MindAid was created by Dr Helen Pote, from the university’s Clinical Psychology Department, and acts as a mental health first aid training tool. It is to be trialled by more than 250 teachers this term.
The app is a resource to support teachers in recognising common mental health difficulties in young people and aims to provide teachers with evidence-based resources to support students and direct them to appropriate help.
It draws on clinical expertise and two key resources: The Me and My Feelings Questionnaire (Anna Freud Centre) and the MindEd Training Resources (Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health). MindAid can be used by school staff before, during or after a consultation with a young person.
Dr Pote said: “The app is designed to give teachers a tool to recognise those young people who need help and includes sign-posting information on how to direct students who may need a helping hand.”