Jonathan Wood: Right approach helps work out problems early

FOR MENTAL Health Awareness Week, Jonathan Wood looks at the impact of the child-parent relationship

The Duchess of Cambridge meets headteachers for a discussion about mental health challenges on a visit to Place2Be in Edinburgh. Picture: Neil Hanna

Ever since she was born, Sandra’s mother had spent periods of time away from home. These would come out of the blue and without explanation. “Mum’s away for a little while,” she was told, and an aunt or a grandmother would arrive, and life would continue, with her dad going to work and Sandra going to nursery or school.

At seven years old, Sandra appeared to be a well-cared for, friendly child, but her teachers reported that there were times that she became very anxious and insecure, she fell out with her friends in an angry way, and as Place2Be staff got to know her, it was clear that she was always watching – hyper-vigilant – for any change in her environment. This change could have been a harsh word, or a favourite teacher being off sick, or a friend ignoring her – relatively small incidents which caused Sandra to become very demanding and difficult in school.

Sandra’s mother had suffered with serious depressive illness ever since Sandra’s birth. Unrecognised post-natal depression lay at the root of subsequent depressive episodes, increasing in severity as the years passed. Occasionally she was hospitalised. Otherwise there was an agreement in the family that she would go and stay with her brother when things got too bad at home. None of this was explained to Sandra because, the family thought, she was too young to understand. Sandra’s mother told us this when she came into school to agree to Sandra having one-to-one counselling with Place2Be. As part of that agreement, we arranged a series of “parent partnership” meetings with the mum to help her look at her relationship with Sandra. It was clear that the unexplained disappearances lay at the heart of Sandra’s insecurities.

Consultation on the Scottish government’s mental health strategy indicates an emphasis on new models of managing mental health problems in primary care. Place2Be’s whole school approach to mental health recognises the early onset of problems arising out of the child’s entire environment – familial and parental relationships as well school dynamics. Both parents and children report, through our research, a very positive impact on their family relationships and their mental health by engaging with this kind of intervention at the right time.

Sandra’s sessions with her Place2Be counsellor ran in parallel with her mum’s meetings at the school. She was able to explore and understand the triggers to her insecurity. But when her mum felt able to explain her problems with depression to her daughter in a session we facilitated, the real breakthrough occurred. Sandra was able to explain that every time her mum had gone away, she thought she had gone for good – and that it was all her fault. Her relief that it was “just” an illness was the first step on the road to a revitalised and more secure bond between them.

In this Mental Health Awareness Week with the focus on relationships, it is a good chance to reflect on the vital importance of nurturing good relationships for our mental health and wellbeing.

• Jonathan Wood, National Manager for Scotland, Place2Be