Jack, 14, was struggling with feelings of worry about the future which led to low attendance at school and exclusions.
Amid a lot of changes in his life, Jack found it difficult to understand and navigate his emotions. He turned to drugs and alcohol to try and cope. Even though he knew that he could talk to his support network, it wasn’t always easy for him to reach out.
Jack’s mum said, “He doesn’t always speak to me but I don’t think he knows how to because he doesn’t know what the problem is.”
During his first few sessions with Tina, his Programme Lead, Jack began to share a bit about himself and some of the challenges he was facing. He expressed to Tina how his thoughts were affecting his attendance and being on time for lessons.
Tina and Jack explored how thoughts can affect our behaviour, body, emotions and how they all intertwine.
One of their main focuses was positive self-talk and restructuring negative thoughts into ones that make you feel good about yourself and your life. They worked on identifying positive solutions to problems.
Although Jack was determined to do well in school, he lacked confidence. In one of our sessions Jack felt down about a mock exam that hadn’t gone well, and he told me he didn’t want to feel that way again.
I encouraged him to focus his thoughts on the next exam and to try and not dwell on this one. We talked through the support he needed to improve next time,
Week by week as Jack and Tina worked together to put these strategies into practice, his worries lessened. He started to feel a sense of belonging at school and his teachers noticed that his self-esteem improved. “He is brighter and more engaging in lessons,” said one of Jack’s teachers. His attendance also increased from 42% to 60%.
Jack’s mum said, “Jack seems good. He’s not complaining about school and seems keen to get himself together. Thanks for all your help.”
Tina provided Jack with valuable 1:1 support which gave him the tools he needed to manage his concerns of the future and engage in lessons.
Jack has plans to take GCSE business studies next year to follow his aspirations to be an entrepreneur!
Tina has helped me understand how to balance thoughts and weigh up pros and cons to make decisions. I feel okay.
