Basic Mental Health Awareness (Children and Young

People)
Session Plan

Session Basic Mental Health Awareness (Children and Young

People)
Background Mental health has been defined as a state of wellbeing in which the
Information individual recognises their own abilities and is able to cope with normal
daily stresses in life (World Health Organisation, 2005). It is reported
that 1 in 4 adults will experience mental health issues in any given year.
Prevention and early intervention is vital and recovery is possible with
the right support and resources. By creating a culture where everyone
has a basic awareness of mental health and wellbeing it can help
eliminate stigma and discrimination and develop a more understanding
society which values mental health equally alongside physical health.

Aim To raise awareness of basic mental health and wellbeing

Learning Outcomes Participants will be able to:
 Discuss some of the commonly held misconceptions surrounding
mental health
 Describe what mental health means
 Discuss what can affect mental health and wellbeing
 Discuss what signs to look out for when concerned about an
individual’s mental health
 Discuss what protects, promotes, and supports mental health
 List resources that can help support mental health and wellbeing
Duration 1.5 hours
Resources  IT
 Presentation
 Flipchart/pens
 Session handouts
 Reflective practice tool

30
Learning outcomes Participant Activity Resources Time
1. Discuss some of the commonly Myth buster Quiz handout 10 min
held misconceptions surrounding
mental health
2. Describe what mental health Defining mental health Flipchart/Pens Slide 15 min
means
3. Discuss what can affect mental Body map Flipchart/Pens Slide 15 min
health and wellbeing

4. Discuss what signs to look out What to look out for Flipchart/Pens Slide 15 min
for when concerned about an
individual’s mental health
5. Discuss what protects, promotes What do people need? My World Triangle 15 min
and supports mental health handout
Slide

6. List resources that can help Resource Map Flipchart/pens 10 min

support mental health and
wellbeing
Children and young
people’s mental
health resources
handout
7. Looking after our own mental Self-care Slide 5 min
health
8. Reflection and session close Reflection Evaluation 5 min
Facilitator’s notes
Slide Notes Time Resources
1 Welcome participants and introduce 5 min Slides
yourself before offering an overview of
the session. Have the title slide up and
visible whilst doing this.
Emphasise that the session today is an
introduction to raising awareness of
children and young peoples’ (CYP)
mental health. It is not intended to
make people experts but to provide
some insight into what can affect CYP
mental health, why we need to be
aware of its significance, and the
important role we can all play in
supporting, protecting, and promoting
CYP mental health.
2 Put up the session overview slide and
read out what will be covered today.
Activity Mental Health Quiz 10 min Quiz
Let’s start with looking at some of the
myths that surround mental health.
(5 min
Distribute the mental health quiz to activity, 5
participants. This can be done on an min
individual basis or as a group. Ask
feedback)
participants to complete the quiz, true
or false. This is a good starting point
and gives an insight into the
participants’ knowledge and attitudes to
mental health.
Once completed, go through each of
the questions to generate discussion.
Use the supporting statements to
provide the correct answers and
information.
Discussion point: Was there anything
that participants were surprised about?
Share that this activity helps challenge
some of the myths associated with
 mental health.
Activity & What is mental health? 15 min Flipchart/
Slide 3 pens
Now we are going to explore what we
mean by mental health. How would we
(10 min
define mental health?
activity, 5 Slide
Divide the participants into groups and min
provide flipchart and pens. Invite the feedback)
groups to discuss what mental health
means to them and how they would
describe mental health. As a collective,
the group have to agree a
definition/statement of mental health.
Invite the groups to feedback their
definition/statement. Bring up the
mental health definition slide. Make
reference to any similarities that groups
may have with the World health
Organisation definition.
Discussion point: what do they think
of the definition? Highlight that there
are other definitions of mental health.
Some may or may not agree with this
definition but for the purpose of this
session, this definition has been used
as it provides a positive dimension of
mental health.
Highlight that we all have mental health
and like our physical health things can
go wrong. Mental health problems
range from the general worries and
grief we experience as part of everyday
life to the most desolate like
depression. If we think back to the quiz
we completed at the beginning, the
majority of people, this includes CYP,
who experience a mental health
problem do, with help, make a
complete recovery.
4 Statistics 5 min Slide
The purpose of the statistic section is
to help build a picture of the scale of
the mental health challenges specific to
 CYP. The statistical information is
taken from the Centre of Mental Health
UK which is available at:
[Link]
Inform the participants we are going to
a look at some of the statistics relating
to mental health. Read the information
off the slide highlighting CYP mental
health statistics.
Discussion point: once you have read
off the information ask the participants
what their thoughts and views are on
the statistics, are they surprised? Don’t
go into detail, again this is to help paint
a picture of some of the challenges that
our CYP face and how they can impact
on mental health, this will follow on to
the next activity.
Activity & What can affect CYP mental health? 15 min Flipchart/
Slide 5 Pens
So we have looked at some of the
myths, what we mean by mental health Slide
(10 min
and some of the statistics relating to
activity, 5
CYP mental health, now are going to
min
look at what can affect CYP mental
health. feedback)
Divide participants into groups, provide
flipchart and pens.
Invite the groups to draw an outline of
the body and to think about, discuss
and write down what things can affect
CYP mental health (social, emotional,
physical). Write these in and around
the body outline.
Once completed, take feedback from
each group, one/two examples from
each.
Bring up the slide to highlight some
examples of what can affect CYP
mental health highlighting that the list is
by no means exhaustive, these are just
a few examples.
 Discussion point: what do the
participants think the purpose of this
exercise is? Highlight that this exercise
demonstrates the breadth of factors
that can impact on a CYP mental
health. Often it can be a combination of
factors and not just one that affect
mental health.
Activity & What to look out for? 15 min Slide
Slide 6
Keep the participants in their groups
and keep the flipchart from the
(10 min
previous activity. Provide new flipchart
activity, 5
if required.
min
We have looked at what can affect
feedback)
CYP mental health and now we are
going to explore when we should be
worried about CYP mental health, what
signs would we be looking for?
Invite the groups to discuss and write
down the signs.
Take feedback from the groups,
one/two examples for each. Put up the
slide. These signs are not exhaustive
and there may be a range of other
signs. If in doubt always check in with
the CYP or speak to someone to raise
your concerns. It is not about fixing
problems but about being that
supportive adult, providing a listening
ear, and signposting to appropriate
support/services.
Remember if you are concerned for
the safety of a CYP contact NHS 24
for advice.
Activity & What do CYP need to protect, 15 min My World
Slide 7 promote and support their mental Triangle
health and wellbeing? handout
(10 min
Keep participants in their groups.
activity, 5
Now we are going to look at what CYP min Slide
need to protect, promote and support
feedback)
their mental health. Inform participants
 that childhood and adolescence are
key stages for mental health promotion
and prevention.
Distribute the ‘my world triangle’
handout to each of the groups, ask
them to consider each of the
dimensions of the triangle
 How I grow and develop
 What I need from people who
look after me
 My wider world
Ask them to think about what CYP
need within each of these to help
protect, promote and support their
mental health.
Take feedback from each of the
groups, a one/two examples to cover
each dimension. Bring up the slide to
show examples and acknowledge
similarities that participants have come
up with.
Activity What resources are available to 10 min Flipchart/
support CYP mental health? pens
Keep the participants in their groups,
(5 min
provide flipchart.
activity, 5 CYP
Now we are going to look at what min
mental
resources are available to support CYP feedback)
health
mental health. This might be local, city
resources
and national resources.
handout
Invite the groups to list what resources
they know of that can support CYP
mental health. Encourage participants
to refer back to the ‘my world triangle’
activity to link this to what CYP need.
Take feedback from the groups,
one/two examples from each. Circulate
the CYP mental health resources
handout, highlight these are general
and participants will have more insight
into local resources that they can
 share.
Conclude that we all including CYP
seek different modes of support for our
mental health. These can include self-
help through websites, reading,
accessing group or 1 to 1 support,
telephone support lines, taking to a
supportive adult.
Activity & Remind the participants of the 5 min Slide
Slide 8 importance of looking after their own
mental health and provide a self-care
activity.
Session Close Thank the participants for their time 5 min Reflective
and ask them to complete the reflective practice
practice tool. handout