- Read Frank’s story
- Social media, my children and me
- My Colour Palette: exploring feelings
Thank you for your support for children’s mental health
“ If you have problems or worries you get a chance to talk to a person you trust. When I grow up I want to help children like Place2Be helps children.”
Adina, aged 8
… to the autumn edition of your supporter magazine.
When children and young people like Frank are struggling with their mental health, they need expert support. Your kindness helps make sure we are there to offer support and advice from our qualified counsellors.
350,000 children and young people were reached last academic year
Over 8,000 children and young people received one-to-one counselling with Place2Be
78% of children and 91% of young people had improved mental health after counselling
Thank you so much for helping to make a vital difference to children and young people in real need of support.
Each year, Place2Be experts create fun and engaging resources for schools, families and youth groups to take part in our Children’s Mental Health Week.
Put 9-15 February 2026 in your diary and visit the dedicated website to see how you can get involved!
Visit childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk
At age 9, Frank was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). His energetic behaviour made him a target for bullying, causing him to avoid break times and cry at the school gates each morning. The bullying led to low self-esteem, with Frank often describing himself as “bad” and “stupid.”
Frank, aged 9
Seeing Frank’s struggles, his mother transferred him to a new school. However, he found it difficult to settle in and began falling behind in his classwork.
His disruptive behaviour escalated, and when his teacher responded, he lost control, became angry and broke into tantrums and outbursts. Recognising the severity of the situation, Frank’s teacher referred him to Place2Be for one-to-one counselling.
In his first session, Frank was full of energy, using bricks to build a tower. As the session came to an end, he destroyed the tower he had built. When he felt confident enough, Frank told the practitioner that he missed his dad, who had recently been released from prison and decided to move abroad.
This caused a lot of sadness for Frank, and the practitioner realised that Frank found satisfaction in
destructing things as a way for him to express his anger and low self-esteem.
Daniel , Place2Be’s Mental Health Practitioner connected Frank’s mothe r with res ources
As Frank’s one-to-one counselling continued, his creative side emerged. He used clay to build models representing his father and himself, carefully crafting them with love, only to destroy them at the end of each session. When building the models, the practitioner would ask him questions about his dad, this process helped him release his anger and talk about his dad with mixed emotions.
Alongside Frank’s sessions, his mother attended Place2Be’s Parent Partnership sessions. She shared
her struggles with accepting Frank’s ADHD diagnosis.
Daniel, Place2Be’s Mental Health Practitioner connected Frank’s mother with resources, helping her accept the diagnosis and support Frank.
Eventually Frank was ready to end his one-to-one sessions. Place2Be continues to be the main source of support for Frank and his mother, accessible whenever they need it.
* Images and names have been changed
As children return after the summer break, a growing number will struggle to get through the school gates.
In England, almost 1 in 5 pupils are persistently absent, missing 10% or more of school.
There is increasing awareness that mental health plays a major role in school absence. Anxiety, stress or fear about attending school is becoming one of the biggest concerns for families and schools.
Children who miss school are more likely to fall behind in learning, experience poor mental health, and face reduced earnings as adults. Some studies show that persistent absence can even affect life expectancy – with outcomes similar to those seen in smoking or heavy drinking.
1 in 5 pupils are persistently absent
Mental health support, delivered in community settings like libraries or discreet school spaces, has helped many young people re-engage with education. One-to-one counselling is paired with sessions for parents and carers. Schools are also supported to create tailored return plans and adapt the learning environment.
Evidence shows that early intervention makes a lasting difference. Increased access to counselling in primary schools could prevent problems before they escalate. A whole-system approach – involving schools, families and mental health services – is essential to reduce persistent absence and help children thrive.
• Acknowledge your child’s anxiety
• Stay calm
• Keep a routine
• Praise their efforts
For more information and advice see our Parenting Smart resources parentingsmart.org.uk
Judah Racham shares his thoughts on parenting in the age of technology. Judah is Programme Leader for Family Work at Place2Be.
Being a parent in the age of technology and social media is not an easy task. I feel I have always tried my best to protect my children from anything that could hurt them. But as my boys have grown older and their access to technology has increased, I’ve had to face another potential danger for them in the form of social media.
The impact I see social media having
My wife and I decided a long time ago not to allow our boys to have smartphones. This was not easy to follow through on, as there was a sense of pressure to conform to what all other parents seem to be okay with when it comes to giving their child use of a phone. Due to the work I do with young people as a counsellor, I see first-hand how many young people have been negatively affected using
platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. These young people who tell stories of how they feel their lives compare to influencers, celebrities and even their peers online.
“The presentation of perfect-looking lives on these platforms is often out of touch with the real world, and I can hear how this impacts young people’s self-esteem.” Judah
This prompted me to start having more regular conversations and check-ins with my boys about what they are doing online. I’ll be honest in saying that sometimes these conversations felt slightly uncomfortable. But I knew that these conversations were important.
Through conversations, we’ve been able to settle on some rules for how my boys engage with the digital world. Luckily, they have lots of interests and hobbies that take them away from engaging with technology and this offers me some reassurance that they have a reduced risk of having the same negative stories as some of the
young people I have seen in therapy.
Where do we go from here?
It’s unrealistic to say that I will keep my boys away from engaging in technology and social media entirely; I understand it’s part of their world and has its advantages. But I do believe in setting boundaries, having honest conversations, and promoting a healthy balance. After all, they deserve to grow up feeling confident, supported, and secureboth online and offline.
For more information and advice for parents and carers, go to parentingsmart.org.uk
A huge thanks to Edible Rotherhithe who raised an incredible £1,500 for Place2Be by selling original prints donated by printmakers across the UK.
“Young people are the future and supporting their mental health is a top priority, giving them the opportunity to grow into healthy adults and help build friendly and welcoming schools, communities, families and workplaces.”
A huge thank you to Duncan and James from Porshe Cars GB Ltd who took on Ironman 70.3. They took on an incredible 2km swim, 90km bike ride and 21km run, raising over £4,000 for Place2Be!
“The work Place2Be does is the very definition of being Driven to Care: they help young people build resilience and develop healthy ways to manage life’s challenges, ensuring that crucial support starts from the very beginning.”
Supporters like these help make a real difference to children and young people’s mental health.
Find out ways you can get involved with supporting Place2Be www.place2be.org.uk/fundraise
The world is full of colour! Using colours can help adults, children and young people to develop self-awareness and make sense of their feelings and experiences.
The Art Room designed this wellbeing activity to allow us an opportunity to think together about how we express our feelings in different ways.
Create
You will need
• Paper
• Coloured pens or pencils
1. Pick a colour from your pens or pencils. It can be the first one you see.
2. Now ask yourself “how does this colour make me feel?”
3. You can choose to think about this to yourself or share your thoughts with others
Choose what colours and feelings to put on your colour palette.
- You can choose as many or as few colours as you like.
- You may think of a colour and connect it to a feeling, or start by thinking of a feeling first and then the colour. Don’t worry if it is a struggle to think of one or the other.
- You could choose ‘neutral’ colours found in nature, such as browns, greys, greens and yellows. Remember that even black and white count!
Now name each of the colours with a feeling or sensation. Draw the outline of a colour palette on a piece of paper.
