Mental Health: It’s Time to Talk
Today is Time to Talk Day, the UK’s biggest mental health conversation!
Did you know that one in four of us will experience a mental health problem in any given year?
Here at Children North East, we believe in the importance of speaking up and reaching out when it comes to looking after your mental health. We share the values of the Time to Talk movement that open conversation can reduce stigma, create supportive communities and empower people to seek support.
To mark Time to Talk Day, we’re highlighting some of the support available through Children North East where a conversation about mental health can be life-changing…
Little Minds in Mind
Becoming a parent or caregiver is often thought of as one of the happiest experiences of our lives. However, we know the reality can be much more complicated, even overwhelming. Little Minds in Mind (previously NEWPIP) is a service for parents and caregivers who are experiencing difficulties in their relationship with their baby, during pregnancy or after their baby is born.
Cara Sydney accessed the service when she found herself battling depression just after her baby was born. She explains her experience of that first conversation asking for help, “I remember feeling worried and thinking, ‘What if they think I’m a bad mam?’ But actually, me seeking help meant the opposite, it showed I wanted to be the best mam I could be.” You can read her full story on our website.
Learn more about our Little Minds in Mind programme, or hear more about how the service has worked with new parents and caregivers overcoming challenges in this Mental Health Week case study.
BU
Our BU programme is delivered in schools. It’s there to provide a safe space for children and young people facing struggling to manage their emotions or facing difficulties with confidence, self-esteem or friendships. The programme explores self-care, relationships and managing negative feelings.
In the story of one participant, Abbie, small steps such as sharing how she was feeling through drawing and hearing the message of ‘it’s OK not to feel OK’ helped her grow the confidence to seek support from her school councillor. Her story shows that the big conversations are made possible by the small ones… making Time to Talk today can help people when it really matters. You can read her full story on our website.
Learn more about our BU programme and other mental health support within schools.
Melva
MELVA is a fun and accessible creative intervention, supporting children and the adults in their lives to talk openly about – and better understand – their mental health, emotions and wellbeing.
Available as a game, play and film to schools and families, it follows the exciting story of adventurer Melva Mapletree, sharing tips and techniques for managing negative thoughts and feelings along the way.
There is a lot that makes Melva special, but if we’re talking mental health, we need to mention “worrits”, the name for worries in the MELVA world. If worries belong to adults, “worrits” belong to children and give them a way to start a conversation about mental health in their own language… something less scary than using the other “W” word.
One young participant explains, “I learned that you should listen to people and don’t be scared to share your feelings and worrits.”
Learn more about Melva via its website or read our case study about our experience of partnering with the innovative intervention in our blog, Melva: The hero every child needs.
Sexual Health Support
The Sexual Health services team create safe, confidential spaces in which to explore the emotional side of sexual health alongside traditional physical health support, tackling themes as broad as healthy relationships, protecting your mental health, pornography and sexual exploitation.
The team are on hand to help young people pursue safe choices as they encounter new emotional experiences, from STI and pregnancy testing, helping them choose the right contraception, and supporting decision-making during pregnancy. One young person explains, “She [the sexual health team member] explained really well, gave us time to ask questions and was very nice to me and my boyfriend”.
Learn more about our Sexual Health services or explore their impact in our case study.
Counselling for young victims of crime
Did you know young people are disproportionately likely to be victims of crime? Often this experience can impact their mental health, incurring anger, denial or depression. Sometimes they may not even know they have been victimised. This impact can make it an incredibly difficult experience to speak about.
We offer a special counselling service for 11 to 25 year olds who have been a victim of crime, covering areas as diverse as domestic abuse, sexual violence or hate crime.
If you think this support could help you, we hope the experience of one young person might encourage you to reach out… “In all honesty, you have moved me both emotionally and mentally from such a dark frightening place to a much happier stable place.”
Learn more about our counselling support for young victims of crime.
Time to Talk is a national campaign run by Mind and Rethink Mental Health, both organisations have great mental health-related advice, information and support resources available on their websites.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or emergency, you can get immediate support from the NSH Mental Health helpline on 0800 652 2861. Or, if you would like to speak to someone confidentially, call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email: [email protected] for a reply within 24 hours.