It's so sad that we have to have a national week of this type, the youngsters in our lives should be enjoying a happy, healthy well-balanced childhood with minimal worries but today it's not so easy.
My own childhood is one filled with fond memories, of course, I did have my own worries but they could usually be soothed by my parents. I worried about something happening to them (which most children do) & I remember fretting about the threat of Nuclear War, which was a big thing when I was a child but other than the typical issues such as, falling out with friends and not being able to do homework life was pretty seamless. I feel I was lucky! It was much later in my life when I had a mental health issue and the thought of children and young people struggling is difficult to comprehend. Yet, there are so many problems today, from living with parents who have poor mental health themselves, family life dynamics, financial crisis, social isolation and Social Media, there are many contributory factors.
.The theme for Children's Mental Health Week this year’s theme is 'Find your Brave'
So, what does bravery mean?
Bravery has different meanings for everyone, physically, it could be pushing yourself into trying something new or dangerous. It could be simply reaching out to talk about something that’s worrying you and asking for help. We need to encourage our children to talk, talk and talk some more. They always need to be heard!
The statistics for children dealing with mental health issues is increasing, this scares the life out of me. One in eight children and young people have a diagnosable mental health condition (Children & Adolescent Mental Health - CAMHS) with anxiety & depression rising.
Nearly 19000 children were admitted into hospital after harming themselves in 2015 - a 14% increase in over 3 years.
Public health funding which funds school nurses & public mental health services has been reduced by £600 million from 2015/16 to 2019/20, quite shocking results, we need to help this younger generation!
My heart goes out to children who struggle so wanted to do something practical to help during this week and for the rest of the month.
So, whilst I'm now a Holistic Therapist & not a mental health professional, my previous working roles have been with children in a variety of settings & for more than 25 years, I have young clients visiting within my Holistic Practice, R&R Therapy, South Gosforth, Newcastle Upon Tyne and this month, if you’ve a child or children with mental health issues, if you’re going through a difficult time as a family and they’re suffering as a result, if they need to be calmer and relax, then please come and have some reflexology! Come together, share a treatment and learn some techniques that may help you feel calmer, more settled and happier!
This month its £30 for an hour (saving £10).
I'm also supporting a local charity, Children North East, here in Newcastle Upon Tyne. When I called in to collect my charity tin I was amazed that it was founded in 1891. The founders were John H Watson & John L Lunn.
Watson, a philanthropist, was involved in helping in the impoverished areas of the city & Lunn (a wealthy shipping merchant), offered to fund a trip for some of the children to the coast and as they say, the rest is history.
During 2017/18 Children North East have supported
3,584 children & young people
226 Unborn/babies(up to 1)
177 Pre-school children
464 Primary school children
1,507 Secondary school children
921 Young people
Clients are donating throughout February at
R&R Therapy, IMSL House, Benton Park Road, South Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE7 7LX
tel. 07546527004
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