What is mental health?
As a young person, you are in a period in your life where you go through a lot of changes. You may be facing challenges which are unfamiliar and face pressure inside and outside of school.
In just the same way that physical health is important for a person’s well-being, mental health will have a direct impact on every aspect of your life.
What are the duties of the school?
Schools have a duty to promote positive mental health and therefore there are several services that the school can offer if you require help.
Pastoral care – Your first point of contact within the school should be your class/form teacher. Every teacher owes a duty of care to their pupils and therefore they must listen and make decisions which are in your best interests.
Counselling – Counselling is a service delivered by qualified counsellors in schools. Counsellors will offer you an opportunity to talk about any difficulties that you have. Everything you say to a counsellor is confidential except in special circumstances.
CAMHS – If you are finding it hard to deal with a mental health issue and it is having a severe impact on your ability to live a normal life, a more urgent approach may be necessary. CAMHS are specialist NHS children and young people’s mental health services and can offer a variety of trained mental health professionals to assist you.
Peer support – Often young people are worried about speaking to adults about a sensitive matter. Peer support means you can talk to another young person within the school about the difficulties that you are experiencing.
