Book Review: Feeling Good: Promoting Children’s Mental Health

Feeling Good: Promoting Children’s Mental Health
The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health
Free from www.scmh.org.uk

STAR RATING: 3/5

This short series of worksheets aims to support parents in promoting their children’s emotional well-being, writes Lynne Reay. It offers a brief overview of how good mental health in childhood lays the foundation for a positive identity in later years. It continues by looking at ways of doing this, including respecting your child, listening to your child and enjoying your child.

The substantive part of the document is activity sheets, which cover common situations ranging from sibling rivalry and friendships to feelings of sadness and loss. The sheets are drawn in a simple, cartoon style with child-friendly questions. There is also a comprehensive list of useful links.

It’s a good tool for parents who want to parent positively, but may be finding it difficult to talk  through issues with younger children. The sheets seem to be aimed at primary age children, but the basic principles of respect and understanding can be applied children of all ages.

The language used sometimes seemed quite wordy for a document needing to appeal to a broad range of people. However, this is probably preferable to language which patronises and therefore alienates the parents it seeks to support.

This resource would be useful for all parents. It would also be a valuable tool for professionals who are working with parents or carers around parenting issues.

Lynne Reay is designated nurse for looked-after children in Lambeth, and a mother of three children