Reboot Breakfast Event: 30 November
On Saturday 30 November, Sara will be at St Peter’s Church in Bayhall Road, Tunbridge Wells, along with Fiona from Emerge, to talk on “Facing a Growing Crisis: How can…
Meeting the mental health needs in our community.
At Crossways Community we believe that if people, including children and young people, understand that mental illnesses, such as depression, body anxiety or exam-related stress, are relatively common and nothing to be afraid or ashamed of, then they are more likely to recognise signs and symptoms in themselves or others and ask for support.
There has been much interest amongst academics recently around causes for the rise in mental health problems in children and young people, and we are passionate about being part of the solution. More information can be found in the “Support for Parents” tab below.
Whatever the experts say, and whatever the probable cause, we know that 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England.
In a bid to address the situation locally, Reboot can offer support and raised awareness for schools, parents and carers with teens tackling mental health issues, and for adults via businesses and churches.
Sara, our Reboot mental health awareness trainer, can visit schools locally to deliver short interactive lessons within the PHSE curriculum.
We also provide a three-lesson course for primary school Year 6 children to help prepare them for the transition to secondary school. Each lesson / course can be tailored to suit an individual school’s circumstance.
To make enquiries or bookings please contact Sara Barker
When asked, the children were keen to explain that the sessions had helped to allay their fears and that it was good to talk about things that were in their heads.
Data collected by the NHS from 2023 shows an increasing demand for mental health support, with record-high numbers of children and young people struggling with their mental health.
There has been much interest amongst academics recently around causes for the rise in mental health problems in children and young people. One new review of research carried out by academics at Newcastle University, which covered 1.2 million children in 21 countries, found that energy drink consumption among young people is linked to poor sleep quality and short sleep duration as well as lower academic performance compared to non-energy drinkers.
Energy drink consumption was also associated with increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, psychological distress, depression, anxiety, insulin resistance, and dental issues.
The ubiquity of smartphones has led to issues that parents are more likely to be aware of but may not be equipped to cope with. Two recent studies found that 18.7% of 16-18 year olds and 14.5% of 13-16 year olds reported problematic smartphone use. “Problematic” is a way of describing a pattern of smartphone use which shares similarities with other behavioural additions – loss of control over use, primacy of the phone in their life so that they are spending time on it in preference to other meaningful activities or sleep, and continue to do this despite an awareness of the downsides. One of the studies can be seen here.
Crossways Community can provide support for parents who are under-resourced for dealing with mental health associated issues arising from their young people in the home. These sessions are provided as a friendly drop-in so that there is support available when it is needed, without tying anyone into a fixed schedule.
To make enquiries or find out more, please contact Sara Barker
Crossways Community offers a mental health awareness programme for adults – providing short courses and seminars for churches and businesses. These are not for mental health professionals but for the majority of people who wish to better understand their own mental health and build better mental resilience, or know people who are struggling with mental health issues but don’t know how to help.
To make enquiries or bookings please contact Sara Barker
I’ve done other mental health awareness courses, but the one delivered by Crossways was more relevant, accessible and fun!
