Training

Good News! Funding for TaMHS courses has become available through the Virtual School; using grant funding they have received from DFE as part of their expanded duty beyond Children in Care to include a strategic leadership role for all children and young people who have had or currently have a social worker. 

TaMHS is regarded as a trusted partner for providing good quality training to education settings through a range of courses which supports the narrowing of the attainment gap for this cohort of children and young people. Therefore, all TaMHS courses that are provided by Northamptonshire’s North and West educational psychology services are free for participants for the current academic year. Priority places will go to state-funded Northamptonshire schools. Please note any charges already paid will be refunded.

Training courses

See below to find out more details about each session and information on how to book. Alternatively, you can download a copy of the training brochure below.

​A cognitive behavioural approaches programme to promote resilience and coping skills in children and young people.

​Date​Time​Venue​Cost
​27 April and 11 May 2022​​9:30am to 12:30pm​​Online eventFree

Detail

We know that research into promoting and developing resilience shows that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy helps children and young people cope better with challenges in their lives. The Northamptonshire EPS have therefore written a programme for Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 students, underpinned by cognitive behavioural approaches, which aims to:

  • Teach life skills for coping with challenging situations
  • Normalise states of emotional distress, and develop self-regulation and self-soothing skills.
  • Build positive social networks and role models, and teach constructive peer relationship skills, tus reducing bullying
  • Improve attitudes to learning and academic performance

This programme can be delivered at the universal level or to small groups.

Purpose

This online training aims to enable school staff to:

  • Facilitate this programme within their educational settings.
  • Understand the theoretical underpinnings of the programme including the cognitive behavioural therapy model and the relationship between risk and preventative factors and resilience.
  • Identify the skills needed to run the programme within their setting.

All staff who attend this training will receive a PDF of session plans including resources that can be used in each session, which will enable them to deliver the programme. They will also be signposted to other resources that will further support the implementation of the programme.

Who is this course for?

This course is aimed at teachers, teaching assistants and pastoral support staff who work with all children and young people, and those with social, emotional and mental health needs.

How to book

Book on Activating Resilience and Coping (ARC)
​Date​TimeVenue​​Cost
​Wednesday 20 April 2022​10am to 12noon​Online event​Free

Details

Anxiety is a natural feeling we all experience from time to time which can be useful when we face new or stressful situations. It can be our body’s way of preparing us to face a challenge by releasing a hormone called adrenaline which causes an alert and ready to react response sometimes known as ‘fight or flight’. All children and young people can get anxious and this is a normal as they grow up to develop their survival skills. However sometimes Anxiety can occur too often and at the wrong time and this may affect a child’s everyday life, development and relationships.

Recent research suggests that as many as 1 in 6 young people will experience an anxiety condition at some point in their lives, this means that up to 5 people in a class may be living with higher levels of anxiety, whether that be OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), social anxiety and shyness, exam stress, worry or panic attacks.

Purpose

This half-day training aims to enable school staff to: 

  • Understand that anxiety can be adaptive and part of the normal development of children and young people.
  • Know that anxiety has cognitive, physiological and behavioural components.
  • Be aware of ways to support children experiencing higher levels of anxiety and where further help and resources can be accessed.

Who is this course for?
This course is aimed at professionals working with children and young people in a range of settings.

How to book

Book on Anxiety: What do you do with it?
​DateTime​Venue​Cost​
​Tuesday 15 March 2022​9:30 am to 12noon​Online event​Free

Details
Every child has the right to be involved in decisions made about them as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and numerous other sources of law and guidance. Involving the child in decisions about them as well as the process of changing their own behaviours enhances their sense of autonomy, competence and belonging; increases their motivation and contributes to positive emotional well being.

Using psychological theory and techniques including Personal Construct Psychology and Solution Focused Approaches, this session will help practitioners to understand and gain the child’s perspective of a particular situation, thus enabling them to share their views.

Who is this course for?

This course is aimed at teachers, teaching assistants and pastoral support staff who work with all children and young people, and those with social, emotional and mental health needs.

How to book

Book on Listening to Children
​DateTime​Venue​Cost​
​Tuesday 10 May 2022​9:30am to 11:30am​Online event​Free

Details

Change is a normal part of everyday life and can provide opportunities for personal growth and development of sense of self-efficacy and resilience. Whilst it can be a time of great excitement and opportunity, for some children and young people school transitions can be really difficult. As a result, they can have a negative impact on wellbeing and academic achievement.

Northamptonshire EPS have developed a four session programme to support this transfer which is specifically designed to be delivered by Year 6 Class Teachers. This programme recommends a range of activities with pupils including group discussion, written work and practical tasks. Through the programme, pupils are encouraged to reflect on their strengths and achievements and to capture their important memories of primary school. The sense of loss they may experience in leaving their friends, staff and the familiarity of their previous school is normalised alongside their worries and the sense of excitement they may feel about starting a new school.

The implications and effects of COVID 19 are also highlighted and recognised. Coping strategies are explored and pupils are encouraged to find out facts about their new secondary school and to identify a network of support to reduce their potential anxieties. The webinar explains the rationale and research behind the programme, psychoeducational information and lesson content.

Purpose
The 2-hour webinar aims to provide staff with:

  • An understanding of potential difficulties that come with transitions
  • An understanding of the research into transitions and rationale behind the transition programme
  • Knowledge and skills to deliver the programme to support pupils with a more successful transition.

Staff who attend the session will receive all resources required to deliver the programme.

Who is the course for?

This course is aimed at teachers, teaching assistants and pastoral support staff who work with all children and young people, and those with social, emotional and mental health needs.

How to book

Book on Promoting Positive Transitions for Year 6 to Secondary School
​DateTime​Venue​​Cost
​Tuesday 12 October 2021​9:30am to 11:30am​Online event​Free
​Tuesday 17 May 2022​9:30am to 11:30am​Online event​Free
Details

Change is a normal part of everyday life and can provide opportunities for personal growth and development of sense of self-efficacy and resilience. Whilst it can be a time of great excitement and opportunity, for some children and young people, school transitions can be really difficult. As a result, they can have a negative impact on their wellbeing and academic achievement. Research has shown it can take the duration of Year 7 to settle into their new school and adjust to their new environment and routines. Bridging the gap between primary and secondary schools and providing a continuation of support into secondary is also key.

Northamptonshire EPS have developed a four-session programme to support this transfer which is specifically designed to be delivered by Year 7 Class Teachers to help their students settle into Secondary School. This programme recommends a range of activities with pupils including group discussion, written work and practical tasks. This programme can help tutors build rapport and get to know their students whilst allowing the class to get know each other better through the group tasks. Students are encouraged to reflect on their strengths and achievements and to capture their important memories of primary school. The sense of loss they may experience in leaving their friends, staff and the familiarity of their previous school is normalised alongside their worries and the sense of excitement they may feel about starting their new school.

The implications and effects of COVID 19 are also highlighted and recognised. Coping strategies are explored and pupils are encouraged to find out facts about their new secondary school and to identify a network of support to reduce their potential anxieties. The webinar explains the rationale and research behind the programme, psychoeducational information and lesson content.

Purpose

The two hour webinar aims to provide staff with:

  • An understanding of potential difficulties that come with transitions
  • An understanding of the research into transitions and rationale behind the transition programme 
  • Knowledge and skills to deliver the programme to support pupils with a more successful transitiom

Staff who attend the session will receive all resources required to deliver the programme. 

Who is this course for

This course is aimed at teachers, teaching assistants and pastoral support staff who work with all children and young people, and those with social, emotional and mental health needs.

How to book

Book on Promoting Positive Transitions for Year 7 (October 2021)

Book on Promoting Positive Transitions for Year 7 (May 2022)

​Date​Time​Venue​Cost
​Thursday 4 November 2021​1:00 pm to 3:00 pm​Online event​Free
​Wednesday 4 May 2022​1:00 pm to 3:00 pm​Online event​Free

Details
This seminar is to enable practitioners who have completed the 2-day Foundation course:

  • To consider any challenges arising in their day to day role (including from Covid 19)
  • To review and apply the Solihull Approach model 
  • To engage in a confidentially facilitated group process that utilises the perspectives of the group to find ways forward

How to book
Book on Solihull Approach in Action (November 2021)

Book on Solihull Approach in Action (May 2022)

​

​Date
​Time
Venue​Cost​
​27 April 2022
​9:30am to 11:30pm
​Online event
​Free

Details

Restorative Approaches are all about building relationships and underpinned by values of empathy, respect, honesty, acceptance, responsibilities and mutual accountability (Hull, 2012). Practicing RA in school is inspired by the philosophy and practices of restorative justice, which values and focusses on repairing the harm done to relationships and people over and above the need for blame and punishment. It is not a one-off intervention but an ethos. 

A whole school restorative approach is seen as one which embeds the restorative values and principles within teaching, learning, interacting and working together on a daily basis. RA can make schools safer, happier places for staff and pupils through creating a culture of inclusion, improving relationships and a greater sense of belonging. They enhance emotional literacy and enable a forward thinking, problem solving, community focused, peaceful process for resolving conflict.

Purpose

This 2 hour session will give participants an awareness of:
  • what Restorative Approaches are
  • the benefits of implementing Restorative Approaches in school
  • how your school can embed Restorative Approaches
Who is this course for?

This course is aimed at teachers, teaching assistants and pastoral support staff who work with all children and young people and those with social, emotional and mental health needs.

How to book

Book on Restorative Approaches awareness session

Recommended externally sourced training

Foundation training

‘Drawing and talking’ is an experiential rather than theory based training programme designed for anyone working with children, young people or adults who may be suffering from trauma or poor mental health. Participants learn how to put this simple technique into practice including how to get started, how to run a session and how to deal with common problems which can arise. The training also aims to enable participants to:

  • Understand the importance of giving pupils time and space to draw and talk in the presence of a supportive and attentive adult
  • Know how to use the process to help children who are struggling to process difficult emotions and possibly displaying worrying behaviour
  • Know where further help and resources can be accessed
  • Experience on the training day how to deliver a session online

Upon completion of your online training day, you will have everything you need to implement drawing and talking within your school setting, online and offline.

Advanced training

This training enables adults to gain a greater understanding of the therapeutic nature of the work involved and to be able to apply it in a variety of situations, including groups and sand play. Questions can be asked about current work you are doing 1:1 with children, building and affirming the skills already learnt in foundation training.

The advanced training also aims to enable participants to:

  • Review the process of Drawing and Talking (Foundation Level)
  • Learn how to use Drawing and Talking with small groups of children
  • Evaluate the progress of pupils using this process
  • Access support/advice in running group interventions

Upon completion of your online training day, you will have everything you need to implement drawing and talking within your school setting, online and offline.

Professionals must have completed the foundation training in order to access the advanced training.

Further Information

More information can be found at the Drawing and Talking website.

Due to the impact of Covid-19, Northamptonshire Educational Psychology Service will not be offering any in-person local ‘Zippy’s Friends’, ‘Apple’s Friends’ or ‘Passport’ training this year. If you would like to access this training online, then please visit the Partnership for Children website, as they will be offering dates in November and December.

Zippy's Friends, Apples Friends and Passport are evidence-based international programmes for teaching primary school children social and coping skills. Developed by 'Partnership for Children', they are engaging mental health promotion programmes which are suitable for children of all abilities.

Zippy's Friends

Zippy’s Friends teaches children aged 5 to 7 years old (years 1 or 2) how to cope with everyday difficulties, to identify and talk about their feelings and to explore ways of dealing with them through using role-play, drawing and discussion activities and games, and stories featuring characters of a similar age: Tig, Leela, Sandy, Jill and Tommy – as well as Zippy, a stick-insect.

The programme covers themes: feelings, communication, friendship, solving problems, changes, and moving forward. It also encourages children to help other people with their problems. The programme is based on extensive research and has been evaluated in many countries. It has also been endorsed by the World Health Organisation and national governments.

Apple's Friends 

Apple’s Friends builds on what has been taught in Zippy’s Friends and is suitable for children aged 7 to 9 years (years 3 or 4).

The programme covers themes similar to those in Zippy’s Friends. The activities in Apple’s Friends give children the chance to practise and develop effective coping and social skills. Once again, there are role-play, drawing and discussion activities and games, and stories featuring the same characters; but this time with Apple the hamster. However, in Apple’s Friends sessions, children have to contribute more of their own ideas – particularly when it comes to the stories. These are unfinished, and the class decides how each story ends.

Passport 

Passport is for 9 to 11 year olds (years 5 or 6).The programme is based on the same theory as Zippy’s Friends and Apple’s Friends – the Concept of Coping – but looks quite different. It consists of 17 sessions and covers the following themes: emotions, relationships, difficult situations, change and loss and fairness, justice and what is right.

Engaging comic strip stories follow the adventures of Olya and Milo as they discover a secret world of fantastical creatures in the company of their friend, Elly the dragon. Children develop their own positive strategies to deal with problems through engaging activities: reading the comic strips, discussion, role-play and games. They use the colourful game board to find as many solutions as possible. There are also Home Activities to reinforce learning at home with the family.

Further information

More information can be found at Partnership for Children website.

​Protective Behaviours (PBs) provides a framework for personal safety, self-esteem, resilience and confidence building. PBs is for anyone who lives and/or works with children, young people, or adults. 

While the Northamptonshire TaMHS Programme provides an in county one day Introductory course, Protective Behaviours Foundation is a  two day course which covers this approach in greater depth, including the five elements of the PB process and provides opportunities to experience the seven strategies in action. Attending a two day course provides individuals with an opportunity to develop their knowledge of Protective Behaviours and build confidence in applying it, while also helping to identify areas for future development.

More Information can be found on the Protective Behaviours Website.

​A nationally recognised and locally endorsed theoretical approach to working practically with children of school age and their parents or carers.

The Solihull Approach focuses attention on promoting the emotional wellbeing and mental health in infants, children, adolescents and families. It draws on psychodynamic theories, child development, including attachment and behaviourism, and brings them together in a practical way. The model integrates the concepts of Containment; Reciprocity & Behaviour Management.

Solihull Foundation Training 

The ‘Solihull Approach’ enables people to recognise how behaviour is a sign of the extent to which both children and adults feel understood and able to deal with their emotions at that time. For example, when feeling overwhelmed and not understood, many people are likely to behave in ways that get noticed. Use of the approach enhances relationships between staff and children; and staff and parents: as well as between colleagues.

Solihull Parent Group Facilitator Training

Solihull Approach Parenting Group is designed for families with children age 0 to 18 years. Groups, for parents and carers, are usually run in the following age ranges: approx. 0 to 4 years; 5 to 11 years; 12 to 18 years.

The aim of the group is to promote understanding of children’s behaviour within the context of their developmental age and issues; to increase confidence and self-esteem in both parent and child; to develop a framework for thinking about parent/child relationships, which can be developed into a life-long skill.  It gives parents and carers strategies for repair when things go wrong; promotes reciprocity in parent/child relationships, alongside reflective, sensitive and effective parenting.

More information can be found at The Solihull Approach website.

Contact us

Please email us if you need any further assistance or information:

tamhs.ncc@northnorthants.gov.uk