š§ Why Mental Health Training Matters for Every Educator
How Mental Health Training Empowers Educators to Understand Behaviour, Improve Safeguarding, and Support Pupil Wellbeing
š Welcome to SEMH Education!
Every week, I share insights, strategies, and tips from my experience working with children and professionals on social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) in education. This week, weāre exploring Mental Health training for professionals.
Iām not advocating for every member of school staff to become experts in mental health here. However, I am advocating for more awareness around mental health from every staff member in school. Thereās been an increase in children experiencing mental health problems in England. Schools should be safe places where staff can readily offer support and strategies to children. Itās not rocket science, and you do a lot of this already!
Let me know youāre here! Clicking the ā„ļø button or pressing the āLā key on your keyboard shows me youāre here and enjoying my content š.
Because behaviour is communication, and we need to speak the language.
šāBut Iām Not a Therapist!ā Busting the Biggest Myth
As Iāve mentioned before, this isnāt about turning everyone into a therapist. I also understand there will be some people who donāt feel comfortable talking about mental health. That is absolutely fine. What Iām advocating for here is for more understanding of mental health. Itās about giving you the clarity to notice, the confidence to respond, and the knowledge to refer when necessary.
You donāt need to diagnose anxiety.
You donāt need to create a CBT plan.
But you do need to know what a panic attack might look like in your classroom.
You do need to recognise when that ādefiantā pupil is actually dysregulated and overwhelmed.
And you definitely need to feel equipped, not exhausted.
š This Isnāt a Buzzword, Itās Safeguarding
We often talk about āearly interventionā like itās some elusive gold standard. It gets bandied around a lot without a clear understanding of what it really means in the situation youāre talking about.
In practice, it starts with awareness, the ability to see the need before the crisis.
When staff receive even basic mental health training, hereās what changes:
ā
Early signs are spotted sooner, ā fewer high-level incidents.
ā
Responses are more consistent ā fewer escalations and exclusions.
ā
Staff-student relationships strengthen ā behaviour improves.
ā
Adults feel more prepared ā pupils feel safer.
These actions really do happen. I have worked in schools that have introduced more mental health training, and their increased awareness enabled the staff to view behaviour through a completely different lens.
According to the Children & Young Peopleās Mental Health Coalition, staff should receive this basic training. The exact quote is:
It is important for staff to access training to increase their knowledge of mental health and wellbeing and to equip them to be able to identify mental health difficulties in their students and know what to do should they have a concern.
This isnāt extra, itās expected.
By 2025, itās expected that each school and/or college should have a Senior Mental Health Lead (KCSIE, 2024).
Training for senior mental health leads will be available to all state-funded schools and colleges by 2025, to help introduce or develop their whole school or college approach to mental health.
In my experience, whatever guidance is statutory for state-funded schools, academies usually adopt pretty quickly!
š Behaviour Through a Different Lens
The old narrative āTheyāre just looking for attentionā still lingers in too many classrooms.
Letās reframe it:
āTheyāre asking for attention, because they need it.ā
Mental health training helps staff depersonalise behaviour. It shifts the mindset from punishment to curiosity.
Why is this child avoiding the task? Whatās underneath this anger? Could this shutdown be linked to anxiety, sensory processing differences, or an adverse childhood experience?
When we understand that behaviour is communication, we respond with connection, not confrontation.
š ļø Where to Begin: Practical Training Options
If you're not sure where to start, you're in good company. Here are some accessible and evidence-informed places to begin:
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA England)
A trusted programme providing practical tools for noticing and responding to mental health concerns.Anna Freud Centre: 5 Steps to Mental Health and Wellbeing
Free, flexible training developed with schools in mind. Includes a whole-school framework.MindEd (minded.org.uk)
Free NHS-backed e-learning for anyone working with children and young people.Your Local Authority CPD Offers
Many councils offer twilight sessions or access to specialist trainers at no cost to schools.In-House CPD
Tailored, practical training for your context.
š£ Leadership Buy-In Isnāt Optional
This is a hill Iāll die on: mental health training should not be squeezed in as a twilight after a full day of CPD. It should be central to a schoolās training calendar.
If we expect staff to manage dysregulation, reduce exclusions, recognise safeguarding concerns, support EHCP outcomes, and foster inclusionā¦
Then we must give them the tools to do it.
According to the SEND Code of Practice (2015), schools are expected to identify and support underlying mental health needs as part of the graduated response. In my view, staff training is a non-negotiable part of making that happen.
š± Final Thought: We Canāt Pour From Empty Cups
Mental health awareness is not just about supporting them.
Itās also about protecting you.
When staff understand the āwhyā behind behaviour, the job becomes less about firefighting and more about relationship-building. Less reactive. More regulated.
Because every child deserves a trusted adult.
And every adult in school deserves the training to become one.
š£ Reflective prompt for your team meeting this week:
What mental health behaviours are we confident spotting, and where are the gaps in our understanding?
