MENTAL HEALTH IN EDUCATION By
Diana R. Paice, Education Secretary, N.A.M.H.
iticl.
Prevention of menial ill-health c?l j often be closely related to leaif ? difficulties; it might mean kind of difficulty turning ' one another", as when failure in a scfe ? subject led to emotional distress oVf wider area, or an undetected r physical ailment resulted in a learn1 wor* In this the disability. context, t the educational psychologist , { largely concerned with "normal" c}[ ren, and he should be a special^' normality, with all its variations.
1963 and 1964, two conferences held by the N.A.M.H. to consider "The Preventive Aspects of the Education Service in the Field of Mental Health". Their aim was to bring together professional workers closely concerned with schoolchildren and with the prevention of mental illhealth in schools. Membership was composed at first of school medical officers, head teachers, educational psychologists, and the second meeting was enlarged by school health visitors and by a small group of psychiatrists working closely with the School Health
IN
were
"preve^
.
Important aspect From the teachers' point of vieWV important aspect of prevention was appreciation and proper handling, "crisis points"?starting school,
Service.
Major disciplines Each meeting lasted for three days, and plenary sessions were devoted to contributions from speakers representing the major disciplines at the con-
tional transitions, home situations.
ference, followed by small group discussions. The immediate enthusiasm for an inter-disciplinary approach to the subject showed that, in this sphere at least, members had no need to cling to rigid professional isolationism. All were agreed that "prevention" inevitably required co-operation, and that one of the tasks today was to increase communication between the specialisms, and to provide an acceptable translation for professional jargon. In each conference, speakers highlighted the aim of this mental health work, which was not prevention or cure, but rather the removal of factors which impeded growth physical, emotional and intellectual. No one aspect of growth could be considered in isolation; from the psychiatrist's point of view, "treatment must be directed to several areas of his (the child's) personality". Organisations and individuals representing different aspects of the child's life needed to be involved in his care and education. The Child Guidance Clinic offered one example of an interdisciplinary group which could deal with social as well as medical questions.
or
those arising
n
Imaginative sc&0 organisation could help to smooth these difficult periods, and tea^'
could be alerted to look for the *1 signs of undue stress and insect1' thus ensuring that skilled help support could be provided at an stage. Although the school was a re* situation which children had to ^ it was also a community, which c?.( be therapeutic or traumatic in ifs fluence. Health visitors working in schools were especially these crisis points, particularly they had arisen in the family, an^ j; health visitor might then act as a bfl i 1 between the two environments. changing nature of the training her a better equipment to act as social worker in the School Service, and regular school visits discussion with teachers over children could be of great value. f sense of insecurity which mothers had in handling their chi'? could be mitigated by the health vis' who could help the mother to create, the home an atmosphere learning, and to the gradual attain'11' of independence. ?, ( Besides watching out for the "cfl
106
a(
egj
valuably
^ ^
indivi^
helpfu',;
| cou]^
l^e
'
School
Medical
similar ones; in this, lay the hope of progress. Members of the conference were quite clear that they themselves needed further training if they were to make the greatest contribution to preventive mental health. This might be done through day-release courses, group discussions within Local Authorities, and by further inter-disciplinary conferences. In some instances, a better understanding of mental health principles might be included in initial training, and more thought could be given to helping individual professions to work with each other.
Officer
a reS'ster ?f children at speci,iPrepare mental health risk. This might inclUci e with broken or
.those
pSych
gressj?Sls in
homes,
the family; those not pro-
educationally according to 'ty; those showing behaviour ?r socially isolated; and
the,r
pj-0b]
those6015-1 symptoms sug8estiveWlfthan Physical emotional component. A stUd\ absences could also be reveal'? sc^00^ school medical exam;'02'- Selective the n]atlons, and full discussion in particularly with class teaCh??1?< to focus attention mi?ht f
on
c^' Cn W^?help
need, but not symptoms of illness. such close liaison, the were in
Present Thr
overt
schor,]0^^ ^edical .
Conclusions
Officer could carry out ^or promoting an ln the mental health aspects of edUcat-10n and amongst teachers, adVjs ass'st them in its application, The s Psychological Service was also c?uld osely involved in this task, and to alter the climate of opinio a greater understanding e overall aspects of a child's deve]n and the need for establishin prnent' a ProPer relationship between child adult as an essential pre? t?r his ,j learning. The teacher, in
his
rp
'nterest^?ns^^'^
The
c|?
ofntu0vvar
Diana R. Paice, Education Secretary, N.A.M.H.
iticl.
Prevention of menial ill-health c?l j often be closely related to leaif ? difficulties; it might mean kind of difficulty turning ' one another", as when failure in a scfe ? subject led to emotional distress oVf wider area, or an undetected r physical ailment resulted in a learn1 wor* In this the disability. context, t the educational psychologist , { largely concerned with "normal" c}[ ren, and he should be a special^' normality, with all its variations.
1963 and 1964, two conferences held by the N.A.M.H. to consider "The Preventive Aspects of the Education Service in the Field of Mental Health". Their aim was to bring together professional workers closely concerned with schoolchildren and with the prevention of mental illhealth in schools. Membership was composed at first of school medical officers, head teachers, educational psychologists, and the second meeting was enlarged by school health visitors and by a small group of psychiatrists working closely with the School Health
IN
were
"preve^
.
Important aspect From the teachers' point of vieWV important aspect of prevention was appreciation and proper handling, "crisis points"?starting school,
Service.
Major disciplines Each meeting lasted for three days, and plenary sessions were devoted to contributions from speakers representing the major disciplines at the con-
tional transitions, home situations.
ference, followed by small group discussions. The immediate enthusiasm for an inter-disciplinary approach to the subject showed that, in this sphere at least, members had no need to cling to rigid professional isolationism. All were agreed that "prevention" inevitably required co-operation, and that one of the tasks today was to increase communication between the specialisms, and to provide an acceptable translation for professional jargon. In each conference, speakers highlighted the aim of this mental health work, which was not prevention or cure, but rather the removal of factors which impeded growth physical, emotional and intellectual. No one aspect of growth could be considered in isolation; from the psychiatrist's point of view, "treatment must be directed to several areas of his (the child's) personality". Organisations and individuals representing different aspects of the child's life needed to be involved in his care and education. The Child Guidance Clinic offered one example of an interdisciplinary group which could deal with social as well as medical questions.
or
those arising
n
Imaginative sc&0 organisation could help to smooth these difficult periods, and tea^'
could be alerted to look for the *1 signs of undue stress and insect1' thus ensuring that skilled help support could be provided at an stage. Although the school was a re* situation which children had to ^ it was also a community, which c?.( be therapeutic or traumatic in ifs fluence. Health visitors working in schools were especially these crisis points, particularly they had arisen in the family, an^ j; health visitor might then act as a bfl i 1 between the two environments. changing nature of the training her a better equipment to act as social worker in the School Service, and regular school visits discussion with teachers over children could be of great value. f sense of insecurity which mothers had in handling their chi'? could be mitigated by the health vis' who could help the mother to create, the home an atmosphere learning, and to the gradual attain'11' of independence. ?, ( Besides watching out for the "cfl
106
a(
egj
valuably
^ ^
indivi^
helpfu',;
| cou]^
l^e
'
School
Medical
similar ones; in this, lay the hope of progress. Members of the conference were quite clear that they themselves needed further training if they were to make the greatest contribution to preventive mental health. This might be done through day-release courses, group discussions within Local Authorities, and by further inter-disciplinary conferences. In some instances, a better understanding of mental health principles might be included in initial training, and more thought could be given to helping individual professions to work with each other.
Officer
a reS'ster ?f children at speci,iPrepare mental health risk. This might inclUci e with broken or
.those
pSych
gressj?Sls in
homes,
the family; those not pro-
educationally according to 'ty; those showing behaviour ?r socially isolated; and
the,r
pj-0b]
those6015-1 symptoms sug8estiveWlfthan Physical emotional component. A stUd\ absences could also be reveal'? sc^00^ school medical exam;'02'- Selective the n]atlons, and full discussion in particularly with class teaCh??1?< to focus attention mi?ht f
on
c^' Cn W^?help
need, but not symptoms of illness. such close liaison, the were in
Present Thr
overt
schor,]0^^ ^edical .
Conclusions
Officer could carry out ^or promoting an ln the mental health aspects of edUcat-10n and amongst teachers, adVjs ass'st them in its application, The s Psychological Service was also c?uld osely involved in this task, and to alter the climate of opinio a greater understanding e overall aspects of a child's deve]n and the need for establishin prnent' a ProPer relationship between child adult as an essential pre? t?r his ,j learning. The teacher, in
his
rp
'nterest^?ns^^'^
The
c|?
ofntu0vvar
