Mental Health Teaching Days

JAGS has run two extremely success events on ‘Understanding mental health within schools’ in collaboration with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

Aims

JAGS has run two extremely success events on ‘Understanding mental health within schools’ in collaboration with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. These free events were attended by teachers, pastoral staff, school nurses and youth workers from the local community.

Background

Often, CPD training around health is expensive and therefore unattainable, and so our Pastoral Team at JAGS decided to host an event around mental health with speakers from the National and Specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust which was extremely valuable to the local community, as well as to organisations from surrounding boroughs.

Resources

Topics discussed included Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), depression and a session on mental health in primary aged children. Presentations were given by a range of expert Clinical Psychologists working in the field. The Psychologists gave invaluable information on resources available in the local area, as well as specific advice on discussing mental health issues with young people and helping them to access the correct treatment for their illness.

Impact

One attendee commented, ‘Each subject was presented interestingly, with up to date information. The facilitators were engaging and I feel very well informed. Having the young person and her mother speak was really super. First-hand experience is vital to hear’.

Pupil Involvement

Over 150 teachers, pastoral staff, school nurses and youth workers from the local community attended.

Frequency

We have held two events already, and plan to host another event next year.