Anna Freud

It’s been fascinating to read the latest headline findings from #BeeWell, which reveal there’s been a boost in young people’s wellbeing in the regions taking part.  The programme is a collaboration between The University of Manchester, The Gregson Family Foundation, and Anna Freud, who, with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, launched the programme in 2019.  In 2023 #BeeWell expanded into Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton (HIPs).   Professor Jess Deighton, Director of Research at Anna Freud, said:  “It’s really encouraging to see that young people’s wellbeing is steadily improving in the regions taking part in the #BeeWell programme. While we don’t know to what extent this shift relates to action taken locally in response to the survey, the results certainly help to underscore the importance of listening to children and young people and investing to meet their needs.  “However, inequalities remain and the data shows that factors like gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic situation and having special educational needs or disabilities still significantly impact wellbeing.” Read our summary of the findings: https://lnkd.in/etjuwAW5

The Story Stem Assessment Profile is a tool designed to help us understand the internal worlds of children aged 4 to 9 years old. If you work with children of these ages find out more about Story Stem in our training course. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eeGRZ2_J You can also commission this training as a bespoke training tailored for your organisation. #MentalHealthWorker #MentalHealthPractitioner #CYP #ChildrensMentalHealth #Therapist #SocialWork

We sat down with care leavers and care experienced young people to talk about their experiences of mental health support in the care system and what needs to change. Watch the full video from the UK Trauma Council, an Anna Freud project, and check out resources for care workers: https://lnkd.in/eeFUu3hj #CareWork #CareExperienced

To wrap up Women’s History Month, here are just some of the great women who have contributed to our understanding of children’s mental health over the decades. Like us today, our founder Anna Freud wanted all children to thrive. In 2026, we’re still transforming mental health care for children and young people through science, collaboration and clinical innovation. One way we’re doing this is through giving young women and girls a platform to have their voices and lived experience heard. We’ve recently launched My Story and Me, our mental health tool empowering women and girls to share their stories. Find out more: https://orlo.uk/54Lva

Mentalization-Based Treatment for Children (MBT-C) focuses on all these things. Are you a clinical mental health professional? Come along to our MBT-C training to develop a practical understanding of the key elements of the model. Over three days, you’ll explore: 🧠 the core mentalizing stance 🧠 approaches to assessment and case formulation using a developmental and relational model 🧠 skills for working with children, parents and carers from a mentalizing perspective. Find out more: https://orlo.uk/GtfL8 #Mentalization #ChildrensMentalHealth #Therapist #ChildTherapist

Huge thanks for visiting us - it was great to discuss how best to support the wellbeing of neurodivergent and SEND young people, along with our training and support services

For a long time, anxiety was assumed to be simply a symptom of autism. But that is not the case. Autistic people often experience anxiety for many different reasons, most often related to non-autistic norms in their environments. Bestselling author and Anna Freud associate Pete Wharmby spoke to us about what causes anxiety for many autistic people, from social interactions to dealing with transitions and sensory overload. Want to better understand what life can feel like for the autistic people in your life? Grab a cuppa and watch Pete’s video: https://orlo.uk/czitE #AutismCentralLearn Health education england

The government released its long-awaited schools white paper last month, along with a consultation on the paper’s proposed reforms to the SEND system. We believe a number of the proposals in the papers will make a difference to children and young people, like: 💌 A commitment to earlier intervention ♾️ A more joined-up system 📊 Tracking wellbeing But there are also some bits where we’d want more detail: 🌈 Ensuring inclusion is lived, not designed 🧠 Making mental health central 👨🏽⚕️ Tackling workforce capacity and training 💜 Ensuring parent voices remain central to decision-making For many neurodivergent students, sensory overload, unpredictability, social pressures, and communication differences can make school overwhelming. This can affect their sense of belonging. What is often labelled as “behaviour” is actually a response to environments that are not designed with neurodivergence in mind. Our experts Dr Georgia Pavlopoulou and Roisin McEvoy believe the SEND review needs to tackle this if we are to turn inclusivity into belonging and make the most of this opportunity to improve the education system: https://orlo.uk/zdDvO #SENDReview #SchoolsWhitePaper #SEND #NeurodivergentChildren

Did you know you can commission us to deliver bespoke mental health training, tailored to your team’s exact needs? Our experts can share their knowledge and skills on dozens of different types of therapies and approaches to enhance your team’s work with children, adolescents, families, or adults. Just some of the topics we cover are: 💜Neurodivergence 💜Trauma 💜PTSD 💜Interpersonal difficulties 💜Depression 💜Perinatal mental health 💜Mental health in schools and colleges Find out more: https://orlo.uk/XAOUt

We’re really excited to announce that Anna Freud has been awarded over £1.6m in funding from the Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government to help build the mental health and wellbeing of young people across Wales. We will train practitioners in every single state school in Wales to deliver Strategies for Safety and Wellbeing to learners in Year 5 and Year 7. This universal mental health intervention builds the wellbeing of children and young people by normalising everyday emotions, like stress and sadness, and helps them to develop strategies for managing feelings and supporting others. Strategies for Safety and Wellbeing was the most promising of several mental health interventions for schools trialled through Education for Wellbeing. Anna Freud led this randomised control trial in partnership with UCL, which involved more than 30,000 students and over 500 schools across England. Read more here: https://orlo.uk/CUkNH Rydym wrth ein bodd yn cyhoeddi bod Anna Freud wedi derbyn dros £1.6m mewn cyllid gan Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government i helpu i feithrin iechyd meddwl a lles pobl ifanc ledled Cymru. Byddwn yn hyfforddi ymarferwyr ym mhob ysgol wladol yng Nghymru i gyflwyno Strategaethau ar gyfer Diogelwch a Llesiant i ddysgwyr ym Mlwyddyn 5 a Blwyddyn 7. Mae'r ymyrraeth iechyd meddwl gyffredinol hon yn meithrin llesiant plant a phobl ifanc trwy normaleiddio emosiynau bob dydd, fel straen a thristwch, ac yn eu helpu i ddatblygu strategaethau ar gyfer rheoli teimladau a chefnogi eraill. Strategaethau ar gyfer Diogelwch a Llesiant oedd yr ymyrraeth iechyd meddwl fwyaf addawol ar gyfer ysgolion a dreialwyd trwy Addysg ar gyfer Llesiant. Arweiniodd Anna Freud y treial rheoli ar hap hwn mewn partneriaeth â UCL, a oedd yn cynnwys mwy na 30,000 o fyfyrwyr a thros 500 o ysgolion ledled Lloegr. Darllenwch fwy yma: https://orlo.uk/SKY1G