Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) 

The Resilience Project in Year 5

This week in The Resilience Project Lessons, students in Year 5 explored Emotional Literacy, looking specifically at The Catastrophe Scale. 

The Catastrophe Scale is a tool used to help individuals, particularly children, assess the severity of problems or emotional reactions. It encourages perspective-taking by rating situations on a scale where 5 represents a minor issue and 1 signifies a major catastrophe. 

The scale used in this lesson can be found below, with an explanation of each stage and the strategies taught to students. 

• 1. Catastrophe - ‘adults help adults’:
  • These are extremely serious situations that pose immediate danger or significant harm. 
  • These problems are beyond the capacity of children or even individual adults to handle alone. 

  • ‘Adults help adults’ is the phrase used as if there was a fire in the school, staff would call for emergency services to alert fire and rescue services to put out the fire and assist members of the school community. 

     

• 2. Really bad problem - ‘I need help from an adult’:
  • These are serious issues that significantly affect a student's wellbeing or safety, but are not as immediately dangerous as catastrophes. 
  • These problems require adult intervention to be resolved.

  • ‘I need help from an adult’ is the phrase used as we can seek out a trusted adult, such as a teacher or school counsellor, to report the problem to and ask for assistance and support. 

     

• 3. Bad problem - ‘I can ask for help from an adult or friend’: 
  • These problems are concerning and can impact the student's emotional state or academic performance, but are less urgent. 
  • They can be resolved with support from adults or peers.

  • ‘I can ask for help from an adult or friend’ is the phrase used to decide whether to ask for help from an adult, such as a teacher or counsellor, or to seek support from a friend. This encourages problem-solving skills and seeking appropriate support.

     

• 4. Small problem - ‘I can solve this on my own’: 

  • These are minor issues that cause some inconvenience or mild distress but can be managed independently by the student.

  • ‘I can solve this on my own’ is the phrase used, as we can use problem-solving skills to handle the situation on our own. This fosters independence and resilience.

     

  5. No problem - ‘I feel ____ right now, and that’s okay. I can handle this’:

  • These situations are not problems at all but are normal, everyday experiences that might cause temporary feelings of disappointment, embarrassment, or mild frustration.
  • ‘I feel ____ right now, and that’s okay. I can handle this’ is the phrase used as we acknowledge our feelings and reassure ourselves that it’s okay. 
  • This encourages emotional self-regulation and helps us recognise that not all uncomfortable feelings indicate a problem that needs to be fixed.

Anxiety, worries and fear: A natural part of childhood

Anxiety is the feeling of worry or fear that something bad is going to happen. It’s also the physical reactions that go with the feeling, like ‘butterflies in the stomach’. And its behaviour is like avoiding what’s causing the anxiety or wanting a lot of reassurance.

Anxiety, worry and fear are natural emotions.

It’s common for children to feel anxious, worried or afraid. In most cases, these feelings come and go and don’t last long. In fact, different anxieties, fears and worries often develop at different stages of development.

Babies and toddlers are often anxious about separation from you. They also fear things like loud noises, heights and strangers. But babies and toddlers don’t tend to worry in the way that older children do.

Preschoolers might start to show fear of being on their own and of the dark. But worry still isn’t common in this age group. If preschoolers do worry, it tends to be about things like getting sick or hurt.

School-age children might be afraid of supernatural things like ghosts, social situations, criticism, tests and physical harm or threat. Children over 8 years of age might worry about things like failure at sport or school, war, pandemics, the environment and family relationships.

What to do when children are anxious

If you think your child is showing signs of typical childhood anxiety, worries or fears, you can support them in several ways:

• Acknowledge your child’s fear or worry, and let them know that most people feel anxious sometimes.
• Talk with your child about their worries.
• Gently encourage and support your child to face situations they’re anxious about, starting with situations that cause the least anxiety.
• Wait until your child gets anxious before you step in to help.
• Praise your child for doing something they’re anxious about.
• Avoid criticising your child for being afraid or worried.
• Avoid labelling your child as ‘shy’ or ‘anxious’.
• Make sure your child eats healthy food, does enough physical activity and gets the sleep they need. Good physical health is important for mental health.

When to be concerned about anxiety in children

Most children have fears or worries of some kind. But if you’re concerned about your child’s fears, worries or anxiety, it’s a good idea to seek professional help.

Here’s when to see your GP or another health professional:

• Your child’s anxiety is stopping them from doing things they want to do or interfering with their friendships, play, schoolwork or family life.
• Your child’s behaviour is very different from children the same age. For example, it’s common for most children to have separation fears when going to preschool for the first time, but separation anxiety is far less common over the age of 8 years.
• Your child’s reactions seem unusually severe. For example, your child might be very distressed or very hard to settle when they’re anxious or worried.

Anxiety disorders in children

Severe anxiety can affect children’s health and happiness. Some anxious children will grow out of their fears, but others will keep having trouble with anxiety unless they get professional help. When children’s anxiety affects their lives and is severe or long-lasting, it might be an anxiety disorder.

These are the most common types of anxiety disorders in children:

• Social anxiety – this is intense fear of social situations or being judged or embarrassed in public. It can also include intense worry or ‘fear of missing out’ or not being included.
• Separation anxiety – this is an intense fear of being separated from parents/carers.
• Generalised anxiety – this is intense worry about many areas of life.
• Selective mutism – this is when children can’t speak in certain places, with certain people or during certain social activities.

You can be a role model for your child by managing your own anxiety. You can also help your child see that anxiety in itself isn’t bad. It’s only a problem when it stops us from doing what we want or need to do.

Professional help and treatment for children with anxiety disorders

Children with anxiety disorders and other mental health problems usually respond very well to professional treatment.

You can seek professional information and advice from several sources, including:

• your child’s teacher at school or the school Wellbeing Team. 
• your child’s GP or paediatrician, who can refer you to an appropriate mental health professional
• your local children’s health centre or community health centre
• your local mental health service.

Anxiety is a common experience, especially in early childhood. However, when it becomes persistent and interferes with daily life, it may indicate a disorder that requires attention. With appropriate treatment and support, individuals can learn to manage their anxiety and lead fulfilling lives. 

If your child is experiencing anxiety and you need support from the school, please don't hesitate to reach out to the Wellbeing Team. We will work together to help you. 

Take care and have a wonderful, restful weekend. 

Amy Carter