I was incredibly impressed by our group of peer listeners this term, who felt that the Mental Health First Aid training they received, would not only be helpful for the Year 7s, but their fellow Year 13 friends. They reminded me of the hard work that goes on behind the scenes, as students support fellow students. Being on the receiving end of an empathic, compassionate listener can make a world of difference when you feel isolated with your own problems. Talking to others and sharing experiences can help us regulate our own emotions. Keeping those feelings fight/flight/freeze or collapse responses at a manageable level. At the same time, in being the listener you can gain insight into your own perspective, and I must say, I learn something new each time I meet with a young person for a session; it’s what’s been sustaining me throughout this difficult time. I would like to thank the Psychotherapist Ana Gomez, who during a Zoom conference from Colombia, told the story of the Tabonuco tree. It’s meaning has been shared from a small island in the Caribbean, to Latin America and on to our small island of the UK. It’s this network of connections (root system), that has allowed me to pass on this piece of knowledge of how we can weather this storm together.
The Peer Listeners become Youth Mental Health First Aiders This term the Counselling Service had the pleasure of delivering the Youth Mental Health First Aid training to the Year 13 Peer Listeners. They are now equipped with some listening techniques to support a young person’s mental health, spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues, have the confidence to reassure and support a young person in distress and have strategies to look after their own mental wellbeing. By Matt Barnard and Donna Brunstrom
Back row, left to right – Ella Myers, Cristina Garcia Rapoport, Luke Wright, Grace Whitty, Matt Barnard, Stacey Haziri, Leanne Elias, Theodore Colbert, Harry Lawal, Oscar Graham, Samuel Cooper and John Boyd. Front row, left to right Raphaela GoeldnerThompson, Beatrice Vincent-Ratti, Bea Quinney, Grace Chaikin, Sarita Bray, Donna Brunstrom, Linnea Hopfenbeck, Siana Jacob, Alexey Savelyev, Jose Villarroel and Imogen Eve.
© The Cherwell School , Opportunity, Responsibility, Excellence Winter Newsletter 2021 Page 5
