Advice and help from Herts CYPMHS available all summer

Time to unwind this summer?

Summer sunshine awaits (hopefully!) with longer days and school holidays giving more opportunities for children and young people to focus on their wellbeing and unwind. Whether spending the holidays at home or further afield, it’s a good idea to spend some time planning how they’d like to make the most of their summer break.

For some young people, parents and carers, the thought of filling six weeks of school holidays can be daunting, especially when household budgets are stretched. Feel-good activities that nourish wellbeing don’t need to cost a fortune though and quite often, the simplest of activities like preparing a healthy meal, or a having a kickabout in the local park, followed by a simple picnic can give everyone an amazing wellbeing boost. Children and young people can discover more practical ideas by completing the Five Ways to Wellbeing e-learning. It's free and takes about 20 minutes to complete.

Take a look at this guide from Young Minds for some helpful self-care ideas: Self-Care | Young People's Mental Health | YoungMinds.

Hertfordshire’s Fifty Thrifty adventures are also great for gathering some inspiration! (link coming soon).

"You and your mental health"

“You and your mental health” was the last campaign from Just Talk Herts. The campaign urges young people to think about what they enjoy doing; where they feel most calm and safe and who they feel most comfortable talking to. A vigorous workout might help some, whilst others would far prefer listening to music or chatting with a close friend. It’s important for young people to learn to recognise when they need a bit of a pick-me-up and what they can do to help themselves feel good again. Once they’ve explored what works best for them, they can build a toolkit of personalised feel-good activities to draw upon when they have a dip in their emotional wellbeing: You and your mental health

Getting set for change…

As creatures of habit, many young people have niggling worries about the yearly autumn changes. It could be that they are changing teacher, moving school or year group, starting college or a job or even moving away from home to university. It’s tempting to push these niggles to the back of their minds, but Hertfordshire’s early help services are open all year round, with people who understand. They can help children and young people to find positive ways of reframing and managing their worries, so that they can fully enjoy their time off, whilst also preparing themselves emotionally for the changes ahead.

With Youth online group for young people in Year 6 and other summer online wellbeing groups

With Youth are running a “Road to Year 7” online group - a fun and supportive group designed to help Year 6 students feel confident and prepared for the move to secondary school. Their sessions provide a safe space for them to chat about any worries, share experiences, and discover helpful ways to cope with change. Through interactive activities, practical tips, and coping strategies, they’ll explore common challenges, like making new friends, handling a new routine, and staying organised, so they can step into secondary school feeling excited and ready. This is their chance to ask questions, gain confidence, and know that they’re not alone in this journey and ready to take on this next big adventure. Link to sign up: Road to Year 7 - WithYouth

Find out about The Road to Year 7 and their other age-appropriate summer online wellbeing groups: Anger Avengers (ages 7-12) Calm Club (ages 15+) and Creative Minds at: Groups - WithYouth

The Sandbox

The Sandbox digital mental health service is a free service for 10–25-year-olds who are registered with a GP in Hertfordshire. As well as using the website for resources and watching livestream gaming events, there is also a live chat. Young people can choose to make a self-referral (by answering a few short questions). Completing a self- referral will allow The Sandbox team to triage the young person to The Sandbox Academy if they are clinically suitable and gain access to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT) learning, or to see an online therapist following an assessment.

The Sandbox Academy offers a suite of fun and interactive i-CBT modules to help with improving the emotional wellbeing of young people who may be experiencing problems with anxiety, loneliness, relationships, growing up, low self-esteem, stress and so much more. It works well for young people as it incorporates role-playing, visualisation exercises, and other interactive activities to keep young people engaged in the therapeutic process. Find out more and make a referral.

Lumi Nova: digital support for childhood anxiety - part of With Youth

Discover how Lumi Nova can help young people overcome fears and worries. Lumi Nova is available to families in Hertfordshire in partnership with Herts Mind Network as part of their With Youth Digital Wellbeing Service.

Designed for young people ages 7-12, Lumi Nova supports them to build confidence and learn lifelong skills to manage their worries through an intergalactic adventure game!

The offer is free and instantly accessible to families by visiting: withyouth.org/lumi-nova and clicking ‘GET ACCESS NOW’.

Find posters and messages for sharing messages about Lumi Nova with parents, carers, children and young people.

First Steps ED

5-18-year-olds in Hertfordshire can access free early help eating disorders/body image support via First Steps ED and they don’t need to be physically unwell, it’s far better to ask for help early.

Find more information about The Sandbox, With Youth/Lumi Nova, First Steps ED and other self-help resources and early help services at: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/youthmentalhealth

August also brings exam results! Herts Services for Young People (SfYP) are on hand to talk about a wide range of issues with young people including exam results and options for next steps. Find a local centre: Information, advice and support (servicesforyoungpeople.org)

Some young people will be thinking about heading off to university in the autumn, with many about to start living away from home for the first time. This can feel exciting, as well as a bit daunting and Hertfordshire is producing a revised practical Thrive and Survive Guide, with useful tips for keeping healthy and well at university. An updated link to this will be available in August.

Please see useful self-help tips and keep up to date with Hertfordshire’s children and young people’s mental health services (CYPMHS) by following @JustTalkHerts via: Facebook Instagram twitter/X - please also like and share their posts.

For professionals working with children and young people:

Thanks for your help in sharing these important messages throughout the summer and please keep up to date with all the latest developments in Hertfordshire’s CYPMHS System Redesign programme and more by:

• Subscribing to and reading the latest Hertfordshire CYPMHS professionals newsletter
• Using the new improved Hertfordshire CYPMHS System Directory

If you would like any further information, or if you have any questions or feedback please E: lisa.gazeley@hertfordshire.gov.uk