Be Calm: supporting children with anxiety

 

The world is filled with uncertainty. As I sit to write on the morning of the United States of America’s Presidential Election 2024, it is difficult to keep thoughts from swirling. What will the outcome of elections be? What does this mean for us here in the UK? Or the wars that rage in other parts of the world? None of these concerns are within my control. My thoughts are future focused and stem from a fear that the future may be something more than I can manage. My thoughts are anxious thoughts. 

My experience of anxiety today is mild and fleeting. Sadly, too many people experience anxiety that impacts their mental health. Alarmingly, anxiety afflicts British children more in this generation than earlier ones. The decline in our children's mental health is well documented and the rate of decline is both tragic and alarming. The latest figures suggest that 1 in 5 children and young people, in the UK, have a probable diagnosable mental disorder (NHS Digital, 2023). The problem becomes even clearer when older children’s (ages 17-19) mental health is put under the microscope. One in four are believed to have a probable diagnosable mental disorder in 2022, rising from one in ten in 2017 (NHS Digital, 2023).

The fact of the matter is that diagnosable mental disorders rarely just appear! Children and young people often struggle for a significant period before seeking support with their mental health and a disorder is diagnosed. Current figures estimate that 20% of 8 - 16 year olds, in the UK, are experiencing mental health difficulties (NHS Digital, 2023). This is where support should be targeted and the trajectory for a child’s mental health significantly altered.

 

Worry

The charity Young Minds current campaign “Crushed by a Million Pressures” slogan says it all - "I went to an under-resourced school and all I got was this CRIPPLING ANXIETY”! 

But what if it doesn’t have to be that way? What if there is a way that children can be equipped with psychological skills and resources that will enable them to thrive and beat this anxiety epidemic?

As the old adage goes, prevention is better than cure. The World Health Organisation identifies mental health promotion as a fundamental in transforming mental health for all (WHO, 2022). 

Enter stormbreak Shine….

Shine was launched by stormbreak in early 2023. It is  an innovative approach in supporting children’s wellbeing, Shine pathways can be used in school or at home. With individuals or small groups of children. A guided self-help journey for trusted adults and children, when the child is beginning to struggle. 

Unsurprisingly the most used pathway supports children who are experiencing anxiety. “Be Calm” has been produced with a Clinical Psychologist and a CAMHS Practitioner, using movement as a vehicle for conversations about worrying too much. Shine pathways promote emotional literacy and distress tolerance skills. Most importantly, however, it promotes attunement between adult and child, an identified protective factor for children’s mental health. The pathway materials include essential information on anxiety in childhood, in both adult and child friendly formats. The “Trusted Adult Toolkit” are carefully curated resource materials which support trusted adults as they support children. It takes adults from “Zero to Hero” in understanding the child’s needs, the pathways require no prior knowledge or expertise.

The magic is in the movement, which supports the acquisition of skills and promotes calm. 

The principal benefit of Shine is that it is available and ready for when children are beginning to struggle. No waiting lists, no delays. It is a tool that has been designed with flexibility in mind. It can be used in school - as a one-to-one or small group intervention -  at home, or anywhere else. Independent evaluation of the Shine pathways has shown that 57% of children experienced an improvement in their wellbeing. The greatest improvements in children’s wellbeing occurred when children’s wellbeing was low and where wellbeing was moderate.

Professionals from Education, and Health and Social Care send Shine pathways to trusted adults, enabling support where the child most needs it. The web based application enables professionals to monitor individual progress, prompting timely conversations if progress appears to stall.

Watch this video to learn more.

Be Calm isn’t the only pathway available to support children’s emotional wellbeing. There are a number of other pathways available which support common difficulties, from relationships to focus and attention. Each one addresses common difficulties that currently threaten children’s emotional and psychological wellbeing.

Do you want to find out more? If you’re a parent or a carer - ask your child’s school if they have access to stormbreak Shine. You can also check out the hundreds of free resources that are available on our website. If you are a professional and are curious about how stormbreak may help you to support children you work with, get in touch via email to hello@stormbreak.org.uk.! We would love to share a pathway with you so that you can experience the magic of movement for mental wellbeing.

 

Read more about our programmes here.

Idea

 

Victoria Stamp RNC SPCCN, Director of Emotional Wellbeing at stormbreak.

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