Youth Mental Health: Supporting Young People Using a Trauma Informed Practice

Discover expert advice from the Mental Health Foundation

This course will teach you different ways you can support young people who have experienced trauma, focussing on using a Trauma Informed Practice.

Developed alongside professionals at the Mental Health Foundation, this useful framework was initially used to support young people returning from COVID lockdown. However, the resource can also be used to help you support young people who might be going through a period of stress or trauma.

Understand Adverse Childhood Experiences

You’ll start by examining Adverse Childhood Experiences – a widely-used term in child mental health and education. Though the pandemic has been a traumatic experience for many young people, it is not the only source of trauma and so learning how to discuss childhood experiences that could have contributed to trauma is extremely beneficial.

You’ll also evaluate the role of physical health and the ways you can support young people in maintaining their emotional wellbeing when faced with stress or trauma.

Discover the different factors that affect mental wellbeing during COVID-19

As lockdowns start to ease, you’ll consider how young people will cope with the transition back to ‘normality’ and learn the ways you can help them manage these difficulties.

You’ll also discover how awareness about COVID-19 and wider global crises, living conditions, and peer isolation impacts young people.

Learn how to help foster a positive mindset

Finally, you’ll explore the benefits of a positive mindset and how you can help young people remain positive during times of stress.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to explain some of the underlying factors that contribute to a young person’s wellbeing and the actions you can take to support a young person to make positive changes for their mental health.

This course is suitable for anyone working with children or young people who they feel may be experiencing difficulty transitioning back to full-time education after a period of absence or difficulty in their personal or family lives.

• PEP
• Starting the PEP TALK journey
• Adverse Childhood Experiences
• P: Physical Health
• E: Emotional Wellbeing
• P: Peer Relationships
• Weekly review
• TALK
• What's happening in Week 2?
• T: Transitions
• A: Awareness
• L: Living conditions
• K: Keep it positive
• Course wrap-up