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Welcome from the editor

I wonder how many of us watch TV programmesÌýrelated to our profession? Or do we prefer to switchÌýoff (literally) out of hours? I vacillated too long and soÌýended up watching Don’t Call Me Crazy (shown onÌýBBC3 in June and July and dealing with inpatients at aÌýteenager mental health unit) on iPlayer. This was aÌýhappy result, since the television would have broughtÌýthe images pretty much full size into my living room,Ìýwhereas the iPad allowed me to keep them tiny andÌýcontained. Why the distinction? Because I feel underÌý‘YP information attack’ on all sides these days andÌýself-care means I need to be wary, even thoughÌýprofessional development says ‘watch’.

The programmes were informative and thought-provokingÌý– so many worsening mental healthÌýproblems in the young, and so many escalated fromÌýcommonplace stress factors. I wondered why thoseÌýyoung people had had no early access to ‘normal’Ìýcounselling. We saw nothing done there that couldÌýnot have been done earlier elsewhere, good as theÌýstaff were, and before suicide ideation walkedÌýthrough the door. Which is why I am pleased to lookÌýat four services in this issue, and especially delightedÌýto interview Benita Refson about Place2Be and theÌýcharity’s nearly 20 years of work in schools. This isÌýwhere the help has to start – with supportingÌýparents, with educating teachers about mentalÌýhealth, and with containment and alleviation ofÌýchildren’s and young people’s distress before theyÌýget to the psychiatric unit stage. However, out in theÌýcommunity, Helen Hardacre introduces us to theÌýplate-spinning of merging a YP counselling serviceÌýinto the Primary Intermediate Mental Health Team,Ìýwhere only some of the clients hit the age thresholdÌýfor IAPT work, and James Hawkins writes about theÌýmodel used at Respond – for vulnerable youngstersÌýin schools, community hubs and at a clinic. Online,Ìýwe also see the launch of MindFull, an accessibleÌýmental health site for teens to find mentoring,Ìýsupport and counselling. It seems we are doing ourÌýbest to forestall a worsening situation!

Back in the nitty-gritty of our everyday client work,ÌýEdith Bell offers excellent practical strategies andÌýthoughts on exploring the territory with self-harmingÌýclients. This is based on a workshop she offered at theÌýrecent CYP conference. Also at the conference wasÌýAqualma Murray. Her opening keynote had usÌýalternately laughing and stunned into pin-dropÌýsilence. In an unusual move (for such a well-editedÌýjournal!), I have merely transcribed her keynote andÌýshrunk it to fit, but otherwise left her words as theyÌýwere delivered, live. This was an aural experience forÌýthe listeners and it needs to be ‘heard’ – just like theÌýyoung people we work with need to be heard andÌýheld in hope when they too have survived sexualÌýabuse. I was moved to listen and I hope you will beÌýmoved to ‘hear’ as you read.

I have commissioned two more columnists so thatÌýwe can have a veritable smorgasbord of short,Ìýfocused pieces. Jeanine Connor has reflected for usÌýfor two years now, and is based in Tier 3 CAMHS. SheÌýis joined by Julie Fallon, who has written for us atÌýgreater length in the past and will focus onÌýsupervision thoughts, and by Nick Luxmoore, who isÌýschool-based as he offers his considerations. TheseÌýare the iPad screenings in the journal. Tiny andÌýcontained. More tweet than blog. Hopefully this newÌývariety of content will help us all not to switch offÌýafter hours but maintain our interest and energy.

Eleanor Patrick
Editor

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