TISUK Founder and Director Dr Margot Sunderland with teen actor Martin Tandoh  discuss the need for a new approach to PSHE mental health  with BBC London Radio

Watch an extract from the film...

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OVERVIEW

A radical rethink in how mental health is taught in secondary schools, 'What every teenager needs to know about emotions, relationships and mental health' is a ground breaking film supporting delivery of mental health component of the PSHE curriculum; educating all, and particularly supporting teenagers with mild to moderate mental health symptoms. A film performed by teenagers for teenagers, it is designed to be watched by whole year groups from Year 8 upwards alongside support from emotionally available adults. 

Who it is for: Seondary school pupils, Year 8 upwards

Duration/format: approx 60 mins total, in 3 x 20min films

Facilitation Requirements: Delivery of the film should be facilitated by a psychologically trained practitioner such as a TISUK Practitioner, School Councillor or equivalent. The film comes with a full  'How to Use' Guide, illustrating best practice delivery of the film, and facilitation of supportive discussions and small group conversations. 

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WHY THE FILM IS NEEDED...

A different approach is needed to alleviate the distress of young people, and markedly reduce both CAMHS waiting lists and public health costs. 

Standard manualised mental health lessons bought in by schools, can support teenagers who need better strategies to help them manage stress, emotionally regulate, reframe negative thinking patterns or understand the perils of negative modes of self-help e.g. turning to drink to manage grief. But such lessons were never intended to address the distress of teenagers suffering from ongoing panic attacks, phobias, compulsive rituals, intrusive thoughts, depression, social anxiety, not wanting to live anymore, self-harm or complex post-traumatic stress. And yet there are millions of teenagers living difficult lives who are suffering in these ways. 

And referring all the teenagers in distress to CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services) isn’t the answer either, illusttrated by the shocking statistics: 

• Last year, 1.2 million referrals were made to CAMHS. 
• Nearly 40,000 children experienced a wait of over 2 years. Almost 40% had their referral closed before accessing support (referral closed before second contact)1 
• A quarter of young people try to take their own lives whilst waiting for NHS treatment.2 
• In the UK, suicide is the main cause of death in young people under the age of 35. Five teenagers take their own life every day (Papyrus 2024). 

So, we believe that there is a missing middle step between the current PSHE mental health resources and referral to CAMHS. 

WHAT THE FILM INCLUDES AND HOW TO FACILITATE IT...

Along with support from school counsellors and emotionally available adults (for teenagers lucky enough to have one) this film provides part of that vital middle step to support teenagers with mild to moderate mental health symptoms. Here’s how: 

• The film tackles the causes of mental health problems head on. It highlights the intense emotional pain that many teenagers experience. 
• The film offers very moving and relatable true stories of pain to recovery – filling a critical gap in how mental health is addressed in many schools. 
• The film’s honest portrayal of mental health struggles goes way beyond surface-level, cognitively based discussions, to explore how untold stories of distress can result in mental health problems. 
• The film provides valuable insights that teenagers find incredibly useful on the most common mental health problems and how to heal (cutting-edge neuroscience and psychological research). 
• The film needs to be facilitated by a therapeutically qualified practitioner (e.g. school counsellor) who knows how to respond to teenagers who ask for help. This can also be a TISUK graduate (we are in over 6000 schools nationwide). 
• The practitioner can also run therapeutic groups for those who need it. 
• The Government Green Paper 2017 states, “There is evidence that appropriately trained and supported staff such as teachers… teaching assistants can achieve results comparable to those achieved by trained therapists in delivering a number of interventions addressing mild to moderate mental health problems (e.g. anxiety, conduct disorder, substance use disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder)”3 

Refs: 1. Children’s mental health services 2022- 23 (2023). March 2024. London, The Children’s Commissioner Report. 2. Young Minds. End the Wait Campaign (2022) 3. Government Green Paper, Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision (December 2017)