Mental Health Support Teams

Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) have been created to offer early intervention, low intensity, mental health support within schools for children and young people with mild to moderate mental health difficulties.

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What are education mental health practitioners?

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What are education mental health practitioners?

Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) are part of the government’s Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) plans for schools to provide mental health early intervention support for children and young people.

Trainee EMHPs spend a year completing a post-graduate course covering evidence based approaches for low intensity care. This phase is the ‘trainee phase’. During this time, they will build up their experience through individual, group and whole school work with pupils, families and staff. Once they have completed the course, they are qualified EMHPs.

What is a trainee EMHP role?

What is a trainee EMHP role?

What is a trainee EMHP role?

Education Mental Health Practioners (EMHPs) have a clear criteria to support low level (low intensity) mental health needs such as low mood, anxiety and phobias through short term pieces of work (4-8 sessions).

EMHPs will be able to provide assessments, evidence based individual and group pupil work, shared decision making with pupils, parent-led approaches, onward signposting to other teams and services and whole school projects.

The interventions offered will be Cognitive Behavioural Therapy informed and robust clinical supervision is offered to all practitioners within the MHST.

  • Trainee EMHPs will receive weekly clinical supervision from a supervisor to be able to discuss their cases
  • Informed consent will be required from children, young people and parent/carers prior to any discussions or referrals
  • As part of their training and supervision, trainee EMHPs will be required to video their sessions, the recording will be used for training and supervision requirements only and consent for this can be taken away at any point and will not affect the intervention offered the child, young person, or parent/carer
  • A written record of interventions is completed on SystmOne, which is our health electronic record system
  • All MHST staff have enhanced DBS checks

Trainee EMPHs can support with

Trainee EMPHs can support with

Trainee EMPHs can support with

There are many things EMHPs can help with in your school, where needs are more complex, they may need to refer a young person onto another team or service that is better placed to support. 

The example guide from the Children and Young People's IAPT Midlands Collaborative shows a generic offering of what fully trained EMHP can support with. This can change dependent on location so pleae make sure that mental health leads in schools can dicuss cases within MHST consultations.

What support can a fully trained EMHP provide if your school or college
EMHP's can work with children as individuals or in a group to provide interventions in cases of... EMHP's may work with children as individuals or in a group to provide interventions in cases of...
(Discretion and close supervision needed)
EMHP's should not work with children as individuals or in a group to provide inteventions in cases of...
(Significant levels of need / complex conditions)
Behavioural difficulties -identification, brief parenting support Support staff and help cofacilitate a full parenting programme such as Triple P Conduct disorder, anger management, full parentings programme (e.g Triple P, Solihull Approach)
Training parents and teacers to support interventions with children Irritability as a symptom of depression - (can present as anger) Treatment of parents' depression and anxiety.
Low mood Low confidence, Assertiveness or interpersonal chjallenges - e.g. with peers Anger management training. Chronic dpression.
Worry management Some short-term phobia exposure work Low self-esteem, social anxiety disorder
Anxiety / avoidance e.g simple phobias, separation anxiety Thoughts of self harm, self harm not requiring medical attention. Support to develop healthy coping strategies. Extensive phobias, e.g. blood, needles, or vomit phobia
Panic management Insomnia (further training may be required) Severe, active, high risk of self harm
Assessing self harm, thoughts of self harm, and supporting with alternative coping strategies. Pupils with history of self-harm but not active Assessment of complex interpersonal challenges PTSD, trauma, nightmares
Sleep hygiene

Mild / early Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) (further training may be required)

Relationship problems - counselling for issues such as relationship problems may be better suited to school counsellors
Thought challenging - negative automatic thoughts Children that are displaying rigied, ritualistic behaviour that may or may not be within a diagnosis of ASD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder moderate to servere in nature
Problem solving   Moderate to severe attachment disorders. Assessment and diagnosis of developmental disorders and learning difficulties. 
    Pain management
    Historical or current experiences of abuse or violence.

 

Schools in which we are providing support

Schools we are working in across North Northants

Rainbow

We are currently working with the following schools across North Northants

Corby

Beanfield Primary School

Brooke Weston Academy

Corby Business Academy

Corby Technical School

Danesholme Junior and Infants Academy

Exeter: A Learning Community

Little Stanion Primary School

Lodge Park Academy

Maplefields Academy

Priors Hall: A Learning Community

Red Kite Special Academy

St Brendan's Catholic Primary School

Studfall Infants

Studfall Junior Academy

East Northants

Alfred Street Juniors

Denfield park primary

Henry Chichele Primary

Higham Ferrers Juniors

Huxlow Academy

Irchester primary

Manor School Sports College

Newton Road Primary

Rushden Academy

Rushden Primary

Southend Infants

Southend Juniors

Stanwick Primary

The Ferrers school

Whitefriars Primary

Windmill Primary School

Kettering

Barton Seagrave Primary School

Great Addington CE Primary School

Havelock Infant School

Havelock Junior School

Isebrook School

Kettering Buccleugh Academy

Kettering Science Academy

Latimer Arts College

Loatlands Primary School

Montsaye Academy

Ringstead CofE Primary School

Rothwell Infant School

Rothwell Junior School

St Edwards Catholic Primary School

Wellingborough

All Saints CEVA Primary School

Ecton Village Primary School

Freemans Endowed CE Junior Academy

Friars Academy

Irthlingborough Infant School

Irthlingborough Junior school

Little Harrowden Community Primary School

Mears Ashby CofE Primary

Oakway Academy

Our Ladys Catholic Primary

Park Junior School

Rowan Gate Primary

Sir Christopher Hatton Academy

St Barnabus CofE School

The Avenue Infant School

Tresham College (Wellingborough)

Wrenn Secondary School

Wollaston School

Schools we are working in across West Northants

Schools we are working in across West Northants

Schools we are working in across West Northants

Daventry and South Northants

Abbey Academy

Ashby Fields Primary School

Braunston Primary School

Brixworth CEVA Primary School

Daventry Hill School

DSLV Academy

Guilsborough Academy

Long Buckby Junior School

Monksmoor Primary School

Newnham Primary School

Overstone Primary School

Spratton CE Primary School

Staverton CofE Primary School

St James Infant School

St Mary's Primary School

The Grange School

The Parker E-ACT Academy

Walgrave Primary School

Welton CE Academy Primary School

Woodford Halse CE Primary Academy

Northampton Central

Duston School

Kingsthorpe College

Northampton College

Northampton International Academy (NIA)

Spring Lane Primary

Stimpson Avenue

St Lukes Primary

St James Primary

Northampton Central and East

Billing Brook School

Briar Hill Primary School

Caroline Chisholm School

Castle Academy

Malcolm Arnold Academy

Northampton Academy

Northampton School for Girls

Purple Oaks Academy

Queen Eleanor Primary School

Simon de Senlis Primary School

Northampton Central and West

Abbeyfield Secondary

Boothville Primary

Campion School

Denton Primary School

Lumbertubs Primary School

Moulton Primary School

Moulton School and Science College

Parklands Primary

St Andrews Primary

Thomas Becket Secondary

Thorplands Primary School

Weedon Bec Primary

Weston Favell Secondary

Woodvale Primary

Yardley Hastings Primary

Towcester and Brackley

Bracken Lees Primary School

Brackley CE Junior School

Greens Norton CE Primary School

Magdelen College School

Pattishall School

Silverstone primary School

Silvertone UTC

Sponne School

The Radstone Primary School

Towcester CE Primary School