13. It was like
she didn’t
care enough
to eat. She
was so, so
sad, you
could see
just by
looking at
her.
14. Food Avoidance
Emotional Disorder
No fear of weight gain
General behaviour disturbance:
• Sleep problems
• Poor concentration
• Tearfulness
• Hopelessness
Associated with depression and anxiety
May isolate themselves / avoid school
15. Things that help
Trauma support
Support for depression /
anxiety if needed
GP - supplements
Beware misdiagnosis
21. It made her so
happy when we
gave her food.
sweets and
chocolates. It was
too much – she
was bingeing and
ballooning but it
was a way to show
we cared.
Every meal
became a battle
ground. We just
wanted him to eat
something.
Anything. There
was shouting and
food throwing. It
was awful.
What messages do we send?
22. I remember this
teaching assistant
from infant school
who sat with me
every day through
tears and tantrums.
Quietly, calmly. It
took a while but I
started to trust her
and began to let
her in.
He grabbed a
bread roll and put
it on his tray like it
was the most
normal thing ever.
We exchanged no
words but the look
we shared said so
much. We just
quietly got on with
the meal but inside
I was partying!
What messages do we send?
28. We looked
for
alternative
ways for her
to cope and
get that
feeling of
control.
She just
needed
someone to
hear her.
She wasn’t
so good with
words but
drawing
worked well.
We tried to
find a
hundred
different
ways to
show we
cared. Post
its was his
favourite!
Cope Communicate Care
29. The most important
slide of all…
Try to ensure
consistent
care and
support
Try to
Understand
what the child
is trying to
cope with or
attempting to
communicate
Give the child
the time,
space and
means to be
heard
ExploreListen Patient
30. She changed my life in five minutes
by making me realise I mattered to
someone, no matter how broken I
was. For five minutes I felt what it was
to be cared for.
It was a fresh start.
33. cwmt.org.uk | @charliewtrust InOurHands.com | @pookyh
Free Book Club
for School Mental Health Leads
inourhands.com/bookclub
@CharlieWTrust | @PookyH
34. cwmt.org.uk | @charliewtrust InOurHands.com | @pookyh
Mental Health: Weekly Online Learning
for Staff working with CYP
inourhands.com/onlinelearning
@CharlieWTrust | @PookyH
35. cwmt.org.uk | @charliewtrust InOurHands.com | @pookyh
Mental Health: Free training and
workshops for school staff, pupils and
parents
inourhands.com/cwmt
@CharlieWTrust | @PookyH
Can / should we provide the response the child is craving.
Keeping a diary of behaviours and the child’s associated thoughts and feelings can help you to look for patterns and beging to untangle the underlying issues