Mental Health Support Team
Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) partner with schools and colleges in Lewisham to support mental health and emotional wellbeing. Our focus is on early intervention, prevention and promotion; for young people who are thriving, coping or would benefit from getting help.
We work with the whole school; for example, delivering workshops and coffee mornings for parents and carers, assemblies and pupil voice groups for young people and training and consultation for staff. We work individually and in groups with parents, carers and young people.
Some of the things we help with are:
- Low mood: sadness, low motivation
- Mild to moderate anxiety: worries, irrational fears and concerns
- Behaviours that challenge
- Family and peer relationship difficulties
- Difficulty adjusting to change and transition
- Difficulty regulating emotions
- School absences or at risk of exclusions
We aspire to bring education, health and families together, working collaboratively to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people based on their own life experiences and the uniqueness of their school community, whether they are thriving, coping or would benefit from getting help.
What support do we offer?
Our guided self-help interventions are for anxiety or behaviour that challenges and are based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, also known as CBT. We work with you-parents and carers - rather than directly with the child. Research tells us that this is more effective as you know your child best!
We will meet with you for six to eight sessions, with some ‘homework’, which will be reading or activities, between sessions. We run both one to one and group sessions. Our aim is to understand together what’s going on for your child and to practice strategies that will help you towards your goals:
Whole class intervention: We provide whole class, year group and group interventions in line with identified school needs
A range of options: We offer a wide range of interventions because we acknowledge that guided self-help might not always be the right fit.
Support with where else to go for help: We work with schools and families to think about ways of supporting the child or young persons including signposting to other services or activities.
Support for school staff: We support schools and colleges to develop and deliver their whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing.
MHST information FAQ
What is early intervention?
Early intervention aims to prevent the need for further treatment in the future. By managing difficulties when they are first noticed, it can make them less likely to become worse. Many early intervention strategies help you feel more empowered to manage future challenges that can come along.
What does early intervention look like (in our team)?
Course of 6-8 sessions of guided self-help with a MHST practitioner. This means that we provide tools and activities for people to use to manage life’s ups and downs.
What do you mean by ‘mild to moderate’ mental health difficulties?
For mild symptoms you may notice more recent changes that could be affecting one or two areas of life, such as:
- feeling sad
- worrying more than usual
- more irritable
- avoiding people or places
- not doing things they used to enjoy
Moderate symptoms have been around for longer and have a bigger impact on daily life.These could be changes in:
- mood
- relationships
- learning
- sleep
- appetite
What do I need to do to get help?
You can speak to someone at school such as the school family worker/link worker, headteacher, class teacher. Whichever staff member you feel comfortable with as most staff in the school can pass on your concerns to our team.
Does the MHST run parent groups?
Yes, the MHST runs parent groups. These can be focused on a particular difficulty, or can be ran as a workshop, such as a transitions workshop between Year 6 and Year 7.
Does this cost the school money?
No, this is a free service provided by NHS and Department of Education.
Can anyone access the service?
Yes, anybody can access the service following the referral pathway.
How do you make sure everyone can use this service?
MHST aims to be a service that anyone can use. This means we will:
- Provide translators when needed
- Offer a choice of virtual or face to face sessions
- Find the best fit for you
- Offer a joined-up approach to working with you, services and schools
How do I refer myself to the service?
If you are the parent or carer of a child or young person that attends a school in the Lewisham MHST network, you can make a request for support by speaking to the Senior Mental Health Lead at your child’s school.
Where can I find out more?
For more information, please follow the link: Information about the Mental health support team in Lewisham (slam.nhs.uk)
