Learn mental health skills, urges Princess
THE Princess of Wales has encouraged children to learn mental health skills that will help them “not just in school” but in all aspects of their lives.
The Princess paid a visit to the north London base of Anna Freud, a charity that brings together research, clinical expertise and training to help young people improve their mental wellbeing.
After the one-hour visit, she said she was feeling “inspired and excited”.
She added: “I’ve learnt a lot today. I’ve got all these fireworks going off in my head.”
The Princess spent time at the centre with a group of secondary schoolchildren who have been taking part in interactive activities that explore how to deal with their own anxious feelings.
The children are between years seven and nine at St Richard’s College, in Bexhill-on-sea, East Sussex, which is part of the charity’s Mentally Healthy Schools initiative. They helped design Anna Freud’s anxiety toolkit, which was launched yesterday and will be used at schools across the UK.
The Princess joined a group at a table to ask them how they dealt with certain situations, using practical activity cards to help formulate their responses.
Told that one girl was having trials at a football club, she said: “So much in sport is mental as well as the physical skills and abilities. To have these sorts of skills in your toolbox will really help, not just in school but home life and school and other things as well.”
She asked the children: “Do you think lots of young people have got the skills that you have got? How many adults do you know who have these skills?”
The Princess, who is patron of Anna Freud, was at the centre to highlight this year’s Mental Health Week and its theme – anxiety.
She was met on arrival by Michael Samuel, chairman of trustees, and Ros Bidmead, chief operating officer. “It’s really nice to be back, actually,” she said.
Recalling her last visit, when she opened the building in 2019, she said she remembered that “the building has the right vibe, the right feel – not clinical but still inviting”.
As she chatted about her work on mental health, she added: “The more you learn, the more you read, the more interesting a perspective you get… it’s great to keep up to date.”
She also expressed a belief that emotions should not be “over medicalised” – particularly among young people who tended to “latch on to labels of any sort”.