Supporting Students

Supporting students with mental health issues is one of the biggest challenges faced by teachers. Teachers have reported that rate of mental health problems in students has increased significantly in the past two years. This guide includes steps to identify and support students who are at risk.

Supporting the Supporters

Nearly all the organisations and charities we have included in this site rely on a mixture of funding and in particular donations and fundraising.  If you are interested in supporting their work there will be information about how to do that within the website links we have provided for each area of ArtsMinds.

Within our industries we have charities that solely focus on performers and creative practitioners and if you are interested in finding out more about these and how you might fundraise for them, here are the links:

Breaking Down Stigma

Given the prevalence of mental health problems we probably all have colleagues, friends and family who have been affected by this issue or who may need support in the future.  Yet mental health is one of society’s last great taboos. A subject wrapped in secrecy there is a lot of stigma and fear and people coping with mental illness are often isolated. Nine out of ten people with mental health issues experience stigma and discrimination.

In 2007 the Time to Change campaign was launched to tackle mental health stigma by getting people to talk about it.  More and more people from the creative industries have been talking openly about their experiences and in many ways this has made it easier for other people to do the same.

The campaign is still running with lots of ways to help further break down stigma including the National Time to Talk Day every February.

In 2016 the Heads Together campaign was launched with the aim of ending stigma around mental health by raising awareness and providing help for people with mental health challenges.

Volunteering

Within ArtsMinds we have included many organisations that offer support and advice.  A lot of these need volunteers to help deliver their services. If you feel you would like to do something to actively help others, you could consider a volunteer role. Here are some suggestions:

Raising the Subject

You may be aware that  a friend, family member or someone you are working with is struggling to cope.  They may be behaving differently such as becoming withdrawn or  taking less care about themselves. You may be concerned but feel that you don’t know what to say or how to help and worry that you might make things worse by raising it.

Research shows that most people with mental health issues want to keep in touch with friends and colleagues and although many of us find it difficult to talk about mental health either our own or someone else’s, raising the subject can have a very positive impact.