Globally, the last two years have been dominated for many of us by uncertainty, health concerns, fear about the future, and financial worries. From the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, to cases of institutional racism and growing inequality hitting the headlines and war in Eastern Europe, the toll on mental health globally is something public health and education systems are increasingly dealing with on a huge scale. The cost of mental ill health from an economic standpoint runs into the billions, but the individual cost and emotional toll is one that we cannot quantify and we must work collectively to reduce.
Clinical psychologist Phil Johnson describes that regularly reported issues among the young people we encounter include loneliness and social isolation, during a period when self-identity is being more defined, and expressed. Experiences of bullying, loss, dysfunctional attachment, humiliation, perfectionism, lost performance, disturbed sleeping patterns, and constant worry, are debilitating and affect every aspect of life, not simply education. Much of these presentations have a subconscious element, that when triggered in current situations give rise to disproportionate responses, which are historically based. Seeking to understand the current contexts in which historical experiences show themselves, enables them to be effectively resolved, not simply in the here and now, but for the rest of learners’ adult lives.
