I am not coping

TRIAGE & ACCESSING HELP

• TRIAGE is the rapid and precise reporting on what has happened, what risks need to be addressed, and quickly accessing the correct help.

• During a crisis, you must tell a responsible adult or emergency services what the problem is, if there is danger (to yourself or any other people), and what assistance you need E.g. Housemaster / Doctor / Family / Psychologist.

• Meeting short-term needs like taking time off school, sleeping, going home, having something to eat or drink, or talking to a particular person can help with feelings of immediate stress.

SAFETY-CARE-PLAN

• Ensuring a person’s safety when they are very distressed may require removing dangerous or lethal objects such as blades, medicines, ropes, or other items to minimise the risk of self-harming.

• Staying in a relaxed, safe place will reduce stress and allow time for an assessment of needs, address short-term problems, and to plan for starting an intervention E.g. Therapy / Solution-focused actions etc.

• Planning practically ahead for only the next few hours or the next day will give reassurance that changes are taking place and the distressed person’s important needs are being met.

TAKING ACTION

• Directly involvement with a Doctor / Psychiatrist / Psychologist or another person and developing a realistic plan to reduce psychological distress is a high priority.

• Decisions about what to do and where to get assistance is done in consultation with the Learner and will evolve as he needs of the Learner changes

• Following through with a planned intervention is crucial to a positive outcome. Only ever make changes to Therapy or medication under the advice of a professional.

RETURN TO SCHOOL

• It is always intended to support a learner to return to school as soon as possible. In some instances, it is required for a Learner to meet certain criteria before returning to school. Details can be found in the Return to School policies for Dayboys and Boarders.

• Getting help from multiple people or support services can help with catching up and developing new skills and strategies.

• Checking in with your self or a trusted adult (Parent, Housemaster, Teacher, or Psychologist) about positive changes or new difficulties they can help with.

• To help you with a serious personal problem, to support someone else, or other major types of crises you will the need rapid involvement of an adult or Professional support.

• It is a normal part of everyday experience that you will encounter minor inconveniences, stresses, worries, and changes in your general mood. New pressures and demands come and go but lots of little stressors over a long-term can lead to you feeling stuck or a short, sharp outburst of strong emotion.

• Knowing how to identify and calmly cope with rising and falling emotions or cumulative stressors can help you stay on-track with school work, sport, friends, and day-to-day experiences. 

• To cope with these throughout the course of the day requires that we make small  adjustments to our thinking, appropriately contain strong feelings or opinions, and interactions with multiple people in different spaces.

• The experience of struggling to cope with emotional or psychological distress and pressure will go through peaks and dips; decreasing at times while maybe getting intense later on.

• Having a daily plan and developing ways of managing intense emotions and limiting unhealthy ways of coping is a good way of protecting yourself against the worst affects of stress. 

• Telling someone that you need help can sometimes feel embarrassing or even scary as we worry about the consequences of talking about our problems or personal experiences.

• Identify people you find trustworthy and ask them for the opportunity to have a private conversation. 

• If one person or resource is not helpful, ask another reliable person or access trustworthy information to find better options for help.

• Keep communicating with trusted people about what you are feeling and if you need help with something.

• what you have found to be helpful or not.

• Remain open to suggestions, or assistance and make a plan for who you will contact in a crisis.

• When facing a particular personal crisis, many people experience heightened self-awareness and may feel ashamed, exposed, or stigmatised by other people’s words or actions.

• All learners approaching a parent / guardian, staff member, professional, or trusted person about personal difficulties and challenges must have their privacy and discretion respected. 

• Under circumstances where a person is at risk of hurting themselves or other people, or in a psychological emergency, confidentiality may be breached in order to ensure the safety or wellbeing of any people involved.

• If confidentiality has to be broken, efforts will be made to limit who is contacted and what details are shared with those people. Discussions and information only relevant to ensuring best practice and duty of care will be shared with Third Parties.

• If someone shares a private story or details of not coping with you, be sure to only share that information with people who can help that person. Do not voice your opinion or private information with people not involved in directly assisting the person with the problem.