change as opposed to worry and anxiety, and even though a child may be experiencing worry and anxiety, children can be resilient. A lot of our anxiety’s and worries are healthy for our development; they allow us to become resilient, problem solve and cope with difficult situations in the future.

TIP 1 - Talk to your child about their worries

TIP 2 - Keep to a routine

TIP 3 - Look after yourself and your own needs

TIP 4 - Don’t be afraid to ask for some support

For resources on how to speak with your child regarding mental health you can visit the With Me in Mind webpage.

Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CAMHS)

CAMHS services are provided by Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH). Between 9am and 5pm you can contact the CAMHS team  or your care coordinator (if your child is already seeing someone in CAMHS) on 01302 796191. Please note the services are closed on public bank holidays but the out of hours service continues to operate.  Out of hours is after 5pm and at weekends – for a mental health crisis access to support is available at your local Emergency Department. You can also contact the Single Point of Access by freephone on 0800 804 8999.

Zone 5-19

Zone 5-19 is a health and wellbeing service for Doncaster children, young people and families.

Zone 5-19 can aid with:

• Keeping healthy (physical, emotionally and sexually)
• Emotional health (dealing with life’s ‘ups and downs’, including problems with relationships, friendships, bullying, self-harm and eating disorders)
• Sexual health
• Drugs and alcohol

With Me in Mind

With Me in Mind is a team of Mental Health Support Workers based in and near schools and colleges around Doncaster and Rotherham who help children and young people with their mental health. The team enhances support already in place from school counsellors, nurses, educational psychologists and the voluntary sector to treat those with mild to moderate mental health issues in school. The team can also help children and young people with more severe needs to access the right support and provide a link to specialist NHS services.

With Me in Mind can aid young people with:

• Anxiety
• Sleep
• Transitioning schools
• Well-being
• Self-esteem and low mood
• Eating disorders
• Self-help

eclinic

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Early Help Services

If you and your family are struggling and finding it hard.  There is support available. Getting help early prevents problems from getting worse. Early Help -To access early help you can complete an Early Help enquiry form online or you can call ring from 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday, on 01302 734110. The right support will be identified for you and your family.

Child Bereavement

Winston's Wish is the UK's childhood bereavement charity; they provide support to children and their families after the death of a parent or sibling.

Local Solutions Group

Local Solutions Groups are meeting across Doncaster providing local solutions for local people for everyday issues.

The aim of Local Solutions is:

• To provide information, advice and guidance
• Connect families with the right support at the right time
• To support families at the earliest opportunity
• Ensure professionals are connected locally
• Build family strengths and resilience
• Support whole family needs
• Understand local issues

Worry Monster Resources

Make a Worry Monster with your little one! Why not try this at home activity with your child/children to start working on taming those worries.

We've pulled together a handy guide on how to make your very own Worry Monster to eat those fears away! All you will need is an empty tissue box, scissors, craft supplies, an adult and a little imagination! That way, your little one can write down their concerns and let the Worry Monster munch them away.

Super Sam:

Doncaster Council Young Advisors have developed this book as part of the national trailblazer pilot programme ‘With Me in Mind’ which is aimed at improving mental health support in schools. This book is a helpful resource to raise awareness of mental health issues and to encourage children and young people to talk about their feelings.

Read Super Sam

Special Educational Needs / Disabilities

The Local Offer provides information for children and young people with special educational needs (SEND) and their parents or carers in a single place. It shows families what they can expect from a range of local agencies including education, health and social care.

Ieso Digital Health provides online CBT to people in Doncaster on behalf of the NHS. To be eligible for online CBT, you must be registered with a GP in Doncaster and be aged 18 or over.

New parents who may need mental health and wellbeing support can find advice and resources on the Doncaster Council webpage. Support networks such as Doncaster Family Hubs and Adults Mental Health Single Point of Access are available for adults across Doncaster.

Manna Community have lots of resources for Parent’s who may feel as though they need support with their mental health and wellbeing. Manna has online courses to help you manage your mental health and wellbeing.