News and Social Media

To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, Margaret Cavanagh, Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and Clinical Lead, and Charlotte Pitt, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist, shared insight into how they support students' wellbeing and create a safe space for mental health in the school community.

Throughout the episode, Margaret and Charlotte reflect on the whole-community approach to wellbeing, which sees Boarding and Day House staff, tutors, the Medical Centre, Learning Support and families all playing a vital role.

“We like to think of the whole school as part of the mental health team” - Ms Cavanagh

Our Mental Health Team work with staff and students to find the best way they can support a pupil. Each student’s journey begins with an individual assessment to determine the best fit for their needs.

“Once you have your person, you build a relationship with them – someone you see regularly, someone who knows you. That relationship is what makes the difference.” - Ms Cavanagh

For many, seeking mental health support can feel daunting and scary. Likewise, some may feel like it wouldn’t work for them if they’ve tried it before and felt it didn’t work, however, the Mental Health Team are committed to helping students find the right support for them and we understand that it’s not a ‘one shoe fits all’ process.

“Sometimes the first therapist you meet might not be quite the right fit…That doesn’t mean therapy isn’t for you. It just means there’s someone else who might be a better match.”

“We would much rather they say, ‘Actually, this doesn’t feel right, could I try with someone else?’ than go away thinking ‘therapy isn’t for me.’” - Miss Pitt

Ms Cavanagh and Miss Pitt also offered advice for young people navigating school life, including tips for students who might be living away from home for the first time.

“Homesickness is a natural human thing because we love connections and relationships. We have people that we love in our lives. Keep building on that… The beauty of boarding school is you get to build wonderful relationships in school. You’re going to build really good friendships that are so close that will last. [Homesickness] shows that you really value relationships.” - Ms Cavanagh

“You’re missing people that love you… it’s okay to go and have fun with your friends and miss your family… and if you can find a way of noticing when you’re missing them and being a bit sad, but also being able to go out… that takes time to learn.” - Miss Pitt

At CLC, we recognise that mental health is physical health. We know how important it is to look after emotional wellbeing to succeed in all aspects of life, both personally, and academically.

Our mental health is physical…if you feel depressed, you’re whole body feels heavy…if you’re feeling really anxious your breathing goes up and you feel jittery…this can destigmatise mental health. It’s health problems.” - Ms Cavanagh

Although we have incredible support in place, we also recognise that and teach our students that it’s ok to have bad days, and we don’t have to feel happy all of the time.

“Happiness is not a default for human beings…we want to have the space to feel every emotion going, including happiness. But what we don’t want people to feel is ‘I have to be happy and if I’m not happy there’s something wrong with me’. It’s okay to just feel okay.” - Ms Cavanagh