Building emotional resilience
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust’s community development team and healthy child programme professionals have been running ‘Get Happy, Get Healthy’ workshops in local primary schools.
These sessions help pupils make sense of their feelings and explore strategies to support emotional well-being.
Here are some tips for developing emotional resilience in children:
Without putting pressure on your child, make sure they have an opportunity each day to talk to you about what they have been doing. Really listen to them without interrupting.
Encourage them to talk about how they are feeling by modelling the language to use. For example: “I feel…. when… because….”
If your child is feeling angry or anxious, suggest they close their eyes, take some deep breaths and focus on a special place or a time when they felt safe and happy, imagining it in as much detail and colour as possible.
Remind your child that there are lots of people they can talk to about their feelings. In addition to family members, friends or school staff, you can make an appointment to speak to a public health nurse (school nurse). Find the contact details for your public health nurse (school nurse).
Suggest they release difficult feelings by playing our Lanterns game.
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust runs a confidential secure text messaging service for parents of children aged 0-19 years called Chat Health. The service operates Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm, excluding bank holidays. All texts will be responded to by a public health nurse (health visitor/school nurse) within 24 hours. Outside of the service working hours, you’ll receive a message back to inform you that your text will be responded to once the line reopens.
Should you require urgent health advice in the meantime, please contact your GP, visit an NHS walk-in centre or call NHS 111. For emergencies, dial 999 or visit A&E.
Leicester City: text 07520 615381
Leicestershire & Rutland: text 07520 615382
