Child Mental Health Week 2025

Child Mental Health Week will take place from 3rd to 9th February 2025. The theme this year is "know yourself, grow yourself”, it aims to encourage children to explore the importance of growing their capacity for self-awareness and self-reflection. This article considers the theme through a psychoanalytic lens, supported by the works of Dr Donald Winnicott. We will consider what is required in infancy to lay the foundations for the development of a robust sense of self, and how developing these key skills during early years can be a fundamental tool in building resilience and supporting emotional and psychological wellbeing long term.

The pressures of school, social media, family challenges and a rapidly changing world can all contribute to feelings of anxiety and overwhelm. Children may not have the words to describe what they are feeling, instead communicating through behaviours such as withdrawal, low mood, irritability, aggression or difficulty concentrating. The week serves as an opportunity to engage with children, families, schools and communities about child mental health, provide psychoeducation, help break down stigma and promote early intervention. Addressing mental health early in life is essential in preventing lasting difficulties, and in fostering a generation of resilient and emotionally healthy individuals who can grow up and lead full lives filled with adventure, creativity, connection and intrigue. A foundation of strong emotional health supports them in accessing the confidence and resilience required to take advantage of the endless possibilities life has to offer them.

The theme “know yourself, grow yourself” is such an important one, as a child and adolescent psychotherapist working with children and young people from age 4 to 18, this is at the heart of my daily clinical work. I strive to facilitate a journey of exploration of thoughts and feelings through to a place of acceptance and understanding. Along the way the child or young pers