School-based resilience training is vital because it equips distressed pupils with practical coping strategies, helping them manage emotions, build confidence, and navigate challenges more effectively. By actively supporting pupils’ mental wellbeing in a familiar environment, schools can improve both emotional health and overall academic engagement. This session is run collaboration with Child and Family Training.
Register for the Event & Pricing
REDUCED PRICE FOR FIRST 50 TO SIGN UP!
Sign up at this link or on the Book Now button at the top of the screen, and complete the form that follows. You’ll then receive an email confirmation and a link to the webinar, plus we’ll send you a calendar reminder nearer the time.
Delegates will have exclusive access to recordings for 90 days after the event, together with slides. Plus you will get a personalised CPD/CME certificate via email. Recordings from the session will be available to delegates from 5 working days after the event.
- ACAMH Members MUST login to book onto the webinar in order to access this webinar and get a CPD/CME certificate.
- Non-members: this is a great time to join ACAMH, take a look at what we have to offer, and make the saving on these sessions.
| Ticket Type | Price |
|---|---|
| ACAMH Members (Online, Concession) | £19 (then £39 after 50 delegates have signed up) (Join now and save) |
| ACAMH Learn Account Holders | £29 (then £59 after 50 delegates have signed up) |
| Non Members | £29 (then £59 after 50 delegates have signed up) |
| ACAMH Undergraduate/ Postgraduate Members | £5 |
| LMIC Members | Free |
About the session
This training for school staff will introduce an evidence-based approach to support children and young people to manage their distress effectively. The approach gathers together key effective therapeutic interventions from Cognitive, Dynamic and Systemic approaches. These interventions can then be delivered to children or young people in groups or individually to support them to achieve resilient mental health and wellbeing.
Distress is defined as – ‘significant anxiety, worries, sorrow or pain associated with the loss of control over valued life experiences’ – a core response to all forms of adversity and stressful events for children and young people. In school this can include academic difficulties, bullying, sporting failures, losses of friendships, home based concerns.
These are forms of ‘Adverse Childhood Experiences’ ACEs.’ ACEs includes all forms of maltreatment, household, community and schools’ stressors. If the consequences are not dealt with promptly there is a risk of the development of a spectrum of mental health responses. low-mood, self-harm, anxiety, poor sleep, challenging behaviour, and post traumatic symptoms.
Learning objectives
- To introduce the basic skills of ‘Managing children and young people’s Distress”, and “Developing’ ways of helping children regain short-term control and plan ways to manage their distress.
- To develop an understanding of “distress’ as a universal response to stressful situations in the family, school and community, an recognise them as forms of ‘Adverse Childhood Experiences’ (ACEs).
- To identify the sources of distress and to understand the pathway to resolution, or if distress is persistent, the neurobiological toxic responses, which ‘embed’ harmful traumatic impacts, and how these might present in schools, e.g. as absenteeism, worries or disruptive behaviour.
- To be introduced to current information about ‘Positive Childhood Experiences’ (PCEs) which mitigates the harmful impact of ACEs, and interventions to cope with distress.
- To be introduced to the further skills required when distress is associated with persistent anxiety, low mood, trauma and disruptive behaviour.
- To discuss how these approaches may be applicable to participants’ work situations.
Who should attend
Primary audience; Education professionals (Classroom teachers and assistants, SENCOs, Educational Psychologists, Specialist teachers, Head teachers, School governors). Others that they may also be interested would include; Counsellors, Psychologists, CAMHS practitioners, Psychiatrists, and those with an interest in school-based mental health.
Meet the Speakers
Dr. Arnon Bentovim is a Child and Family Psychiatrist, and Director of Child and Family Training. He trained as a Psychoanalyst and Family Therapist and worked at the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and the Tavistock Clinic. He is a Visiting Professor at the Royal Holloway University of London. At Great Ormond Street he shared responsibility for Child Protection at the Hospital and helped to initiate a number of services including the first Sexual Abuse Assessment and Treatment Service in the UK, and a Child Care Consultation Service. Research on Family Assessment formed the basis of the tools commissioned by the Department of Health to support the Assessment Framework. Child and Family Training was established to provide training and further developments.
Fiona Gren has been a practising social worker in adult and children’s services since 1979. She is also a qualified teacher and person centred counsellor. Fiona is currently a part time social work team leader in a multi-disciplinary team of social workers, teachers, therapists and family workers, working directly with schools and families where pupils are exhibiting social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. She works alongside CAMHS and the child protection teams. Fiona has worked in the parenting field for many years. She supervises trainers on several different parenting programmes. Fiona is also an independent trainer and consultant, working for Local Authorities and the independent and private sectors. She was a foster carer for 10 years. Fiona is a trainer for Child and Family Training.
FAQs on the Topic
1. What causes distress in children and young people?
Distress is a natural response to difficult or adverse experiences — significant anxiety, worry, sorrow, or a sense of losing control over things that matter. In school it often stems from academic pressure, bullying, friendship breakdowns, sporting setbacks, or worries at home. These adverse childhood experiences can affect mental health and wellbeing if support is not offered early.
2. What are the signs that a child is distressed or struggling at school?
Distress shows in many ways: withdrawal, irritability, tearfulness, trouble concentrating, changes in friendships, absence, or a drop in schoolwork. Some pupils become disruptive while others go quiet. Recognising these signs early — and treating behaviour as a form of communication rather than misbehaviour — helps school staff respond before distress becomes embedded and harder to shift.
3. How can you help a child manage difficult feelings in the moment?
When a child feels overwhelmed, the first aim is to help them regain a sense of control and ease the intensity, rather than remove the feeling. Calming activities and brief distraction can settle immediate distress, making space to talk things through afterwards. Naming worries, feeling heard, and problem-solving together gradually build coping skills and resilience.
4. How do you build resilience in children and young people?
Building resilience helps children and young people cope with stress and recover from setbacks, rather than avoiding difficulty altogether. Positive experiences — supportive relationships, feeling capable, and being listened to — can buffer the effects of adversity. Current evidence suggests that responding to distress early, especially in school, helps prevent longer-term mental health difficulties.
5. How can schools and teachers support pupil mental health?
Schools are often where distress first becomes visible, so everyday support from teachers and pastoral staff matters enormously. With practical, evidence-informed tools, non-specialist staff can help pupils manage worries individually or in groups — as prevention for all children, not only those already struggling. These approaches draw on cognitive, dynamic and systemic ideas, while signposting specialist help when needed.