A pioneering initiative that embeds specialist mental health support directly into schools continues to thrive across Gloucestershire.
Young Minds Matter (YMM), delivered by Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, now works with 135 educational settings – reaching 63% of the county’s primary and secondary schools and supporting over 58,000 children and young people. READ.
YMM offers safe, confidential support for those up to age 18 experiencing issues such as anxiety, low mood, exam stress or poor sleep. Support is available face-to-face in school or via a secure online platform.
Pupils can be referred by school staff, and secondary students can also self-refer using the YMMChat text service. YMM also runs sessions for pupils on mental health topics and offers expert advice to school staff.
Since its launch in 2018, more than 1,850 children have accessed help through the programme. The service uses Low Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help young people understand how their thoughts, feelings and behaviours interact.
Seventeen additional schools are set to join this year, further expanding the reach of early mental health support across the county.
For more information, including a list of participating schools, visit the GHC website.