Kooth Newsletter - May 2022

9th May 2022

Mental Health Awareness Week runs from 9th - 15th May 2022
 

Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual event when there is an opportunity for the whole of the UK to focus on achieving good mental health. The Mental Health Foundation started the event 21 years ago. The event has grown to become one of the biggest awareness weeks across the UK and globally.

The theme for this year's Mental Health Awareness Week is loneliness.  Loneliness is something we can all experience from time to time, and it is different for everyone.

A YouGov poll (2019) of 13-19-year-olds found 69% said they felt alone “often” or “sometimes” and 59% feel like they “often” or “sometimes have no one to talk to".  Supporting young people in recognising when they are feeling lonely, understanding their thoughts and feelings, and identifying the supportive connections they have, is really important.
"Be part of the Kooth community" this Mental Health Awareness Week. Speak to other young people on Kooth and learn something new. It may also help you when you are feeling alone to feel part of a community.
Step 1: Check out the live forum calendar. Pick a topic you're interested in. The upcoming dates and topics can be found in the News' category of the Kooth Magazine on Kooth.com.

Step 2: Join the forum of your choice.

Step 3: Observe the forum and send in a comment (e.g. a thought or a feeling). There is no pressure to comment, you can also just watch and read what's happening.

Step 4: Tried it? Take a moment to think about one thing that went well and one thing that didn’t. Share your thoughts with your peers.
Information for parents / carers
 
Kooth offer support for parents & carers interested in finding out more about Kooth services. Kooth can also provide letters for schools to share with parents / carers explaining what Kooth is and that their child may hear about it through school as a support for them should they need it. Please contact your Kooth Engagement Lead to request these letters and other support resources for parents.
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These helpful tips from Kooth's clinical team can help parents and carers start to talk to their young people about their feelings.

It can be so tricky to bring up difficult topics, and talking about emotions with your children can sometimes feel more than a little daunting for parents and carers. You may worry about saying the wrong thing, making your child feel uncomfortable, and even worry about making them feel worse. But the fact you want to explore emotions with your child is enough, even if sometimes it doesn’t go as you planned!

If this feels familiar for you, you are definitely not alone!

If you want to read more about Kooth and the support we offer for your child or young person, you can download our Parent and Carer brochure here.