Social, Emotional, Mental Health and Wellbeing
SEMH needs refers to social, emotional and mental health needs. Those who need additional SEMH support may have difficulties with emotional and social development, consequently struggling with social skills, and finding it difficult to maintain healthy relationships. This can lead to withdrawal and isolation, and/or challenging disruptive or aggressive behaviour.
An individual’s SEMH needs will impact on their wellbeing; wellbeing is about both feeling good and functioning well in day to day life. The things that we do and the way that we think affects our wellbeing. Improving wellbeing is proven to help with our physical health, our performance at school, college and work, and improving our quality of life.
There are five ways that we can boost our wellbeing:
- Connect… with people around you, with family, friends, colleagues and neighbours, at home, work, school, college and in your local community.
- Be Active … go for a walk or a run. Step outside, cycle, play a game, dance, garden. Exercising makes you feel good.
- Take Notice…be curious, catch sight of the beautiful, remark on the unusual, be aware of the world around you, what you are feeling – savour the moment.
- Keep Learning … Try something new, discover a new interest, sign up for a course, learn to cook, paint, draw or play an instrument, challenge yourself.
- Give …. Do something nice for a friend or a stranger, thank someone, smile, volunteer your time, get involved in your community.
SEMH Needs can be expressed/manifest themselves in several different ways, including problems of mood (anxiety and depression), problems of conduct (oppositional defiance and aggression), and physical symptoms such as self-harm and eating disorders. Please see below for more information on each.
Depression can affect both children and teenagers as well as adults, and early intervention is important to prevent long-term disruption.
Signs in children and young people include long-term feelings of:
- sadness/low mood
- being irritable/grumpy
- being tired/exhausted
- loss of interest in hobbies
Click here for a list of other potential symptoms of depression in children and young people.
- Talking to younger children about their feelings
- Talking to teenagers
- YoungMinds’ – Free Parents’ Advice helpline available Monday – Friday 9:30am – 4pm, on 0808 802 5544
- Students Against Depression
- Depression in children and young people: for young people
- 8 things to say to someone struggling with depression
Everyone experiences feelings of worry and anxiety occasionally, including young people and children. However, if this anxiety begins to affect an individual’s well-being and impact on their day-to-day life, they may need additional support to help them cope with these feelings (NHS, 2019).
Signs in children and young people include:
- constantly worrying or having negative thoughts
- becoming irritable tearful or clingy
- having difficulty sleeping/waking in the night
- wetting the bed
- bad dreams
- difficulty concentrating
- not eating properly
Click here for a list of other potential symptoms of anxiety in children and young people from the NHS.
- The Mental Health Foundation: The Anxious Child Booklet
- NICE guidelines: Social Anxiety Disorder treatments for children and young people
- Royal College of Psychiatrists: Worries and anxieties – helping children to cope: for parents and carers
- Young Minds – Anxiety
- Childline – Managing your anxiety
- Anxiety UK: Children and Young People with Anxiety – A guide for parents and carers
- Anxiety buster tool: activity sheet
Healthy Young Minds in Herts: Talking about Anxiety – Top tips for parents
- Five ways to wellbeing
- Anxiety management for over-16’s
- How to stay emotionally healthy and help support your child’s emotional wellbeing
- How to help your child manage their anxiety during exams and tests
- Listening to your child
- Autism and Anxiety
Anger is a normal emotion which everyone experiences. However, it can become a problem if a child’s behaviour becomes out of control or aggressive (NHS, 2020).
- Family Lives: Dealing with anger in teenagers
- Young Minds: Anger and Mental Health
- Young Minds: Responding to anger
- NHS: Teen aggression and arguments
- Clinical Partners: Anger, Aggression and Violence in Children and Teenagers
- Coping Skills for Kids: Helping kids manage anger
- NHS: Breathing exercises for stress
- Coping skills for kids: Calming Anxiety in Children
Eating Disorders are mental illnesses which cause individuals to have an unhealthy attitude to food, eating either too little or too much and becoming obsessed with weight and body shape. This can affect both men and women of any age, but most commonly affects young women between 13 – 17 years of age (NHS, 2018).
The most common examples include:
- anorexia nervosa – keeping weight as low as possible by not eating enough food, exercising too much, or both.
- bulimia – sometimes eating a lot of food in a short amount of time (binging) and are then deliberately sick/use laxatives/restrict food/excessively exercise to prevent weight gain.
- binge eating disorder (BED) – regularly eating large portions of food at once until you feel uncomfortably full, and then feeling upset or guilty.
- other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) – symptoms don’t exactly match the above three (most common).
- Tips for spotting the first signs of an eating disorder
- Help and Treatment
- How to tell someone you have an eating disorder
- Eating disorders and exams
- Supporting someone at exam time
- Dangers of pro-Ana and pro-Mia
- Guidelines for Educational Psychologists – Children and young people under 18 with eating disorders
Self-harm refers to when an individual injures or harms their body, usually as a way of alleviating overwhelming emotional distress (NHS, 2018) and may be a cry for help. There are lots of different forms of self-harm, with the most common being cutting (CAMHS, 2017).
Common signs in children and young people:
- Unexplained injuries (such as cuts and burns)
- Keeping fully covered even in hot weather
- Signs of depression
Click here for a complete list of NHS signs of self-harm.
- National CAMHS Support Service: Self-harm in children and young people handbook
- Coping with self-harm: a Guide for Parents and Carers
- Self-harm Information for school staff in Hertfordshire
Tourette’s syndrome is a condition which can cause individuals to make involuntary sounds and movements called tics. This generally begins in childhood, but the symptoms usually improve and can go away entirely. Although there is no cure for Tourette’s syndrome, treatment can help manage symptoms (NHS, 2018).
Common physical symptoms in children and young people:
- eye rolling
- shoulder shrugging
- tongue clicking
- saying random words or phrases
Click here for a complete list of NHS signs of self-harm.
- NHS Choices – Tourette’s Syndrome + video
- Tourette Syndrome Information Sheet
- What is Tourette Syndrome?
- Key Facts for Teachers leaflet
- How Tourette’s Syndrome Effects Learning
- Great Almond Street: Tourette Syndrome and School
- Explaining ADHD to Teachers
Healthy Young Minds in Herts School Self Review and Kite Mark for Emotional Wellbeing Awareness and Suicide Prevention Awareness documents: