2. Mental Health Champions: May Network Meeting Addressing Anxiety in Schools
Some of the most significant risk factors for emotional and behavioural difficulties in children are parenting and effective family functioning, parental mental health (especially maternal depression), and socioeconomic circumstances. Children from the most disadvantaged 20% of households are three times as likely to have a mental health difficulty as the most advantaged 20%.

3. Agenda 9.30 Welcome and update 9.45 Anxiety: An overview
10.30 Show and Tell: Assemblies
10.45 Coffee
11.00 Supervision groups
12.15 Plenary and review

4. Government Mental Health Agenda
5 steps to mental health and wellbeing:
Connect with people
Be active
Be curious
Learn
Give

5. Understanding Anxietyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX7jnVXXG5o

6. Understanding Anxiety
In groups discuss three or four points from this presentation, which you think are relevant to your role in schools

7. What kind of Anxiety do I have??????
Maladaptive and adaptive anxiety Specific and generalised anxiety Anxiety disorders include: social phobia, GAD, specific phobias, PTSD

8. Co-morbidity of Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety usually precedes depression 75% of adult mental illness starts in childhood and adolescence Addressing anxiety in childhood may prevent depression in later life

9. Assessing anxiety
General checklists of functional impairment e.g. RCP leaflet Structured assessments: Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale (self report and parent report 7-16 years free) Strengths and Difficulties (parent and teacher report self report from 11 years)

10. Addressing Anxiety: Cognitive Behavioural Approaches
…….approaches which aim to reduce psychological distress and maladaptive behaviour by altering cognitive processes

11. Feelings and behaviour result in thoughts
CBA are based on the assumption that affect (feelings and behaviour and largely a product of cognitions….cognitive behavioural interventions can bring about changes in thinking, feeling and behaving

12. Cognitive Distortions:
Stamp out the ANTS
Automatic
Negative
Thoughts
Bring on the PETS
Positive
Empowering
Thoughts

13. CB Approaches Thought detecting Feelings tracker
Behaviour monitor (Progressive desensitisation)
Practising new skills/ behaviours
Building up counter evidence for ‘ANTS’

14. Managing Anxiety Through Mindfulness
Close links with CBT – with an emphasis more on tolerance than change
Robust evidence base for a link between mindfulness and stress reduction (MBSR _ NICE Intervention)

15. Resilience Rucksack

16. Resources for families and young people
Anxiety UK: smartphone app stress tips
Help! I’ve Got an Alarm Bell Going off in my Head! Adspen
Huge Bag of Worries: Virginia Ironside
Panicosaurus: Kay Al Ghani
Can I Tell You About Anxiety? Lucy Willetts

17. Resources for MHCs
RCADS:
SDQ:
Royal College of Psychiatrists: