Description

In this talk, Sam Chapman explores what good mental health looks like in children and young people, and how it can be actively promoted. She explains that good mental health exists across a spectrum and is more than the absence of mental illness. Drawing on her academic research and analysis of the literature, she outlines the key characteristics associated with good mental health, including social connection, positive coping skills, emotional regulation, hope, autonomy, identity formation, and effective communication. Sam also examines the environments and relationships that help these qualities develop, highlighting the importance of safe and secure bases, meaningful relationships, creative play, choice and agency, and access to supportive information and services. The talk offers practical, everyday examples of how families, schools, and communities can create conditions that allow children and young people’s mental health to grow and strengthen.

Learning Objectives

A. To explore and identify the ways in which good mental health can be promoted in children and young people.

B. To provide ideas and examples of how good mental health can be promoted by others to support children and young people’s development.

C. To recognise the importance of relationships, environments, and everyday opportunities in fostering good mental health.

Related Content Links

12 Ways to Help Your Child Make Friends
Trauma: Myth Busting
Childhood Anxiety Explained: What It Is and When It Becomes a Problem - Part 1