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Christmas Fun with Derby Mental Health Leaders

Text: "Christmas Fun with Derby Mental Health Leaders Header Image" Inset Photos: Changing Lives Staff smiling wearing Christmas hats and novelty glasses, holding up signs that say "Merry Christmas"

Published on: December 16, 2024

Team Leaders from Compass Changing Lives supported the recent Derby City Network meeting event at the Harrison Hub at Pride Park.

The event was ran by Michelle Robinson, public health manager for the City, and was for Mental Health Leads at schools in Derby City to meet up, share ideas and celebrate their work together.

Changing Lives were there in their capacity as the low intensity mental health support service for the area, talking about the service and what they offer, but also supporting the event at large.

They gave a presentation updating Mental Health Leads about the addition of an Early Intervention Targeted Support Service to Changing Lives in June, and how that will affect schools and their pupils.

They went on to discuss the kinds of interventions Changing Lives can offer, and how they work with children, young people, families and schools to support wellbeing. This included a deep dive into the CBT model they use, and why it’s so effective at helping young people with their mental health. Finally, they covered how schools can refer students to Changing Lives if they need support, and where else students could be referred in the event that Changing Lives were not able to help them.

Changing Lives also decided to add some fun to the event, with some exciting Christmas themed games. This included “Throw the hoop on the reindeer”, where teachers were tasked with throwing hoops onto the antlers of a “Reindeer”, with Team Leader Smita gamely stepping up to the role of reindeer.

Bridging the worlds of fun and mental health support was the signature Changing Lives “positivitree”, this time themed around Self Care. Teaching staff were invited to hang notes on the tree that shared ideas of how their colleagues could look after themselves. Advice varied from “Have a hot chocolate and some gingerbread” to “Spend some quality time with your family”.

Suzi Team Leader for the Derby City Landau Forte MHST, described the event as “fun and exciting”, adding that “It was a great event with great engagement from all who attended.”

Compass Changing Lives work extends beyond helping children and young people with direct interventions, thanks to their whole school approach, in which they work with schools and colleges to provide broader support for children and young people regarding their mental health. Events like these are a key part of that, ensuring that teachers and educational professionals know who they are, what they do, and how they can help.

This image shows two women posing for a photo with festive props. They are both smiling and enjoying themselves.
This image shows two women posing for a photo with festive props. They are both smiling and enjoying themselves.
This image shows a Christmas tree made of branches with paper ornaments hanging from it. The ornaments are in the shape of Christmas trees and stars. There are also some handwritten messages on the ornaments.
This image shows a group of people having fun at a Christmas party. They are playing a game where they try to throw rings onto a reindeer's antlers. The person in the reindeer antlers is laughing and enjoying the game.
The image shows a group of people in a restaurant. There is a woman in the center of the image who is wearing a red sweater and glasses. She is holding a yellow notecard in her hand. There are other people in the background, some of whom are talking to each other.
The message on the Christmas tree ornament reads: "Spending quality time with family. Being truly present"
This image shows two women posing for a photo with festive props. They are both smiling and enjoying themselves.
The message on the Christmas tree ornament reads: "Make sure to relax and spend time with family."
This image shows a group of people gathered in a restaurant. They are all wearing festive attire and seem to be enjoying each other's company. There are people talking, eating, and drinking. The atmosphere looks warm and inviting.
The image shows two people playing a game. The person on the left is wearing a reindeer headband and is trying to catch a ring that the person on the right is throwing. The person on the right is holding a green ring in their hand.

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