My client was referred by their GP through the social prescribing program. They were referred due to anxiety, panic attacks and school withdrawal. Her first panic attack happened in school a year prior to seeing me. Since then, her anxiety increased around going into school, eventually leading to her skipping lessons and missing days/weeks. My client did not have a good support system of friends in school. She had one close friend who moved away three months prior to her first panic attack. Her family was supportive but unsure how to help her manage her increasing anxiety.
During the initial meeting my client’s goals of our mentoring process included the following:
My client was tentative to explore her emotions, I responded to this by allowing them to go at their own pace and integrate emotional exploration into fun/creative tasks. By starting our process with creative exploration, to ease my clients worries and helped them gain a better understanding of themselves going forward. I then introduced Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques. This helped my client identify her negative thoughts, such as “Everyone will think I’m stupid,” and replace them with more realistic ones like, “It’s okay not to know everything.” We also role-played scenarios helped her practice handling social situations and mistakes. To manage their panic attacks, I taught my client relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing and grounding techniques.
My client’s parents were involved in the process through our systemic way of working. Their mum had 1-1 resilience in which she learnt strategies to support herself and her daughter at home. After 12 sessions, my client showed significant improvement. She had not had a panic attack and was able to manage her anxiety better. She also became more socially engaged and she joined a local netball team. She became more comfortable with making mistakes, her attendance improved. My client’s parents noticed positive changes in her mood and behaviour, as she was more outgoing. In our final session we reflected on what worked well for my client. They stated that spending time understanding her emotions and thoughts helped to prevent the negative spiral she would go through every time she felt anxious. Now she was able to acknowledge the thoughts and know what to do to manage them.
My client came to mentoring with the goals of improving self-confidence and emotional expression. My client found it difficult to regulate their emotions and would often become angry very quickly. When asked about how they were feeling, they found it difficult to say or to know. They struggled with self -confidence, as they had a negative self-image and found it difficult to speak their mind. Over our time together, we explored what a typical day looks like and what events occur before an outburst. From this we were able to identify triggers and patterns that caused her to feel overwhelmed.
By breaking things down, we were also able to identify some key feelings that led to emotional overwhelm and confusion. As my client became more aware of themselves, we then looked at how they can express these emotions. As they became more self -assured I noticed their confidence grow. To help their confidence we did identity building activities, that explored their values and self – image.
Halfway through our time together CYCA started bloom, an after-school craft group. I invited my client, as I thought it would aid in growing their confidence. In the group I witnessed my client initiating conversations, trying new crafts, and making new friends. At the end of our mentoring process, my client’s parent commented on how their behaviour at home had massively improved.
They had far less emotional outbursts and were able to communicate how they felt. Their parents also mirrored the resilience skills we use at CYCA, as they had attended our course. This helped continue to improve my client’s well-being at home.
A young person was referred by their GP through the social prescribing program due to experiences of anxiety and bullying at school. As a result of these challenges, she had been home schooled.
The young person was offered a place at Bloom Club with the aim of supporting her mental well-being, helping her manage anxiety, and providing a safe, supportive environment to interact with peers who have faced similar difficulties.
Since attending Bloom, the young person had begun to build confidence and feel more comfortable expressing herself. Bloom provides a nurturing space where group discussions around schooling, emotions, and personal experiences are facilitated. Activities are centred on creativity and self-expression, allowing young people to connect and open up in a non-judgemental setting.
A particularly impactful moment occurred during a peer conversation with another young person who shared her own insecurities related to being neurodivergent (ND). She spoke openly about the challenges she faced in school and how she eventually found her place. This conversation was a ‘light bulb moment’ for the young person, as it helped her realise that others also experience self-doubt and that she is not alone in her feelings. Witnessing her peer’s resilience and self-acceptance encouraged her to reflect positively on her own journey.
Through Bloom, the young person began to feel seen, understood, and supported, which contributed positively to her emotional well-being and self-confidence. The young person also attended an open evening at a local comprehensive school in the hope of attending.
My client was referred through the school work due to low mood, emotional wellbeing concerns, and anxieties around transitioning to comprehensive school.
My client has experienced significant trauma after witnessing domestic violence from his biological father towards his mother. After a serious incident, he no longer has contact with his biological father due to this.
Following the domestic violence incident he moved schools. He is also a young carer for his mother, who experiences both physical and mental health difficulties. He lives with his mother and three sisters, including one from his mother’s current relationships.
He has potentially experienced 5–6 ACEs, including domestic abuse, parental separation, parental incarceration, exposure to trauma, and living with a caregiver experiencing mental and physical ill health.
Support has focused on building trust, confidence, and emotional safety through games, play-based activities, and exploring important relationships. He has engaged well and grown in confidence over time.
As part of our work, we completed a “big empathy drawing” to reflect on the journey of support so far. he was happy that important details about his life had been remembered and confidently corrected parts he wanted changed, for example clarifying that he has three sisters rather than “two sisters and a step-sister.” This showed increased confidence, trust, and ownership of his story.
He is also completing a Year 6 transition programme, including a pen portrait to be shared with his new school, alongside anchoring sessions to provide continued support and stability during transition.
Cookie Notice
This website stores data such as cookies to enable important site functionality including analytics. You may alter your preferences at any time or accept the default settings. Learn more here.