Help for parents too

Schools feel the increasing demand for mental health support for their pupils, but now there is good news for parents and teachers too.

The new £1.2 million Plymouth City Council project will put services into schools, and a Charity that is pleased to be partnering with Plymouth City Council will be offering parents free taster sessions in Emotional Logic. These are designed to help parents talk safely and constructively about the unpleasant emotions linked with stress. The method taught has already proved itself in a range of schools in the UK and abroad, and in units that help children who have been at risk of exclusion.

Two successful parents evenings have been held, attracting 170 parents and staff, who were asking enthusiastically at the end for more input. An Assistant Headteacher at a Plymouth secondary school said, “As a parent, teacher and school leader, finding Emotional Logic has been revolutionary in helping my own children and the hundreds of children I work with (and their families) to make sense of their emotions. It’s brilliant!”

Several Plymouth schools are arranging for parents evenings in early 2017. Promoting strong family communication will work alongside the new services in schools that will provide early intervention where the risk of problems may be surfacing.

The Emotional Logic Centre has a local office base, but has projects running in three continents to promote education, health, reconciliation, and resettlement. Founded by a doctor in 2003, the lifelong learning method is designed to be used in homes and workplaces to prevent anxiety and depression building up during stressful times. It has been found to be particularly effective also in schools, where young people may struggle to make sense of the intense emotions that may build up in life.

Emotional Logic Centre schools programme co-lead and former local headteacher Christiaan Stirling said, “This is not touchy-feely emotional stuff. It gives people the skills and confidence to talk about what is at the root of conflict or withdrawal. Then it turns the unpleasant emotion into the energy needed to make a difference.”

“Parents, teachers and young people all share the need to make sense of the emotional chaos that can follow disappointments. Emotional Logic helps them to map the way forward together. It brings order out of chaos. It’s great. It can set teachers free to get on with the business of teaching.”

For more infomation visit www.emotionallogiccentre.org.uk