We were all born to be ourselves, express ourselves creatively, have rewarding relationships and have fun. Sadly, for many children, their wellbeing can be hugely impacted due to a variety of factors resulting in anxiety, low mood, relationship challenges, eating disorders and stresses at home.
Services to support children and young people’s mental health are experiencing an unprecedented surge in demand. NHS statistics show that one in six children aged 6 to 16 have a probable mental health condition, up from one in nine in 2017.
As a result of worsening mental health and the subsequent rise in referrals for therapeutic support, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) has come under enormous pressure. We are seeing the threshold for a CAMHS assessment rising higher and higher as waiting lists grow longer and longer.
In the meantime, many children with emerging mental health difficulties face a gap in support, with the risk that their problems will escalate and reach crisis point.
Children and young people shouldn’t have to be seriously unwell before they can access support. Local authorities can play a key role in protecting the mental health and wellbeing of young people by providing access to support at an earlier stage within school settings and at the same time reduce the pressure on CAMHS.
New research by the University of Birmingham highlighted the ‘significant potential’ of mental health services embedded within schools and found that children who had received support in their school reported an ‘overwhelmingly positive experience’. The report also found that school staff felt more confident talking to children and young people about mental health issues.
Coram works directly with the London Boroughs of Camden and Lambeth to deliver art and music therapy in 10 schools. Creative therapies are flexible and adaptable to all abilities and needs. We also work in special schools providing open access, individual and group therapy, tailored to children’s emotional, relational, SEN and physical needs. Creative therapies using art and music can reach children in a profound way and are also seen as ‘less stigmatising’ than traditional talking psychotherapy by young people at school.
Music therapy harnesses the power of music to help children communicate feelings and explore their emotions in a safe space. It is a physically interactive intervention that does not rely on language, and is effective in reducing anxiety, improving confidence and resilience and increasing attuned communication. Children and young people are received and accepted in a non-judgemental, confidential and consistent space by a trusted therapist. Coram’s art therapists help children to communicate their thoughts and feelings though the process of creating through art materials. For some children who may feel unsure of how to describe their experience or for whom using words may feel risky, art therapy gives them the confidence and the means to communicate feelings and ideas beyond the limits of their language development.
Creative therapies give children an opportunity to be accepted for expressing themselves and to get in touch with potentially repressed emotions. The positive experience of therapy at school can also help children engage more with the curriculum, feeling more confident about expressing their needs in the classroom, and help them to build a more positive relationship between the child and school.
Change in young people accessing creative therapy is often reported by their teachers and parents. One parent recently told us: ‘We've seen a dramatic improvement in her emotional wellbeing since she's been attending the [art therapy] sessions. It's also helped her self-confidence in talking to unfamiliar staff and other children in class.’
As the pandemic and the cost of living crisis have exacerbated many of the problems that children and families are facing, the cost of doing nothing to intervene at an earlier stage is now too high. Providing access to timely mental health support in schools, with no need to travel to an external therapeutic space, is a practical and cost-effective measure that local authorities can take to intervene before there is a crisis and improve the outcomes for children and young people.
Dr Anna Harris is a clinical psychologist and head of Coram's Creative Therapies team.
