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Social, Emotional & Mental Health (SEMH)
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You can find information here on the following:
- anxiety & panic attacks
- depression
- post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
These conditions have been selected due to being the most common. If you require any Information on another SEMH need / condition please visit the NHS Website.
You can also find information below on emergency helplines, CAMHS as well as other services and apps to support your child's SEMH.
Anxiety and panic attacks
Anxiety is an uncomfortable tense feeling that can make you feel tired, upset, worried, shaky or light-headed. For most people, it’s normal to feel anxious from time to time. But when you regularly feel this way it can be a struggle to enjoy life. If that’s happening, it’s important to get support or to visit your doctor.
Anxiety can also cause panic attacks. A panic attack is when you get a sudden rush of fear and feel less in control. It can make you feel like your heart is beating really fast, give you shortness of breath and feeling faint. A panic attack can be scary but it won’t physically hurt you.
For some children, they may experience school related anxiety. This is known as School Anxiety/Phobia. If this is happening, ask your child what they find difficult and what they would like to change. This can help identify specific triggers and worries. Your child’s view should be the starting point of any discussion about support.
There are a number of support strategies that can be implemented in line with reasonable adjustments. Support could look like:
- meet and greet by a trusted member of staff at the start (sometimes during or at the end) of the day
- leaving lessons or school 5 minutes early to avoid crowded corridors
- adjustments to the timetable if particular lessons prove to be a trigger
- 'time-out' card
- learning away from the classroom, in a dedicated area or room sometimes known as a 'safe space'
- positive praise (for getting through a lesson - replacing sanctions for challenging behaviour)
- 1:1 or small group interventions, support programmes, anxiety or friendship groups
- adult-led approaches – regularly checking with a child that they are okay
- help to understand and manage their feelings and emotions
- lesson breaks (to allow some calm down time)
- having lunch away from the dinner hall - you could ask whether any lunchtime clubs are available. (Crowded dinner halls can cause anxiety)
When you meet with the school to discuss your child’s anxiety, you can ask about referral options, for example:
- Counselling
- The Alternative Tuition Service
- The In-Year Fair Access Panel (IYFAP) – This is where schools can seek alternative provision and support OR if it is in the best interest of the child, to change school for a time-period.
- An education, health and care needs assessment (EHCNA)
- Specialist services – educational psychology, advisory service etc.
Additional Support
Here are some useful links to information and services to help you understand more about anxiety and panic attacks:
Childline - Visiting your doctor
Childline - Panic attacks
Childline - Controlling your panic attacks
Childine - Managing your anxiety
YoungMinds - Anxiety
YoungMinds - School anxiety & refusal
The Charlie Waller Trust - Supporting your child with anxiety
Depression
We all feel low or down at times. However, if your negative emotions last a long time or feel severe, you may have depression. Depression is a mood disorder where you feel very down all the time. Depression can be caused by a number of factors or a reaction to an event such as abuse, bullying or family breakdown.
Depression is one of the most common types of mental illness. Although it's hard to feel optimistic when you're depressed, there is lots of support available to help you feel better.
Depression affects different people in different ways. Symptoms can include:
• Not wanting to do things that you previously enjoyed
• Avoiding friends or social situations
• Sleeping more or less than normal
• Eating more or less than normal
• Feeling irritable, upset, miserable or lonely
• Being self-critical
• Feeling hopeless
• Maybe wanting to self-harm
• Feeling tired and not having any energy
Even if you experience one or more of these symptoms it doesn’t mean you’re definitely affected by depression. It’s important to talk to your GP to get a full diagnosis.
Additional Support
MIND - Information on Depression
YoungMinds - Depression
Samaritans - What is Depression?
Self Harm Support
Papyrus UK - Suicide Prevention Charity
The Charlie Waller Trust - Mental health information and resources
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can happen after you experience or witness something extremely frightening such as violence, abuse, rape or a life-threatening situation.
The main symptoms of PTSD are:
- Flashbacks or nightmares about what happened
- Avoidance and numbing, where you try to keep busy and avoid thinking about it or doing things that might trigger memories of the traumatic event
- Being tense and on guard all the time in case it happens again
- You may also experience symptoms such as:
- Anxiety
- Anger or irritability
- Problems sleeping or eating
- Survivor's guilt, where you feel bad because others suffered more than you
- Depression
- Problems with alcohol or drug abuse
- Diarrhoea
- Muscle aches
- Difficulty remembering all of the traumatic event
Most people take time to get over a traumatic event, but in PTSD, you can't move past the event. People who have PTSD have dreams, flashbacks or upsetting thoughts about what they experienced or witnessed.
Symptoms can appear straight after a traumatic experience or later on. They're usually noticed within 6 months of the experience.
Just because you may be experiencing one or more of the above symptoms, it doesn’t mean you’re definitely affected by PTSD. It’s important to talk to your GP to get a full diagnosis.
You can view the National Health Service’s (NHS) webpage on PTSD via the following link:
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Although many people experience minor obsessions (such as worrying about leaving the gas on or whether the door is locked) and compulsions (such as avoiding the cracks in the pavement), these don’t significantly interfere with daily life, or are short-lived.
If you experience OCD it's likely that your obsessions and compulsions will have a big impact on how you live your life:
- Disruption to your day-to-day life. Repeating compulsions can take up a lot of time, and you might avoid certain situations that trigger your OCD. This can mean that you're not able to go to work, see family and friends, eat out or even go outside. Obsessive thoughts can make it hard to concentrate and can leave you feeling exhausted.
- Impact on your relationships. You may feel that you have to hide your OCD from people close to you or your doubts and anxieties about the relationship may make it too difficult to continue it.
- Feeling ashamed or lonely. You may feel ashamed of your obsessive thoughts or feel as if they are a permanent part of you and can't be treated. You might feel that you can't talk about this part of yourself with others and this can make you feel very isolated. If you find it hard to be around people or go outside then you may feel lonely.
- Impact on your physical health. Anxiety caused by obsessions can affect your physical health. You can read more about physical symptoms on our pages on anxiety.
Information taken from MIND (Mental Health Charity). For more information and support services available you can visit their website on the following link:
Urgent and emergency help
Emergency Services: If there is an immediate risk to life, or a concern about harm to self or others, call 999 or go to the nearest Accident and Emergency (A&E) department.
NHS 111: Do you need urgent mental health support?
Call 111 and press 2 for the mental health option to reach the local NHS crisis line 24/7 for immediate support.
This line is free, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for adults, children, and young people and is staffed by trained mental health professionals who can provide advice or arrange an assessment.
or
Text 'Help' to 07860 009642.
People across north east London can now access mental health crisis support via text.
This text service is available 24 hours a day.
A member of the NHS 111 (Option 2) team will respond as soon as possible to:
- Provide psychological support
- Offer guidance and reassurance
- Signpost to appropriate services
This service is particularly helpful for individuals who:
- Find it difficult to speak on the phone
- Prefer to communicate via text
- Need discreet support without being overheard
Havering CAMHS: Call 0300 300 1888 during operating hours for help with emotional, behavioral, or mental health difficulties. Their website can be accessed via this link: nelft.nhs.uk/havering-camhs.
CAMHS (Child and adolescent mental health services)
Havering CAMHS - CAMHS are services that support children and young people who have difficulties with their emotional or behavioural wellbeing. You can get a referral to Havering CAMHS for your child through a GP, social worker or teacher, or by self-referring if you are a parent.
Website: https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/camhs
To contact Havering CAMHS:
Telephone: Havering CAMHS on 0300 300 1888 (Monday to Friday 9am-5pm)
Email: [email protected]
Address: Havering CAMHS, The Acorn Centre, 306 London Rd, Romford, RM7 9NH
Contact - This charity has a section on CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services), which provides a general overview of the kind of issues CAMHS can help with and the referral process.
Weblink: CAMHS mental health services | Contact
Emotional wellbeing online support and apps
Every Mind Matters:simple and practical ways to ease anxiety, manage stress, lift mood, and sleep better.
Link: www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/
Young Minds: information and support for children and young people or for someone wanting to help a child or young person who is struggling with their mental health.
Link: Young Minds
Clear Fear app: information and support to reduce the physical responses to threat as well as changing thoughts and behaviours, and releasing emotions.
Link: Clear fear
Calm Harm app: information and support to help manage the urge to self-harm, based on Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).
Link: Calm Harm
Charlie Waller Charity: this organisation offers mental health training and resources with a focus on children and young people.
Link: Charlie Waller: mental health information and support
Support for parents/ carers with children/young people with SEMH needs
Mind : Parent Support Group
Havering, Barking & Dagenham’ Parent Support Group offer 6-week programmes via zoom throughout the year for Havering, Barking or Dagenham parents/carers who are struggling to support their young person (11-25 years) with their mental health (diagnosed or undiagnosed) and wellbeing.
The sessions offer signposting, reassurance, tips/techniques on topics such as communication, self-care, increased resilience and coping mechanisms.
Attendees may share their thoughts/feelings without any pressure or judgement and will meet other parents that are going through similar challenges.
Parents who previously attended the programme have said...
- Even though you know a lot of people are going through something similar to yourself, it makes a difference when you hear them talk about it. Also listening to other people’s tried and tested ideas.
- It was nice that the group are bonding really well and have a laugh, the whole thing is nice and relaxed.
- I'm not alone - there is more support out there than I realised.
- Very inclusive and beneficial sessions.
For more information , including the dates and times of upcoming programmes please contact Havering MIND as follows or scan the qr code below:
Telephone: 01708 457040 (general enquiries)
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.haveringmind.org.uk/
YoungMind's Parental Helpline:
If you're worried about your child or young person’s mental health or wellbeing, you can speak to YoungMinds over the phone or chat to them online. Their helpline advisers can provide information, advice and support to help you take the next step.
Helpline : 0808 802 5544 (call for free)
You can call them:
- from 9.30am - 4pm on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays
- from 9.30am - 6pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Weblink: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/
Havering Educational Psychology Parental Helpline:
This helpline provides a reflection space for parents/carers to explore and problem-solve issues about their child with an educational psychologist (EP). All helpline sessions are on a Thursday morning during term time. They need to be booked in advance, and a time slot will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Calls can last up to 40 minutes.
Link for information and to book a session: