Lavinia Dowling, The M Word CiC
How To Support Young People Who Are Struggling To Access CAMHS
We are a small ‘Not for profit’ organisation that supports all ages with mental health around neuro-diverse presentations from Mental Health assessments, ADOS stage 1 screenings, EHCP/IEP, therapy and coaching from qualified mental health nurses and SEND Education Consultant. We are keen to support individuals from the age of 3 years to 100 years providing evidenced based therapeutic support. We aim to be the Tiffany of Mental Health services for young people who are our most precious beings that will shape the future. If we invest in them now and support them with their mental health, whether they are neuro-diverse or not, and help them garnish themselves with lifelong skills at recognising their anxiety profile, and ways to support themselves independently in a healthy way, there will be a considerable reduction in poor mental health.
There is plenty of researched evidence that young people who suffer with poor mental health will go on to have poor mental health as an adult. Individuals in society are generally living longer lives as an adult, yet poor mental health as a child can leave a lasting legacy for the rest of their life. Poor mental health as an adult has often shown low paid jobs, poor relationships, and lower life expectancy. It has also shown that there are increased risks around maladaptive coping mechanisms around drugs and alcohol, with an increase in domestic violence and crime. Our children do not deserve to be saddled with poor mental health. Professor Layard made history with introducing talking therapies as part of his economic drive to reduce the costs to the nation budget in supporting those with poor mental health affecting households, communities, and the country as a whole.
Many parents consider themselves to be loving, nurturing, and supportive of their children. Whilst the expectation is simplistically that adults go to work to earn money to pay the bills, children go to school to acquire an education. Why then is it acceptable for teaching staff to have time off sick when they are struggling with mental health, and as a minimum are encouraged to access counselling support? Yet, our children are slandered for being lazy, not working hard enough, not being compliant, being disruptive, or challenging insinuating that the behaviour is the problem when in fact the young person is trying to communicate through their anxiety. Why is it ok for education staff to have a gradual return to work, but our children are not able to access resources, even when it becomes a crisis (average waiting times to be seen by CAMHS crisis teams is weeks rather than hours) and are expected to return to full time education within 6 weeks? Why are parents blamed for their child’s behaviour, and then face the fine route, or, worse, are accused of Fabricated Induced Illness (FII)? There is a huge discrepancy between care of our adults and our children. Worse, lip service is given to both phrases of ‘preventative care’ and ‘partnership working’ with parents.
Many young people struggling at school will have struggled for many months taking sole responsibility that it must be their fault. By the time a young person is hitting a crisis, or exhibiting negative behaviour, the damage is done. The M Word cic is often contacted by parents upset and very concerned for the deteriorating mental health of their child, and are reaching out not only for help, but for somebody to understand their child’s difficulties and make sense of what is happening that schools and other professionals might listen to. Many parents bitterly complain they are not believed despite raising concerns, cannot get the help despite trying to get referred to services, and trying to make sense as to whether it is their parenting or whether there is actually something wrong with their child. Very few people want to openly talk about mental health, and certainly not in a positive way. Yet The M Word cic believes if mental health is not feared and openly discussed, we would be a better nation for it.
We support young people with anxiety, depression, self-harming and suicidal ideation who are struggling to access CAMHS. Rather than lengthy waits or being rejected, we can support by completing assessments and providing therapy following NICE guidelines. Rather than make a therapy style fit a client, we will support a client in a way that works for them. We should add that, on average, 40% of our caseload at any one time are situationally mute or struggling to engage with services.
