Supporting the mental health of young people is more critical now than it ever has been. Take a look at some free online courses and resources to help adults who work with young people develop ways to promote positive mental health and support wellbeing.

Ditch the Label 

Youth organisation Ditch the Label have developed a series of seven lessons to equip young people with the skills and strategies to navigate the emotions that they experience, so that they can feel empowered when it comes to managing their emotional wellbeing.  

Each module comes with a lesson plan, teacher notes and PowerPoint slides. The courses are aimed at 11 – 16-year olds and cover topics including: confidence, understanding, happiness and anger.

Open University 

As part of its OpenLearn platform, the Open University is offering free online courses that “supports children’s mental health and wellbeing” and “Young people’s wellbeing”. Both courses are accredited by the Open University and include a statement of participation on completion.  

“Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing” is a level one course requiring 24 hours of study. The course includes mental health promotion and education, interventions to support children’s mental health and the influence of screen time.

“Young people’s wellbeing” is a 16-hour course and includes topics on frameworks for understanding young people’s wellbeing, diverse and unequal experiences and promoting wellbeing.

Place2Be 

Children’s mental health charity Place2Be has developed a Mental Health Champions Foundation programme to help people gain a deeper understanding of mental health. The charity surveyed 1,500 UK teachers and found that only a third (34%) feel confident in being able to recognise mental health and emotional wellbeing problems from the behaviour of their pupils.

This online children’s mental health training course is developed from Place2Be’s work in schools and is designed to enhance professionals’ understanding of children’s mental health and introduce approaches that foster positive wellbeing in schools and communities.

They’re pleased to offer the course free to qualified teachers and school-based staff in the UK. The five-week online programme includes access to a dedicated Place2Be professional to join discussions and aid online learning.

Samaritans

Samaritans’ campaign; Small Talk Saves Lives has encouraged people to start a simple conversation if they think someone isn’t OK at railway stations or other public places, if they feel safe to do so. This campaign, delivered in partnership with Network Rail and British Transport Police, empowers people to approach others and offer support through small but meaningful interactions.

The toolkit shares advice on how to start a conversation with someone who needs help in a safe way.

Time to Change 

Time to Change is a growing social movement working to change the way we all think and act about mental health problems. They have created a series of resources to help people who work with young people to create and open and supportive culture around mental health. Their resources include ready-made assemblies and session plans for small groups and printable materials.

Young Minds 

As part of its mission to make sure all young people can get the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what, Young Minds has a range of free resources available to download. As well as materials to help those working with young people build their skills and make mental health and wellbeing a core and rewarding part of their role, the charity also has important tips for how staff can support their own wellbeing too.

Take a look at our Volunteering 13-week programme for mental health.