Place2Be as an organisation provides child counselling and mental health support to around 400 primary and secondary schools in the UK. Place2Be has been part of the William Patten school community for over 10 years. There is a dedicated Place2Be mental health practitioner, Sarah Fowler, who is in school on a Tuesday (AM), Wednesday and Thursday. Sarah’s contact details are:
Telephone: 0207 275 9937
Email: SFowler@williampatten.hackney.sch.uk
Sarah works closely with staff, families and children to improve emotional wellbeing and provide mental health support for the whole school. In-school support is made up of a range of universal and targeted interventions.
The Counselling and Support Place2Be Offer:
Pupils come to Place2Be for lots of different reasons. The most common ones are anxiety, struggling to focus, low self-esteem, mood swings and difficulties within their family.
To help our school community cope with challenges like these, in-school support includes:
- Place2Talk – self-referral service for children to book appointments with the Place2Be practitioner to talk about their problems and worries
- Place2Think – self-referral service for staff to book appointments with the Place2Be practitioner to talk about their problems and worries
- One-to-one counselling – a targeted intervention consisting of weekly counselling using talking, creative work and play to support children who are struggling
- Group work – therapeutic groups exploring issues like friendship, self-esteem, transition and bullying
- Parenting advice from our child mental health experts – Place2Be have launched a new service, Parenting Smart with practical tips for supporting children’s behaviour. There is advice for parents ranging from healthy gaming habits, to dealing with sibling rivalry, to tips for calmer bedtime routines. These short, engaging videos are available here: www.Parentingsmart.place2be.org.uk
- Online parenting course – This free online parenting course has been developed by Place2Be, in partnership with SLAM (South London and Maudsley-NHS Foundation Trust), and is based on tried and tested techniques and experiences from supporting children, young people and their families. The course is designed to support parents and carers of primary-age children in their parenting journey: www.place2be.org.uk/family
- Family Practitioner – there is access to a Place2Be Family Practitioner to provide dedicated advice and support for parents and carers in primary schools. Please contact Sarah Fowler to find out more about this service
- Supporting your child’s mental health – There is more information on the Place2Be website for how to support your child’s mental health, including links to other organisations who can be contacted: www.place2be.org.uk/our-services/parents-and-carers/supporting-your-child-s-mental-health
- Guidance, training and safeguarding advice for staff – our mental health professionals share their expertise on issues such as managing and understanding behaviour, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), safeguarding and coping with staff stress.
- Support in a crisis – Place2Be works in partnership with Shout, a 24/7 text messaging service to support anyone in a crisis, anyone, anywhere: www.giveusashout.org
For more information about Place2Be www.place2be.org.uk
