About our service

Parents, carers and those working with children and young people are on the front line offering mental health support, often taking the brunt of challenging behaviour and finding it difficult to access information on how to support them.

Our programme of training for those supporting young people is the product of research into the current mental health system and exploring the needs of young people, their parents and those working and interacting with young people.

What can I expect?

Courses are delivered online in the evening. Some are two-hour sessions; others are programmes lasting several weeks. They are suitable for everyone, depending on how in-depth you would like to explore the topic. All share the goal of deepening understand and awareness of mental health and teaching tools and approaches for supporting young people with their emotions, wellbeing and mental health.

100% of course survey respondents said the course would help them communicate effectively with their child

Explore our courses

Mental Health Awareness for parents & those supporting young people (1 of 2)

In this first workshop you will learn more about mental health and recognise the symptoms of mental health issues in children and young people.

  • Learn about some of the contributing factors to a child or young person developing mental health difficulties
  • Understand some of the issues in Richmond including why we have the worst youth wellbeing scores in London
  • Look at the contributing factors that can lead to poor mental health
  • Have a closer look at the types of mental health issues
  • Focus on anxiety and how you can support a child with anxiety
  • Depression – the signs and how you can support someone with depression
  • Eating disorders – when they develop and the signs to look out for
  • Find places and resources that can provide support and advice
Managing mental health difficulties in children and young people (2 of 2)

This second workshop will help you to improve communication with your child and support them to build their own mental health resilience and will:

  • Examine the pressures on young people
  • Understanding self-harm and how to manage it
  • What underlies eating disorders
  • Managing aggression
  • Supporting recovery
  • Support young people to build resilience
  • Understand the need for boundaries
  • Developing your own toolkit and support resources
  • Recognising the importance of your own wellbeing Where to get support
Resilience in Progress

This 5-week course has been co-designed with parents, young people and mental health professionals. It is the result of extensive research, interviews with service users and collaboration between staff. The course aims to help parents build up their own resilience as well as the resilience of their children and young people. Some of the topics covered are:

  • Resilience and why it is important to mental wellbeing 
  • How the brain works 
  • What factors contribute to our psychological development  
  • Emotions  
  • Polyvagal theory and how it can enhance our resilience 
  • Listening skills 

The course will teach parents exercises for managing emotions, becoming more resilient and looking after the self. There is an emphasis on learning from each other too so parents are encouraged to share and be open with one another. 

Parent Support Programme

The parental support programme is designed to support parents and carers of young people (11-16 years), who are on a CAHMS waiting list and assessed as requiring treatment.

The programme runs for 8 weeks and is delivered via group workshops  and 1-to1  support to address some of the social determinants. Mental health professionals provide psychoeducation and broad strategies for supporting young people as well as a peer support element.  

Combining clinical expertise, social support and local links the programme focuses on the following:  

  • Providing psychoeducation about young people’s mental health to parents and carers  
  • Providing broad strategies and guidance to parents and carerson how to support their young person who is struggling with their mental health   
  • Reducing parental distress and improving their resilience and wellbeing so that they, in turn, are better able to support their young person while they wait for treatment  
  • Offering support through peer group interactions   
  • Offering signposting/social prescription for further support where needed  
  • Providing parents with support at a time that they experience concern and distress about their child’s mental health difficulties    

This project is a collaboration between Brandon Centre and Mind in London; integrating Mind’s local networks and considerable experience in addressing the social determinants, with Brandon Centre’s clinical expertise and experience. Brandon Centre has been supporting young people and their families for over 50 years. With a reputation for high-quality services and many years of delivering parent programmes, Brandon Centre is contributing its clinical expertise and experience to the delivery of this project.   

How do I access this service?

Please email us to book your place on our next course [email protected]