Decoding and Tackling Anxiety: Providing confident, skilful and effective support to students

Decoding and Tackling Anxiety

Course Aim
A significant proportion of students require expert support with their mental health, with anxiety being one of the top needs. As awareness has grown over recent years, prevalence seems to have grown simultaneously. Recent figures show that nearly half of Secondary School students have avoided school in 2025 due to anxiety.
During this workshop, our expert Julie will guide colleagues through an in-depth look at understanding and tackling anxiety in our current society. Colleagues will build on decoding ‘normal’ and circumstantial anxiety in teenagers, managing self-diagnosis, pathologising and social contagion, and handling the more acute mental health condition.
Early intervention and improving student wellbeing clearly has a direct impact on attendance and attainment.
This workshop will aim to build and develop key skills and tools required when caring for students who require help, intervention, and guidance. The course is suitable for all pastoral staff working with students aged 11-18.

Key learning objectives include:

* Decoding anxiety today in the younger generation
* Awareness vs prevalence – what is happening in school
* Appropriate response levels for supporting students experiencing distress in the form of anxiety
* Understanding and assessing triggers, and current risk factors
* Managing acute distress – what to do, what NOT to do, knowing your boundaries and limitations
* Effective approaches pastoral staff can use for ongoing support and help
* Guidance on how to best build rapport, apply key listening skills incl. toolkit of extra tips
* Exploring issues of confidentiality, safeguarding and managing disclosure

Course Fees are £295 + VAT per person with discounts available for multiple delegates.

Please feel free to share this tackling anxiety course with your colleagues, or indeed anyone who may be interested. Colleagues who have previously attended two courses with Olive Branch Consultancy will be automatically entitled to a 10% loyalty discount. We will apply this for you at the time of booking.

If you would like to receive a copy of the full programme, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we will email you a PDF copy. This will show more detail of what will be covered in each session.