Supporting Children's Mental Health and Well-being

Children’s mental health is a global concern and children are increasingly being diagnosed with mental health conditions. In England, in 2017, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health reported that 10% of children are being diagnosed with a mental health condition. These are alarming figures considering that they are drawn only from reported cases. One thinks about hundreds of cases that go unreported, the unheard voices of children suffering.

Psychologists, psychotherapists working with children, educators and social workers have always studied children and have always stressed that mental health issues of adults come from adverse situations and events in childhood. Not leaving behind, of course, genetic and temperamental factors. Considering this, we believe that structured information on children's mental health and well-being is crucial for everyone, not only people working directly with children.

The Open University has recently opened a new e-learning course on this topic. The course, "Supporting children's mental health and well-being" is free and self-paced. After completing the course and gaining all the necessary insights and information, you will earn an Open University Electronic Badge.

The structure of the course:

The course is organized in 8 sessions, each focusing on a special aspect of children's mental health. Sessions are briefly described below:

Session 1: Setting the scene by looking at the past. This session will inform you of the journey towards accepting children the way they are and the steps taken to create the structures present today to protect children.
Session 2: Increasing your knowledge on mental health. In this session, you will look at definitions of some of the mental health conditions that commonly affect young children and learn more on children's mental health.
Session 3: Mental health promotion and education. This session will introduce to you the concept of mental health promotion, what is considered "good mental health" and many more concepts on this issue.
Session 4: A global view of children's mental health and well-being. Children's mental health is a global issue, as is everything nowadays, in fact. In this session, you will be presented with what impacts mental health, cultural implications, and so forth.
Session 5: Well-being and mental health in education settings. This session presents you with the implementation of mental health in education settings. What can we do to promote well-being, how to tackle problematic behaviors and also some government policies.
Session 6: Professional support for children and their mental health. Who are the professionals involved in the mental health of children? Making referrals and interdisciplinary work are only some of the topics covered in this session.
Session 7: Exploring some of the interventions to support children's mental health. Introduction to some of the therapies used to intervene in supporting children's mental health.
Session 8: The influence of screen time on young children's mental health and well-being. This session explores the effects of technology on children's development.