What can teachers do to support a child with poor mental health? Well, there are lots of ways a school can work to develop resilience and optimism among all pupils. These - and it’s by no means a comprehensive list - might include:

* Whole-school nurturing approaches.

* Restorative approaches.

* Solution-orientated approaches.

* Peer mediation.

* Circle time.

* Developing emotional literacy in the curriculum.

* Destigmatising mental health through open discussion in personal and social education.

* Ensuring that all children have a link person within their school.

“But what about the child who has greater mental health needs?” teachers sometimes say. I then ask them how they would support a friend or colleague who was going through a difficult time.

Usually, it’s the simple things that make a difference: asking someone how they are and listening to their story, not judging, exploring with them how they are feeling, offering reassurance and information while encouraging self-help strategies. Why would a child need anything different? Maybe they need the same sorts of things, only with us using age-appropriate language?

Sometimes there may be the need to obtain professional advice to help to support either a child or the adults around that child, and educational psychology services can often help with mental health-related barriers to learning.

Ultimately, we are aiming to have children who are in the right place to learn so that they can develop the skills needed for a fruitful life.

Teachers play tremendously important roles - sometimes just being there for young people and listening can make a huge difference.

Dr Taryn Moir is a senior educational psychologist at Inverclyde Educational Psychology Service

* This article originally appeared in the 25 January 2019 issue