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For World Mental Health Day (10 October) we spoke to a patient and her mum about the fantastic support that has been given from Nottinghamshire Healthcare’s CAMHS Mental Health Support Team, and how they helped with social anxiety. 

 

The team are an early intervention mental health and wellbeing service in schools aimed at providing support for children, young people and families around low-level emotional wellbeing needs, such as anxiety, low mood, managing emotions, and sleep. They link in directly with Nottinghamshire CAMHS teams and provide in school sessions to promote positive mental health. Their work is delivered on a 1:1 and group/workshop basis.

 

Mya’s mum found Lauren from the Mental Health Support Team to be incredibly supportive in helping her 15-year-old daughter manage her severe social anxiety.

She found her ability to listen with patience and empathy made her daughter feel truly heard and understood, which has been invaluable in her progress.

Mya said “Being surrounded by people all day at school makes my heart race, and I feel like I can never escape. I used to be terrified to speak out because of my accent, worried that others would judge or misunderstand me. Missing my first year of secondary school because of COVID made everything worse – I became withdrawn and avoided social interactions and have been doing this for nearly four years.

“Returning to school felt overwhelming, like I didn't belong. The thought of talking to people makes me incredibly uncomfortable, and every conversation feels like a huge challenge I'm not ready for.”

Lauren used thoughtful techniques and coping strategies to gently challenge Mya’s anxieties, helping her gradually build confidence.

Mya now confidently speaks up in lessons, asking and answering questions so frequently that teachers sometimes have to remind her to be quiet. Mya used to be terrified of leaving her seat, afraid of walking past people and having all eyes on her. But now she fells comfortable moving around the room without the fear of being watched. Mya has also come to love talking to other students, no longer worried about being judged.

Mya’s mum Jacqueline said: “Through Lauren's guidance, my daughter has overcome many of her fears and gained the confidence to be herself, realising that trying to hide only drew more attention. We are deeply grateful to Lauren and the entire team for their unwavering support." 

Alongside their support to students, the team also provide additional wellbeing training for teachers to promote and maintain their own mental health as they promote a wider whole school approach to mental health.

 

The schools included in this project have a member of staff who is a designated Mental Health Lead,  who will act as the link between the service and school and they can refer directly into our service. For a list of schools, currently signed up to the project please follow this link.

The team are wearing yellow in their photo in support of the Hello Yellow campaign! It's a chance to come together and show children and young people they’re not alone with their mental health.

Further details on the team can be found on our website: CAMHS Mental Health Support Team (MHST) | Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust