Working in Education can be rewarding and extremely satisfying but can also present significant emotional challenges. Funding cuts, increased scrutiny, excessive academic testing and increased pressures on staff can result in them feeling overwhelmed, criticised and under-valued.
In the school setting, staff are responsible for supporting children with their emotional worlds and this can place a heavy burden on them. Educators (as any caregivers) both consciously and unconsciously absorb many difficult feelings from their pupils. Levels of anxiety are exacerbated further when pupils have special educational needs and face challenging domestic circumstances such as neglect, deprivation, prejudice, abuse and extreme poverty, to name but a few. Educators may find it difficult to recognise how they absorb and carry these feelings, which can subsequently result in them feeling stressed, anxious or even physically unwell. These high levels of anxiety can play out in unconscious behaviours, making it difficult for educators to communicate, do their jobs, collaborate and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Further Education
The same pressures can also affect staff working in Further Education. Adolescents often go through a difficult and uncertain time transitioning to adulthood with many attacks on their sense of safety, identity, and relationships. Add to this the growing financial pressures on students and it is not surprising that there is an increase in the level of significant mental health challenges experienced by the student population. Support services within universities and colleges are inundated, with fewer resources trying to manage serious mental health issues like suicide, panic attacks and psychosis.
How HealthyMinds@Work Can Help
We have extensive experience of working with trusts, schools and universities to help staff better understand and manage the psychological impact and emotional demands of their work. This can increase resilience, wellbeing and productivity as well as enabling staff to better support the students emotionally and practically.
Our Solutions
- Leadership coaching and reflective supervision for head teachers and senior leaders to increase wellbeing, resilience, and performance. We use a psychodynamic approach to understand our emotional responses to our work and relationships.
- Group and individual supervision for safeguarders, SENDCo’s, pastoral and behaviour leads to support teams with emotionally difficult cases or situations.
- Psychoeducation to provide staff with tools and techniques to better manage their resilience including their emotional and mental health.
- Psychoeducation about the psychological and emotional development of children and adolescents.
- Mediation for individuals and teams to resolve conflict, disagreements and differences. We also provide training and support to build this capability internally in organisations.