Mental wellbeing toolkit for education professionals

London’s digital mental wellbeing service, Good Thinking, provides resources that promote self-care for the four most common mental health disorders (anxiety, sleep problems, low mood and stress) and many other concerns.

Anonymous, free and available 24/7, Good Thinking supports people across London, including those who may not wish to access traditional healthcare services, who prefer not to be treated in a clinical setting and who are worried about the stigma around seeking mental health support. To get a flavour of the Good Thinking service, watch the video animation on our home page.

Good Thinking was developed through a partnership of local authorities (led by Directors of Public Health), London’s NHS and Public Health England and is supported by the Mayor of London and delivered by Healthy London Partnership. We work closely with local authorities and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) across London and charities, such as Partnership for Young London and Shout. We’ve also teamed up with two leading social media companies, TikTok and Yubo, to support young people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Good Thinking was built on user insights – Londoners were looking for personalised, safe, high-quality mental health support that they can access 24/7 – and is promoted on social media, search engines and other digital platforms. By curating NHS-approved mental wellbeing apps (many of which are free for Londoners) and providing clinically approved self-assessment tools, Good Thinking provides a route to early intervention for those experiencing problems with anxiety, sleep, low mood and stress.

Since its launch in November 2017, almost 500,000 people have used the Good Thinking service to take the first steps towards improving their mental wellbeing. Over the last 12 months, we’ve created a wide range of content related to help Londoners improve their mental resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Simply go to the Good Thinking home page where you can search for resources by:

• Audience (Young people, Parents and carers, Health and care professionals, Employers) – we don’t currently have a section on the home page for education professionals but you can find this in our COVID-19 hub
• Mental health concern (Sleep, Anxiety, Low mood, Stress)
• Type of content (Free apps, Podcasts and blogs, How to guides, Workbooks)

Alternatively, you can use the search function to find resources about e.g. ‘Anxiety’, ‘Sleep’, ‘Eating disorders’, ‘Fake news’ or ‘Loneliness’.

If you’d like a more detailed mental health check-up, use Good Thinking’s clinically-validated self-assessment tool – you can choose to focus on a specific concern (e.g. anxiety) or do a general self-assessment. At the end of the assessment, you’ll receive recommendations for NHS-approved wellbeing apps and suggestions for next steps.

You can find further information about how to use Good Thinking and how to use the Good Thinking self-assessments on our website. If you need mental health support in relation to coronavirus, please visit our COVID-19 advice hub.

1. Read through the toolkit then explore our self-assessment tool, articles, podcasts and other content.
2. Download a couple of the apps that we recommend so you can see for yourself how they work.
3. Share the toolkit within your school or college – with teachers, your leadership team, governors and other colleagues.
4. Incorporate Good Thinking content in staff communications about health and wellbeing (e.g. intranet articles and staff emails).
5. Inform parents, carers and students about Good Thinking (e.g. include the link in any communications about wellbeing).
6. Sign up to Good Thinking’s newsletter and follow @GoodThinkingUK on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
7. Listen to our podcasts and leave your feedback on the app store.
8. Pass on Good Thinking’s details to other schools and colleges in London that you think would benefit from our service.

It’s natural to feel anxious, worried or scared in certain situations, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it can sometimes be difficult to control these feelings.

Symptoms of anxiety might include a fast heartbeat, headaches, feeling irritable and having trouble sleeping. In more severe cases, it might result in panic attacks and feeling unable to see people or carry out your job.

If anxiety is interfering with your daily life, we recommend the following Good Thinking resources:

• Apps: Check out these NHS-approved apps that are free to anyone who lives, studies or works in London – Be Mindful, Meditainment, MyCognition PRO, My Possible Self and tomo.
• Self-assessment: Use Good Thinking’s anxiety self-assessment. It only takes 20 minutes to complete and provides a guiding diagnosis, helpful resources and next steps.
• Articles: Read Good Thinking’s advice about Five ways to good mental wellbeing, Focusing on what you can control and How to deal with the uncertainty of lockdown and beyond.
• Podcasts: Listen to the Good Thinking podcasts about mindfulness and retaining hope.
• Workbooks: Take a look at the Centre for Clinical Interventions workbooks on anxiety, health anxiety and mindfulness.

A study by the charity Education Support in 2020 revealed that many education professionals have found it difficult to sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do to improve your sleep and, at the same, lower your stress and improve your concentration.

Good Thinking provides a range of resources to support you in your quest for better sleep, including:

• Apps: Check out these NHS-approved apps that are free to anyone who lives, studies or works in London – Be Mindful, Meditainment, tomo and Twilight.
• Self-assessment: Use Good Thinking’s sleep self-assessment. It only takes 20 minutes to complete and provides a guiding diagnosis, helpful resources and next steps.
• Article: Discover Good Thinking’s tips about How to get enough sleep.
• Podcast: Get advice from an NHS sleep expert in Good Thinking’s podcast about sleep.
• Workbooks: Learn more about sleep and self-compassion in these Centre for Clinical Interventions workbooks.

As a frontline worker, you might have found that the COVID-19 pandemic has made you feel frustrated and tearful at times.

If your low mood lasts a long time and makes everything feel more difficult, you might be developing a mood disorder, such as depression.

Good Thinking recommends the following resources to build your resilience, help you to stay positive and boost your mood:

• Apps: Check out these NHS-approved apps that are free to anyone who lives, studies or works in London – Be Mindful, Happify, MyCognition PRO, My Possible Self and tomo.
• Self-assessment: If your low mood is making everything feel more difficult, you might find it useful to take Good Thinking’s depression self-assessment. It only takes 20 minutes to complete and provides a guiding diagnosis, helpful resources and next steps.
• Articles: Read Good Thinking’s advice about Five ways to good mental wellbeing, How to connect with nature to boost your wellbeing and How to focus on rewarding activities.
• Podcasts: Listen to Good Thinking’s podcasts about coping with isolation and retaining hope.
• Workbook: Find lots of tips and tools for managing low mood from the Centre for Clinical Interventions and Back from the Bluez in this depression workbook.

When faced with danger, your body’s natural reaction is to give you a rush of adrenaline (often called the ‘fight or flight’ response). This feeling of stress is perfectly normal but it shouldn’t become something you experience regularly.

If you’re stressed about COVID-19 and your job, you’re not alone. In 2020, the charity Education Support found that nearly two thirds of education professionals (62%), including 77% of senior leaders, described themselves as stressed.

If you experience acute (sudden) or chronic (long-term) stress, you might find that you get back pain, have stomach upsets, feel tired and irritable and unable to concentrate.

There are lots of resources available on Good Thinking to help lower stress, including:

• Apps: Check out these NHS-approved apps that are free to anyone who lives, studies or works in London – Be Mindful, MyCognition PRO, My Possible Self and tomo.
• Self-assessment: Use Good Thinking’s stress self-assessment. It only takes 20 minutes to complete and provides a guiding diagnosis, helpful resources and next steps.
• Articles: Learn how to deal with stress, connect with nature and get enough sleep.
• Podcasts: Listen to Good Thinking’s podcasts about dealing with stress and trauma and mindfulness.
• Workbook: Take a look at the Centre for Clinical Interventions mindfulness workbook.

Good Thinking provides a range of resources for young people and their families, which you’re welcome to share with the wider school community.

• In our Young People section, we provide advice about bullying, eating disorders, fake news, bereavement and other concerns as well as several blogs by young people aged 12 to 21. Your students might also find some of our podcasts (on topics such as online safety and the importance of sleep) interesting and we will soon be recommending a range of free wellbeing apps for young people.
• The Parents and carers section of our COVID-19 hub includes advice for parents and carers of children with learning disabilities and advice for adoptive parents and foster carers. Your students’ families might also be interested in our podcasts about supporting the whole family through the pandemic and supporting those with eating disorders. Throughout Good Thinking, we recommend NHS-approved wellbeing apps, such as Be Mindful, My Possible Self and tomo.

We have produced a range of materials to help schools, businesses and other organisations across London to raise awareness of how Good Thinking can help to boost staff mental health. You can download imagery, postcards and other assets on the Healthy London Partnership website.

You might also find this 2021 calendar of mental health and wellbeing awareness campaigns useful:

• February 2021 Time to Talk Day
• 20 March 2021 International Day of Happiness
• 14-20 March 2021 Sleep Awareness Week
• 7 April 2021 World Health Day
• 28 April 2021 World Day for Health and Safety at Work
• April 2021 Stress Awareness Month
• 10-16 May 2021 Mental Health Awareness Week
• 21 May 2021 World Meditation Day
• July 2021 Talk to Us
• 10 September 2021 World Suicide Prevention Day
• 10 October 2021 World Mental Health Day
• 12-16 October 2021 National Work Life Week
• 3 November 2021 National Stress Awareness Day
• 15-19 November 2021 Anti-Bullying Week

Cruse (bereavement care)

Education Support (08000 562 561)

Healthy London Partnership (Mental Health in Schools Toolkit)

Mental Health at Work

Mentally Healthy Schools / Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families

MindEd (Coronavirus Staff Resilience Hub)

Our Frontline / Shout (text KEYWORKER to 85258 or call 116 123)

Twinkl & Mind (various free resources for educators)

YoungMinds