Social, Emotional + Mental Health

Question 1

Main risks to young peoples mental health

Answer 1

• Social media
• Andrew tate
• Peer pressure
• Academic pressure
• Bullying
• Violence
• Disrupted home env

Question 2

Relevance of attachment theory

Answer 2

• Many children seen by EPs have challenging upbringing or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
• Heavily utilised within schools
• Entire beh policies underpinned by attachment theory
• Applicable in casework involving adopted children
• Relevant when collaborating with Virtual school

Question 3

Virtual school teams

Answer 3

• Group of professionals responsible for supporting ed of looked after children
• Headteachers, specialist teachers, SEN workers
• Promote school attendance, attainment + wellbeing
• Ensure schools provide adequate provision
• Manage pupil premium grants + personal ed plan (PEPs)
• EPs work in conjunction with them

Question 4

Attachment theory overview

Answer 4

• Dev by Bowlby
• Our early experience with primary caregiver influence us to dev an internal working model of ourselves + others
• Model shapes how we approach life + relationships

Question 5

Defining attachment

Answer 5

• Bowlby: Attachment is bond between indiv + attachment figure based on need for safety, security + protection
• Need is most in infancy + childhood when dev indiv is immature + vulnerable
• Prior + Glazer: Infants instinctively attach to carers. Serves biological function of promoting protection, survival + genetic replication
• Sunderlanf: means feeling secure in emotional responsiveness of others

Question 6

Attachment figure

Answer 6

• Primary caregiver
• Available, attentive + responsive most of the time
• Meets care needs + provides comfort, safety + stability
• Gives permenance
• Helps regulate internal feeling states
• Facilitates fun/joy for child

Question 7

Positive Attachment Cycle

Answer 7

• Leads to secure attachment
• Need –> arousal –> satisfaction –> security, relaxation, trust

Question 8

The internal working model

Answer 8

Positive –> others = available, loving, interested, responsive
Leads to pos self = lovable, worthy, effective
Negative others = unavailable, neglectful, rejecting, unresponsive, hostile
Leads to neg self = unlovable, unvalued, inaffective

Question 9

The secure base

Answer 9

• Experience as a psycho-physiological state
• Internally feeling: warmth, relaxation, reduced heart rate, calm
• Leads to thinking: im safe, everythings ok, everything is in control, nothing can hurt me

Question 10

What does a securley attached young person look like in a classroom/ - Bomber

Answer 10

• Sensitive + responsive parenting style
• Cooperation + adaptable
• Take risks in learning
• Enjoy pos relationships with adults
• Accept support but not overly dependent
• Comfortable + communicate emotions
• Self-reg
• Empathetic
• Resilient + confident

Question 11

What can interupt the attachment cycle - Bomber

Answer 11

• Pre-birth stress
• Drugs during pregnancy
• Post natal depression
• Medical complications
• Poverty
• Abandonment
• MH difficulties in carers
• Multiple home placement
• Neglect
• Abuse/violence

Question 12

Negative attachment cycle

Answer 12

• Leads to insecure attachment
  Need –> arousal –> rejection –> insecurity/hyperarousal

Question 13

Attunement

Answer 13

• Essential for secure atachment
• When we attune to a child we tune into their emotional wavelength
• Reflect back childs internal feelings
• Let them know feelings are acceptable to share

Question 14

Attachment styles - avoidant

Answer 14

• Cause: carer not responsive t emotional needs
• Presentation at school: quiet, withdrawn, indifferent, reluctant to support, struggle to make friends

Question 15

Attachment styles - Ambivalent

Answer 15

• Cause: Caregiver responds inconsistently to emotional needs
• Presentation at school: anxious, needy, attention seeking, struggle when not with teacher, hypervigilant, seek reassurance

Question 16

Attachment styles - disorganised

Answer 16

• Cause: carers cause fear + abuse
• Presentation at school: hypervigilant + anxious = emotional outbursts, struggle with instructions

Question 17

Caution with attachment theory

Answer 17

• Oversimplified + misunderstood
• Insecure attachments aren’t a predictor of neg outcomes
• Only associations - not causal
• Other factors can influence outcomes more pos (teacher relationship, hobbies, achievement)

Question 18

Strategies to a secure base - Being available

Answer 18

• Helping child to trust
• Important for caregiver to convey strong availability
• Meet cholds needs
• Child trusts they are safe + needs are met
• Anxiety reduced
• Confidence increases

Question 19

Strategies to a secure base - Responding sensitively

Answer 19

• Helping manage feelings + beh
• Caregivers capacity to stand in shoes of child
• Reflective caregiver thinks about own feelings + shares with child
• Child learns to think about feelings + others feelings
• Reflect on organising + managing beh

Question 20

Strategies to a secure base - Accepting the child

Answer 20

• Building self-esteem
• Give unconditonally accepted + valued
• Foundation of pos self-esteem

Question 21

Strategies to a secure base - Co-operative enabling

Answer 21

• helping child feel effective
• Think about child as seperate person whos feeling are meaningful
• Caregiver promotes childs capacity to make choices
• Work co-operatively with child
• Child feels effective + competent

Question 22

Strategies to a secure base - Promoting school membership

Answer 22

• Helping belonging
• Adult include child socially + personally as school member
• Help establish connectedness + belonging

Question 23

key adults

Answer 23

• Consistent, supportive in school
• Trustworthy
• Security
• Valued + supportive to child
• Shield against shame

Question 24

Shield against shame

Answer 24

• Golding + Hughes (2012)
• Shame common amongst chikdren with attachment difficulties
• Unresponsive, inconsistent or abusove partents leads to child feeling unworthy of love
• Child deflects or shields self due to fear shame will be reinforced

Question 25

PACE

Answer 25

- Guide for approaching children with attachment difficulties - Playfulness --> fun interactions, playful, light-hearted, activities child enjoys - Acceptance --> no judgment, positive Curiosity --> Interest in child + their needs Empathy --> Aware of adults compassion + understanding of difficulty

Question 26

Resilience framework - Boingboing (2012)

Answer 26

- 5 categories: 1) Basic 2) Belonging 3) Learning 4) Coping 5) Core self

Question 27

Emotion coaching

Answer 27

- Helps understand emotions + how to manage them 1) Recognise, empathise + validate emotions 2) Limits to beh is needed - explain unacceptable beh 3) Engage in shared problem-solving with child

Question 28

Solution focused attachment training

Answer 28

- Employed for looked after or adopted children - Led by EPs, carers, staff - Discuss background history of child - Overview of psychology attachment theory - Strengths, qualities + interestes - Challenges + support

Question 29

Emotionally Friendly School

Answer 29

- Develop skills in staff to meet needs + achieve potential - Confidence in staff knowing can intervene - Teachers apply strategies to improve beh + wellbeing - Whole school awareness training - Adults + audit tool - Action planning meeting