Mental Health

Place2Be support at Goffs

At Goffs we take great pride in the provision we have available to support students with maintaining good mental health. We recognise that mental health concerns are on the rise in young people and have responded to this need by investing considerably in our mental health provision.

At the heart of our mental health provision is our counselling services, provided by Place2Be. Place2Be are a charity supported by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and we are very excited to have this provision now at our school.

Place2Be run drop-in sessions for students at break and lunch times, counselling sessions on a referral basis (students can refer themselves) and support for students and staff with ongoing difficulties including bereavement and issues with peers. Please free to contact Jennie Robinson at jr@goffs.herts.sch.uk if you have any queries regarding this.

Our ability to offer a large number of professional counselling sessions each week and reach a wide range of students with these is a real benefit to our student body who are able to seek support for both shorter term issues such as friendship conflicts but also longer term issues such as anxiety or bereavement.

Two of our staff are fully trained Mental Health First Aiders; as such we can respond effectively to any crisis our students may suffer such as last minute exam nerves. To help our students through the pressure of exams the school also runs very successful Mindfulness sessions. These sessions are designed to help students feel calm and less ‘stressed out’ before their exams.

To raise the profile of mental health across the school, we run a series of mental health weeks over the course of the year. These are supported by regular assemblies. The aim of these weeks is to remove the stigma which can be associated with experiencing mental health issues and raise awareness of mental health and the help we have available to our students.

In other mental health news, we are regularly updating students about where to get help if they need it, and supporting campaigns in school such as Heads Together, Time to Change and Stamp out Stigma. These are key charities that can support students and families with mental health issues.

Useful Information

Crisis Support

Silent Solutions

For any emergency when you cannot talk, call 999 then press 55

The 999 emergency service has an additional service called Silent Solutions for times when you need emergency help, but cannot speak. The service works in the same way as calling 999. When the operator asks which emergency service you require, if you don’t say anything they will ask you to cough or make another noise like a tap on the handset. If it’s too risky to do this (for example, if you are hiding from an attacker), the operator will ask you to dial 55. This will then alert them to the fact that no, you haven’t called 999 accidentally – and yes, you need urgent help. The system tracks your location using GPS and sends help.

Samaritans
FREE confidential support in a crisis 24/7.
Call FREE 116 123. Calls cannot be traced.

Childline
24/7 counselling service for children and young people.
T: 0800 1111

Mental Health Support

https://www.samaritans.org/education/young-people

https://youngminds.org.uk/

Hector’s House
Hector took his life in April 2011 and in his memory Hector’s House charity was established. It provides an informational resource should you, or someone you know, be having suicidal
thoughts. E: hihector@hectorshouse.org.uk www.hectorshouse.org.uk

Herts Mind Network
A charity that creates opportunities for individuals to make choices, find their own solutions and manage their own wellbeing. T: 020 3727 3600 www.hertsmindnetwork.org

SANE
Offers emotional support and information to anyone affected by mental health problems. It also provides an online support forum. T: 0300 304 7000 www.sane.org.uk

Herts Wellbeing Service
Offers FREE confidential talking therapy and practical support for Hertfordshire residents experiencing a wide range of mental health problems such as worry, low mood, insomnia and stress.
www.hpft.nhs.uk/services/community-services/wellbeing-service

YoungMinds
Offers a confidential helpline and support service for parents and carers worried about
young people up to the age of 25.
T: 0808 802 5544

Self Harm

SelfharmUK
A project dedicated to supporting young people impacted by self-harm, providing a safe space to talk and discuss, get advice and help. There is also an online support group.

info@selfharm.co.uk www.selfharm.co.uk

Self-Injury Support
A national organisation that supports girls and women affected by self-injury or self-harm. It has a helpline and TESS text service for girls and young women up to 24 years old.
T: 0808 800 8088 TESS Text: 0780 047 2908 www.selfinjurysupport.org.uk

Harmless
A user-led organisation providing a range of services including support, information, training and consultancy to people who self-harm, as well as their friends and families.
www.harmless.org.uk

LifeSIGNS
A user-led small charity creating understanding about self-injury and giving support and guidance to self-harmers, family and friends. www.lifesigns.org.uk

Bereavement

Cruse Bereavement Care Hertfordshire
Promotes the wellbeing of bereaved people and enables anyone suffering bereavement to understand their grief and cope with their loss. There is a 24-hour answerphone facility to leave an out of hours message in confidence.
Adult Helpline: 01707 278389
Young Persons Helpline: 01707 264293
www.cruse-hertfordshire.org.uk

SOBS (Survivors Of Bereavement By Suicide)
The only national charity providing dedicated support to adults who have been bereaved by suicide. The charity is run by 150 volunteers, nearly all have been touched by suicide which enables them to directly connect with others experiencing bereavement by suicide.
www.uk-sobs.org.uk
National helpline: 0300 111 5065

Help Is At Hand
An NHS resource for those bereaved by suicide, or apparent suicide, which includes a
detailed advice booklet.
www.supportaftersuicide.org.uk/help-is-at-hand