How having structure & consistency benefits SEMH pupils

Hello everyone! Hope you've all been doing okay.

Since my my last post on here, I've been keeping busy with my weekday job in an SEMH school. However, as of the 23rd of May, I no longer work at the school due to no longer being needed for the final term. (I was working in the Y11's class, but they are on study leave now, and will be leaving for good in 2 weeks time) And since I'm now currently off work until my agency calls me in to somewhere else, I've got some time to be productive on here.

As the above title states, I want to talk about structure & consistency benefitting SEMH pupils.

There are 2 reasons for this post: Firstly, there has been some major changes to the school. Secondly, I've seen the positive impact those changes have had on the pupils & their behaviour.

When the school opened up after the Christmas break (8th of January), it had marked the start of long & difficult journey. That journey was to simply make the school into a better learning environment & as well as a safe environment for the pupils.

There were 4 minor changes that took place: New uniform, English & Maths lessons every morning & addressing the staff as "sir" or "ms". We even introduced something called "isolation" (IL for short) which is where pupils will spend half a day or a full day in a separate room to do their work. The intention of this is to help the pupils reflect on their behaviour. I'm delighted to say that it was a success! Or at least for most part.

On the 25th of February, there were 2 more changes to the school curriculum, and they were both major ones... A FULL timetable of lessons & the new warning system. The intention of the warning system is to reduce the pupils' behaviour, and is also made up of 3 warnings. If a pupil gets a warning 3, they go to the inclusion hub, and they have to do a 10min detention. Failing that, then it's an IL the following day for the morning. If not, then it's an IL the WHOLE day. Failing THAT, then it leads to a suspension.

During the 5 months that I've been a part of the new changes journey, I've seen how much more settled & calmer the pupils have been! As a result, there has been a reduced number of behavioural incidents, This is why having the consistent structure & routine really helps SEMH pupils to feel more secure in a learning environment, as they know that we care about their education, as well as their mental wellbeing.

Time travelling back to the 25th of November (when I had first started working at the school), I honestly couldn't believe how dysfunctional it was back then, where there were hardly any lessons going on, no timetable structure & there were behaviour incidents happening every single day. Sometimes even a few times a day. It was just insane. I couldn't even imagine how unsettled those pupils must have been feeling back then without the consistent structure & routine. They were scared, anxious & dysregulated (a cliché from that school). Ofsted even gave the school an "inadequate" rating, due to poor leadership & management.

To this day, yes, there will still be some pupil dysregulations, but that doesn't put a small dent on all of the positive progress the school have been making. If anything, the school is only getting better every single day! I'm also optimistic enough that Ofsted will give them a much better rating.

As a youth worker, it really makes me heart warmed to see vulnerable young people thrive in life. Especially those with a complicated background. 

An insight to SEMH: A new journey

Hello everyone! Well, what can I say, it's obviously been a long time since I was last active on here. And there are 2 reasons why...

I suppose the 1st one being I couldn't be bothered.

The 2nd one, however, is because I now have a weekday job in a SEMH school. To be more precist, I began this new job on the 25th of November of last year.

Since I have a day of nothing today, (which rarely happens anymore these days!😂) I thought I'd make use of it by utilizing the time to make this post. 

As the above title states, I will be talking about the 'ins & outs' of SEMH. I will also be sharing how much I have learned about SEMH.

You're probably asking: "What does SEMH stand for?"

SEMH stands for Social, Emotional & Mental Health.

Now you're asking: "What is Social, Emotional & Mental Health?"

Social, Emotional & Mental Health is a complex mental health condition, where people experience significant struggles with managing their behaviour & emotions. Alongside this, they may show inappropriate behaviour & language when it comes to reacting to a demand that they do not want to do. An example of this could be being told to undertake 3 pages of Maths work.

A person with SEMH will often feel anxious & insecure most of the time, as they feel like they are no good at anything due to all of the trauma, humiliation & shame that they have experienced whilst growing up. Moreover, they will most likely feel intimidated by other people who seem "normal" to them. Or even try to compare themselves to any "normal" person.

In no way at all are people with SEMH bad with an unruly attitude, they are simply scared by all of the trauma & abuse that they have been through in their early stages of life. Even I can say for myself that I've seen/heard people with SEMH do incredible things! For example, they can obtain phenomenal knowledge about an industry that they are interested in. Especially the practical industries.

It is essentially mindful to know when you encounter a person with SEMH being dysregulated, they are NOT doing it with the intention of choosing to cause disruption. They are in that emotional state, because they have no other coping mechanisms. This is what is known as a "fight or flight" response.

All in all, people living with SEMH want to be like other people, as well as to be able to do things that other people do. In my opinion there isn't nearly enough SEMH awareness out there, so this is half the reason why I have made this post.

For those of you who have found this topic/post interesting, thank you for reading through, and I do plan on making more posts associated with SEMH in the future. 

Just bare in mind that I am only 3 months into this journey, so I wouldn't say I obtain a professional knowledge. I am still in the process of learning something new about SEMH everyday whilst at work. As for somebody who has been into psychology for 6 years now, I am very much looking forward to be riding on this journey...

The power of picking yourself back up after being knocked down

Hello all, I know I'm not active on here as much as I used to be anymore, but I wanted to come on here and reflect on how I've been feeling all week. 

Let's just say, I've not had the best of weeks. Although it had actually been that way from Tuesday onwards.

My outcome for this post, is that I can talk about what had made me how I have felt from Tuesday - Today, as well as use this feeling as a learning curb. The joined purpose of this post, is to inspire other people who may be reading this post to do the same if they happen to experience a similar week to mine.

It had all started after Monday, where I needed to attend a special training course in order to start my new promotion at work. I felt like at the time: "It's just a course where I just have to sit and pay close attention to everything that has been said." "It'll be as easy as pie." However, it wasn't like that at all...

Especially at the end of it, where there was a sudden assessment to undertake. I just dived into it head first, thinking that I can whizz through it without any problems. I didn't end up finishing it. And as a unfortunate result, I was told by my supervisor not to return to work until I redo & pass the training course.

After receiving that news on Tuesday, I felt a sudden loss with what to do with myself from that point going forwards. I was like my mind had suddenly gotten lost in a maze, and cannot seem to think of a way out of it. That feeling ended up sticking around for the remainder of the week.

Luckily for me, I understood the psychology behind my feeling, so I figured that there was no point of feeling lost all of the time until I can return to work. For 1, life is too short to feel this way all of the time. Secondly, this gives me a chance to do more things that I want to do. With that said, I am planning on doing something which shall keep me occupied throughout the whole of next month. That will be for another post.

What have I learned from this? I have learned that doing things (or will be doing) that I enjoy doing helps to distract me from the reality of my situation.

*I had began this post on the 22/6/24, but didn't finish it until the 24/6/24*

How having a hobby/habit makes you who you are

Hello everyone, hope you've all been keeping well. As this is the 1st off day I've got in what seems like an eternity, I thought I'd utilise this time wisely by talking about a video that I came across earlier in the week from MINDSET THERAPY.

The video consists of a deep & powerful message of how having a continuous hobby or habit makes you who you are. This video really speaks to me, as I happen to be 1 of these people who have a hobby & a habit (several in fact) that formats oneself into who they are to this day which helps them to transform into a successful individual.

Another way of explaining this meaning, is that you don't need dozens of educational qualifications to define who you are. Your intentions define who you are instead. It's not like you need to go for, or even obtain 11 different GCSE's just for the sake of proving to people that you are capable of doing something. Doing something out of pure passion & interest is what really speaks about you. The video below should hit you deep with thought. 

*Note: I was only able to get the link, as the website wouldn't let me paste the video : (*

https://linksharing.samsungcloud.com/7Iys0utkuoGx

How it feels to be Neurodiverse

Hello all, I was originally going to make this post during Neurodiversity Celebration Week, but as usual, my work life had got in the way, and I had also went away during the end of last week just to unwind & relax after everything that has happened during my current crazy work life. 

However, since today is World Autism Awareness Day, I thought about mixing them both together to form this titled post.

First thing's first, I myself, am Neurodiverse, so I know first-hand how it feels to be just that. I also feel as though the very topic of Neurodiversity is still underrepresented in this county. Meaning, this is something that needs to be talked about more.

During the first 12 years of my life, I had struggled to make sense of myself. I was oblivious to what I had that made me who I was. It was like my brain was trying so hard to make sense of everything, as if it was a computer but it couldn't... (Although I think it was mainly due to the fact I was probably too young to understand Neurodiversity) As surprising as this may sound, I never felt isolated when interacting with other people, as my mind kept telling me to act "normal" as much as possible in these situations. In contrast, I kept feeling insecure at the same time by fearing that other people will judge or criticise me just because of my Neurodiversity. And believe me, I have experienced this more times than I have bothered to post on here throughout this year so far.

Also during this time, (including to this very day) I always seem to find it difficult to make, as well as maintain friendships with people. Again, my mind just tells me to act normal as much as possible, just for the sake of trying to be able to fit in with a group of people. Back then, (as in many years ago) I always use to think that fitting in with a group of people would help me to feel better about myself. This was a desperate move in a bid to get rid of my insecurities. However, I had eventually came to the realisation that fitting in just increases insecurities.

Nowadays, I enjoy wearing my Neurodiversity with huge pride, as I enjoy seeing the world through a different & a pair of special lens. I personally like to think that my Neurodiversity is a superpower, because it gives me a lot of motivation to go out & be the best person I can be. Yes, I still do typically struggle with fitting in with other crowds, but I like to think that this doesn't necessarily make me a boring person. If anything, I thrive more by flying solo & keeping proactive with an array of different things I happen to be interested in. Although, without even trying to defend myself, I am slowly beginning to lose interest with blogging regularly on here anymore.😂 

*I began this post on the 2/4/24, but didn't finish it until the 5/4/24*

How working at Disability Challengers feels so rewarding

Hello everyone! I cannot believe it's now the 1st of March already?! I swear NYD still felt like it happened yesterday?!

Anyway, enough hyperbole. I know it's been a month since I was last active on here, as my work-life is heavily getting in the way of that. Especially with my new job. However, I have an unexpected day off work today, so I thought I'd make an appearance back on here again.

As the above title states, I feel like I should talk about how rewarding my job at Disability Challengers is, as well as how does it personally make me feel rewarded.

For those of you who have never heard of Disability Challengers, it is a charity-based job where it primarily consists of interacting with children with disabilities, as well as providing them with fun activities.

And as the company name states, every child comes with a unique set of behaviours. Hence I also manage those children's behaviours whilst having fun interacting with them on scheme.

Working at Disability Challengers feels so rewarding for me, as I am (let's not leave out my colleagues/friends here as well!) providing a safe, playful & overall fun environment for our service users. The backstory of this reason is due to the fact that they may have nowhere else to go & have fun, as other people view their disability as a burden.

I personally like to vision myself as a superhero at the end of every shift. This is because helping people helps me to become a better person in life, and I tend to thrive on the very thought of me visioning myself as a "superhero".

In fact, the last 10 months I have been working at Disability Challengers has made me develop into a more better person. Both physically & mentally. This is because I had the pleasure of working alongside some amazing & all round lovely people, (particularly on the schemes I work at) who accept me for who I am as a person, which help me to gain more confidence when working as a team.

*I began this post on the 1/3/24, but didn't finish it until the 2/3/24*

How going out travelling makes me feel good about myself

Good evening everyone, and I hope you've all had a great week! Without sugar-coating things here, I'm just going to be honest and say that I have been reluctant to type on here lately. Mainly due to being too occupied with my life. Going into more detail on that, I have recently been working at Challengers on Wednesday's, doing Maths every Monday & Tuesday, and I am please to announce that I will be working every Thursday & Friday at my new job soon...!

However, I have been trying to fit in my love for travelling in between. Meaning on the days I have nothing planned. 

For as long as I can remember, I have always been a keen lover of travel, which is why I feel like talking about how travelling makes me feel good about myself.

*The above picture was taken from my most recent trip up into Oxford, I had taken so many that it was hard to pick just 1😂*

Whenever I get the chance to go out & explore somewhere where I haven't been to before, my mind gets a boost of motivation by wanting to know what will be awaiting me. In other words, it gets this sense of excitement.

Even when I typically spend all day walking around a place, my mind experiences a feeling of pleasurable lost by taking in every bit of scenery. It's like I'm actually living in a daydream where I am conscious of what I am doing.

Furthermore, going out travelling to different places makes me feel good about myself, as it provides me with a sense of adventure. Not to mention that I feel more powerfully independent. Best of all, I feel positive & free knowing I am doing what I love!

*I began this post on the 26/1/24, but didn't finish it until the 29/1/24*

The psychology behind #BrewMonday

Happy beginning of the week everyone! If you follow and/or work for Samaritans or MIND, you would know for yourselves it's that time of year again.

It's the day where the iconic mythical phrase "Blue Monday" transforms into "Brew Monday". Why? This is because we believe there is no such thing as a Blue Monday which occurs on the 3rd Monday after Christmas Day. Realistically speaking, anyone could have a Blue Monday. 

The idea behind Brew Monday, is to gather people together using the fine innovative of involving a cuppa & a few other things. I can definitely see how the initiative is proving to be a big success with Samaritans, as they are passionate about connecting with people & communities by always providing a listening ear to their thoughts. In which, they are still thriving on to this day & age! 

I can see how Samaritans must have thought to themselves: "If it's popular to have a cuppa everyday in reality, then why not create an annual initiative based on the the cuppa everyday reality!" Not to mention the increase of support showed for Brew Monday, as it helps it's advertisement across social media.

All I all, Brew Monday is another one of these community get togethers, whether it's done in person, at work, or social media. Ot can be hosted in anyone's fashion. However, the inclusion of a cuppa just makes Brew Monday a lot more convincing & encouraging for more people to get involved, because, let's face it, we all enjoy having a conversation with a cuppa! We're in GB for crying out loud!

What does the word 'Reflect' mean to you?

Hello all, and I hope you're all having a great 2024 so far! I know I'm 2 days late here with this post, but if I'm being honest, I really couldn't be bothered to post on NYE.

Anyway, as the above rhetorical-questioned title states, I am curious to know what reflecting means to you. Does it consist of reflecting on yourself? Last year? (2023) Or even a few or more years back? Whatever your thoughts are, do feel free to type them in the comments. I personally, will be using this post to reflect on how 2023 has been for me. Although I'm not one of those people who tends to have a priciest opinion on how each year has been for me, I can definitely say, without a doubt & as a fact, that 2023 has been my best year so far. And I'll tell you for why...

What does reflection mean to me? If I was to choose how to best answer this rhetorical question, I would say looking back over the past 4 years on how far I've progressed with myself, compared to where I am now to this day. If I was to think deep about it, my mind just feels like it wants to explode with disbelief. It's also if my mind still cannot actually believe how long my self progression has been!

Let's go back to late 2019, where I had manifested my interest & passion for psychology. A.K.A, pre Psychology Intake times. (And of course, COVID-19😂) The most I was doing, in terms of anything psychology related, was looking up psychology quotes on the internet. I was pretty much doing the same for the 1st 5 months of 2020. A short while after that, I random began looking up the psychology behind some old children's TV shows I used to watch when I was in my single digits, as well as actually watching them on YouTube myself. (I think I can be excused for doing this, being that I wasn't allowed to do much back then😂)

In December 2020, I suddenly had the idea of starting my own blogging site, where I can distribute my knowledge, as well develop more knowledge on psychology. Most of which had consisted of the psychology behind something to shape it how it is. I was fully active on here back then as well. In terms of my education, I was doing a course in Outdoor Activities at college, where I got to undertake a lot of sport & fitness. As I got to learn a lot about mental health in sport & fitness, I was able to do a couple of posts about something on the lines of the the psychology behind keeping yourself active. (I know I wasn't being accurate here, as I've not looked back on my previous posts lately)

Moving onto September 2021, where I got accepted onto a 2 year Public Services course at college. This has been, without a doubt, the most stressful 2 years of my life, but I can happily wholeheartedly say that it was worth it! Not just in terms of getting closer into my dream career, but also there was a huge amount of psychology on that course I had found interesting. An example of this was to learn & understand about conformity.

In March 2022, I undertook the 310,000 steps in March Challenge for Samaritans. This challenge had taught me that I can achieve absolutely ANYTHING at all, if I can put my mind to it. This was also where my walking had turned into a regular hobby by going out as much as possible in my spare time. During that year, I was a wee bit less frequent with my blogging on here, but I was fairly active. My mind was rightly cautious to stay focused on my 1st year of my Public Services course.

In January of last year, where I applied for, and began working at a local MIND shop. I knew I needed to boost my people skills & employment. My 3 month absence period on here (forcely) occurred a month later, as my mind was sensible enough to put my coursework first due to it being the most important get done, or else I'd fail the 2 years of hard work & effort on that course.

In April & May of last year, I attended 2 major sporting events up in London, ad I had signed up to be a Samaritans Events Volunteer. This had also helped my to build up my people skills by doing thing out in the community. (I'm hoping to do some more voluntary work with them this year)

Also in April last year, I began my part-time job with Disability Challengers, where I got to put my psychology skills to good use by working with children & young people with different behaviours. I'll tell you what, after 8 months of working with them, I feel like a different person. (I'll save that for a separate post)

In terms of my blogging site for the remainder of 2023, I had spoken out about the work that MIND do, and shared it with LinkedIn, so I was able to gain more recognition of what I do on my blogging site. In fact, I did the same for some of my other posts that raise awareness about importance topics, such as ADHD. (I intend to do much more of that in the future)

Finally, in November of last year, I became a member of the Surrey Youth Commission, which is where I meet with a group of other people in my county area to discuss how crime is impact ing people in communities. Again, another "putting my psychology skills into good use" & a another step closer to my dream career industry opportunity there.

And that was how 2023 had earned its title "best year ever so far." Now here I am in this day & age, looking to make 2024 a bigger & better year for me... Although I wouldn't want to jinx it though, as my mind has the important job of opportunity hunting. And that itself, is no easy task.

I just want to say, if anyone has survived reading down to this point of the post, thank you so much!

*I began this post on the 2/1/2024, but didn't finish it until the 5/1/2024*

Conversations In The Community Review + Key Takeaways (A MIND accredited online course)

Hello all! As the above title states, I will be distributing what I have learned, as well as include some key takeaways/points from an online course that I have managed to complete recently.

A little backstory for you here, I was working at my MIND store one day back in July, and I happen to glace up at a poster which was advertising an online course associated with MIND. Me, being the curious-minded person I am, only decided to scan the QR code on the poster to see what the said course (in the above title) was all about. Then me, also being the scatter-brained (sometimes) person that I am, only managed to get through 1/5 modules the next day, before ending up not getting around to doing it again until a week ago.  

*This was the only convenient picture I could find on the internet*

What was the online course about? Conversations In The Community is purely about educating people about the best ways of beginning, flowing & ending conversations with other people. And this can be having a conversation with anybody at all, regardless if they are struggling with their mental health or not. Moreover, this course goes into fish tank depth about the pros & cons of forming a conversation with somebody in the community. (I'll bullet point them later in this post)

How did the online course provide me with useful information? The online course provided me with a lot of tips of how to make a good & effective conversation. The information had also stated that it is important to bare in mind no conversation ever HAS to be perfect, as there isn't such thing as a 'perfect conversation'. The useful tips had included respecting the person's or your own boundaries, never ask leading questions, always remind the person that your there for them & try to show interest.

Would I feel more confident about starting my own conversations In the community? In a word, definitely! To further extend my reasoning, I will now remind myself to always begin a conversation to anyone by using open questions, like: "Hiya, how has your day been today?" or "Hey, how has life been for you lately?"

What are the pros & cons of forming conversations?

Pros:

• Finding a suitable environment
• Allowing the person to take their time
• Asking open questions
• Reminding the person you'll be always be there for them
• Respecting your person's privacy 
• Giving yourself an appropriate time

Cons:

• Being insulting
• Comparing your person's struggles to everyone else's
• Asking leading questions that will make your person feel uncomfortable 
• Not showing interest
• Violating your person's privacy
• Not going through the flowing & ending process in the conversation

What have I learned? As I have mentioned earlier, I have learned that any form of conversation doesn't NEED to be perfect, as long as I make the effort to actually make any form of conversation at all. And as long as the person I am having a conversation with is satisfied with everything, then I will be more than happy.

I have also learned that conversations are more effective when you allow your person to have their preferences. This is to provide them with empowerment that will make them feel comfortable & secure prior to a conversation. An example of this could be allowing your person to convey the conversation in a wide open green space, where they feel more comfortable by knowing that nobody else is going to invade the private conversation.

Finally, I have learned that you are entitled to setting your own boundaries when it comes to finding the most convenient time to form a conversation with somebody. This is important because you must consider you self-care before thinking about beginning a conversation with somebody. Especially when you know in advance that you are going to be having an emotionally draining conversation with somebody who is fighting depression.

Conclusion: Even though I was inattentive towards the online course when I have first started it back in July, I have found it really interesting & enjoyable throughout when I had eventually got my inattentive self round to getting through the rest of it, and managed to complete it on Wednesday. (The day before my birthday!) After doing the course, I feel more confident about forming conversations with people whenever I go out & about into the community. Although I know in the back of my mind that is easier said than done, as I still consider myself to be a shy person when having a random conversation with anyone out in the community. That being said, I can easily just shrug it off, and just focus on making conversation.

If anybody would like to develop better conversation forming skills when out & about in the community, I definitely recommend doing this course! Direct access link: https://www.conversationsinthecommunity.org.uk/

An introduction to MIND Side By Side

Evening all, and happy Friday! I hope you're all looking forward to celebrating Christmas this year, however you may choose to celebrate it. 

In contrast, it is important to bare in mind that some people out there may not choose to celebrate Christmas due to certain issues they could be dealing with. An example of this could be their mental health. I, for one, can totally relate to this, so I know how it feels to be overwhelmed during the run up to Christmas. Let alone on Christmas Day.

Whilst still on this subject, I have just recently signed myself up to the MIND Side By Side community scheme. Although I have only discovered this community scheme within a short amount of time, I can already provide a useful introduction about it to anyone who is also considering to join up as well.

What is Side By Side? Side By Side is an online community group, where people all over the world can connect with one another. Going into more depth, Side By Side creates a sole purpose of supporting people who are battling mental health. (Myself included)

How does using Side By Side make me feel? Overall, I would say that using Side By Side helps me to feel relieved, by being allowed to express myself freely with other people without any judgement. That being said, I feel like I can relate to other people on the community site by developing an understanding of what they may be going through in terms of their own mental health. Every story is different & interesting to say the least. Whenever I use Side By Side, my mind breathes with relief, as it casually puts itself in timeout by knowing that it is going to get a well deserved break from reality. Making an effort to connect with other users helps my mind to unload all of the piling stress that cannot seem to disappear. This is purely because talking about how you feel to someone helps my mind to get rid of its load of excessive & repetitive thoughts. And in most cases, prevents them from reoccurring.

*I began this post on the 22/12/23, but didn't finish it until the 23/12/23*