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Who we are

Warrington Mental Health Support Team (MHST) is an NHS- led service providing provide direct emotional, behavioural and mental health support to 40 primary schools and secondary schools in Warrington.

We aim to build resilience and to empower children and young people (as well as the adults in their lives) to learn strategies and new ways of taking care for their mental wellbeing.

The service is made up of a number of mental health professionals and each school has been assigned its own practitioner from the MHST. Your school’s practitioner will provide direct, ongoing support to your school, including:

  • Providing interventions to pupils with mild to moderate mental health conditions, such as anxiety, low mood or behavioural difficulties. If a child needs specialist support, they will be able to make an onward referrals for them to local services, such as child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS)
  • Providing training, education and advice to school staff to help them better support pupils’ mental and emotional wellbeing
  • Championing mental wellbeing and resilience across the whole school community, providing guidance around issues such as bullying and coping with exam stress.

How can we help?

We can offer one-to-one support or group sessions, and we will work closely with teachers and parents/carers. We will help children learn to take care of their own mental health using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which will help children to break unhelpful thought patterns that may be making them feel more anxious or sad.

CBT is a type of talking therapy that has been proven to help people of all ages to focus on how thoughts and emotions can affect our behaviour.

The cognitive triangle

The cognitive triangle - thoughts create feelings, feelings create behaviour, behaviour reinforces thoughts

Thoughts create feelings, feelings create behaviour, behaviour reinforces thoughts.

The 'whole school’ approach

The ‘whole school’ approach is an ethos which involves all parts of your child’s school working together to create and sustain a mentally healthy school environment.

A ‘whole school’ approach supports the idea that children’s mental health is everyone’s responsibility - from senior leaders and school governors to class teachers, administration staff and break-time supervisors. It aims to build a wellbeing support network around the child, which also extends beyond the school gate and into the family home.

How can my child get support from the team?

If you think your child may benefit from speaking to your school’s MHST practitioner, speak to your child’s teacher or another member of staff in the school, such as pastoral support staff. They will be able to put your child in touch with your school’s practitioner.

If your child needs urgent or emergency mental health support at any time, you can contact Warrington’s 24/7 all-age mental health crisis line on 08000511508 (Freephone).

For more information contact:

Warrington Mental Health Support Team
Beckett Unit, 
Hollins Park Hospital
Winwick
Warrington
WA2 8WA

Tel: 01925 664 120
Web: Warrington Mental Health Support Team service ​​​​​​

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