The Mental Health Handbook for Primary School

The stigma attached to mental health and the social barriers that surround it amplify its direct effects and damage the life chances of people with mental health problems. According to the Department of Health (2011), educating children and young people about mental health is of vital importance if we are to challenge the ignorance and stigma related to this area of health. Many young people will be living in families where an adult member may have mental health problems or indeed may be facing similar problems themselves.

The Mental Health Handbook for Primary School provides a comprehensive resource to help teachers deal sensitively with this important area. Part One provides an introduction and background information highlighting the need to tackle mental health in primary schools. The facts are startling — 10% of 10-16 year olds have a diagnosed mental health disorder, there is an increasing number of children self-harming and an alarming increase in early eating disorders. This section provides clear guidance on how to use the programme, including working with parents and answering questions children may ask.

Part Two details a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation introducing staff to the programme. Part Three provides wide-ranging lesson materials with comprehensive teacher notes and includes all the necessary copiable resources for using the programme from years 3 through to 6. Part Four has a Glossary of Terms as well as a valuable Resource Directory to direct the busy teacher to other useful sources of information.

The accompanying downloadable resources include: activity pages; a model letter for parents; and, a staff PowerPoint.