Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) are an expanding service designed to help support the mental health of children and young people from 5-18 years old in certain schools and colleges across Lincolnshire or who are not on roll with an education setting.
We understand that it is common for children and young people to struggle with their mental health at times and school or college can often be a safe place to talk about these difficulties and get the support needed.
Our teams are made up of trained professionals including Clinical Lead Practitioners, (Education) Mental Health Practitioners and access to Peer Support. We work with education settings to support children and young people to have positive wellbeing and when they are struggling with their mental health. We also work closely with other children and young people's services i.e. CAMHS and Healthy Minds Lincolnshire.
One of our main goals is to provide a variety of training and support to pupils, parent/ carers and education staff. This forms part of our 'Whole School Approach.'
To access our free training offer please use the links within our MHST Newsletter.
What's new?
Autumn Term (2023/24)
Mindfulness Curriculum
Our Mental Health Support Teams and Healthy Minds Lincolnshire have developed a Mindfulness Curriculum for education settings.
The Curriculum is a six-week programme, with a twice daily practice of two different activities. We encourage education settings to introduce this as a Mindful Morning and Awareness Afternoon practice.
Research by Katherine Weare in Evidence for Mindfulness: Impact on the Wellbeing and Performance of School Staff (2014) found an increase in wellbeing, mindfulness, self-compassion, sustained attention, emotional regulation and teaching efficacy whilst there was a proven decrease of stress, anxiety, depression, demotivation, time-urgency and burnout symptoms.
Further research by Katherine Weare, in Evidence for the Impact of Mindfulness on Children and Young People (2012), also found that mindfulness for young people is easy to carry out and improves the mental, emotional, social and physical health and wellbeing of young people and that it has shown to reduce stress, anxiety, reactivity and negative behaviour, improvement in sleep and self-esteem.
If you would like further information, please speak with your linked MHST practitioner.
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy group
We are excited to be piloting our first Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy group. This is a programmed designed to help with persistent unwanted mood states, such as low mood and anxiety.
The programme has been tested and proven to be an effective treatment model and this 8 week course gives you the skills and understanding to empower you to move away from getting caught up in painful emotions
Self-esteem group
We have successfully piloted a virtual self esteem group for young people agree the county. This has been through a period of review and following feedback shared by young people and practitioners this is again being run.
Awareness days
Here at MHST we are committed to celebrating diversity, increasing awareness, and decreasing stigma around mental health. Therefore, we regularly produce resources for use by our education settings around a variety of topics, that can be linked to our mental health and wellbeing. Keep your eye out for the new resources sent to your setting or speak to your link practitoner to be added to our contact card.
For a calendar detailing religious and key diversity awareness days please explore ‘The Inclusion Calendar.’
Shout-outs
Staff in our education settings work tirelessly to support their students, we wanted to take this opportunity to share some of this hard work!
Sir Francis Hill and Monks Abbey helping us to Build Resilience
Both Sir Francis Hill and Monks Abbey have helped us review our new Building Resilience Workshop. We hope to add this session to or offer in the long term and we appreciate their support in allowing us to pilot this in their settings.
Seeing the new site at St Christopher's
Thank you for being supportive with workshops. The engagement and enthusiasm with staff and students alike has been wonderful. They have a new site in development which is really exciting, and they have managed to maintain a really positive school atmosphere despite a lot going on and some pupils understandably finding change challenging.
Priory Witham’s new Skills
Shout out to Witham for their year 11 carousel day focused on skills for adult life. This day including workshops on healthy relationship, managing money and debt, sexual safety, and with MHST supporting by offering exam stress workshop.
Thanks for the invite!
Feedback from Athena
Students engaged superbly in the anti-bullying workshop and shared some really great feedback which has been incorporated into the delivery of the workshop moving forward. Thanks for the great feedback and helping us improve our service.
Listen to LCHS exam success!
LCHS have hosted an amazing wellbeing day for the pupils – a completely off timetable day where we supported with exam stress workshops and other workshops were on offer including armed forces, gambling awareness, YMCA, and many more. We also wanted to say thank you to all the students who took part in our Exam Stress to Exam Success workshops. We particularly wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to the young people who shared their views on mental health support to BBC radio Lincolnshire during their interview, and to the school facilitating the radio and media coverage.
A warm reception at LCHS
Thank you to Reception, by being organised and approachable you support us to book sessions and ensue that students and therapists have an appropriate space for therapy sessions. We appreciate all the hard work this takes.
Come drop-in at the Meadows Primary!
The Meadows Primary have been working closely with MHST to facilitate Parent Drop-in sessions. These have had a great take up by parents/ carers and have been useful in developing awareness around Mental Health. They have also been supporting the implementation of the Whole School Approach.
Thanks for having us!
Podcasting at St Georges!
St Georges have supported us to record our first podcast with primary aged young people. MHST have created a primary bullying workshop – this has been delivered at St Georges with a small group of young people and turned into a Podcast for dissemination to other schools.
Thank you, St Georges, for being involved in our Podcast Project!
To listen to this when it is released, please search on your podcast app or listen on our website!
The Richmond club together for wellbeing.
The Richmond school have started some student wellbeing clubs. These include a general wellbeing club and a gardening club. We can’t wait to see student's wellbeing and the garden grow!
Maintaining Progress at Sibsey
Mrs Sykes has been continuing to support young people by booking check-in time with young people and MHST practitioners after interventions have ended.
Coffee and Cake with Boston College Staff
Boston college arranged a meet and greet session with some of their staff. Staff were able to discuss how MHST can work with the college to imbed the whole school approach. Thank you also for the tea and cake!
You’ve got a friend in Boston St Mary’s
Boston St Mary’s have started a lunch time club specially with the aim to building friendships within school. This is having a great impact on young people.
Perfecting policies
Scampton CofE Primary, Sturton by Stow Primary and Riseholme College are all working with MHST on developing separate mental health and wellbeing policies.
Check out Monks Abbey
Monks Abbey have inspired other primary schools with their peer support programme; involving checking in, checking up and checking out system where students are given a safe space to discuss important topics on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays.
Keep up the good work!
We are the Champions at LSST
A shout out to LSST well-being champions for taking a proactive approach in the well-being support they are offering their students. They have attended MHST 1:1 sessions to further support their peers. Thank you!
Student Voice Being Heard at Skegness Grammar
What's that we hear? The Student voice at Skegness Grammar
They have been proactive by approaching students to enquire about workshops and asking about support is needed. They have utilised and shared the resources MHST have sent with the students, particularly around exam stress.
Beacon Primary Embracing Whole School Approach
Beacon Primary school in Skegness have been really proactive in adopting the whole school approach. They have invited us in to attend nurture groups, talk to teachers and teaching assistants to share resources and always happy and supportive for workshops to be run.
St George’s very own ‘Wreck-it-Ralph'
St George’s have made their own ‘Destroy Boxes’ full of items that can be ripped, popped, scrunched or squeezed!
This box can be used by pupils when they need help to release extra energy form angry or anxious feelings.
Make your own ‘Destroy Box’ by following our instructions.
