6% Rise In Helping Children's Anger

Social Care Today reports new findings from Childline that show the charity delivered almost 3,000 counselling sessions to young people struggling with anger management within the last year.

The research was published today to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week – an event founded by the Mental Health Foundation to tackle the biggest challenges that affect people’s wellbeing.

According to the findings, Childline provided 2,895 counselling sessions to young people with anger problems over the last 12 months, which equates to a 6% rise on the previous year. The sessions were delivered both online and over the phone.

‘The fact that children are reaching out for help with their anger issues reflects the growing emotional challenges young people face in today’s complex world,’ Shaun Friel,’ Director of Childline explained. ‘At Childline, we’re seeing firsthand how pressures at home, school, online and in communities are affecting children’s ability to manage and deal with difficult emotions.’

Previously Childline have cited anger problems as a cause for concern but the recent sharp increase in calls for help and the severity of some situations have led to it becoming one of the charity’s top ten mental health concerns.

With this in mind and against the backdrop of the new findings, two leading children’s health charities, otherwise known as NSPCC and Places2Be, have formed a partnership to offer advice, which can be found here, to young people and parents about how to manage anger issues and ultimately become happier within themselves.

‘At Places2Be we know that learning to express and process emotions healthily during childhood builds resilience and establishes positive coping mechanisms that serve young people throughout their lives,’ Dr Rebecca Kirkbride, clinical director at the charity said. ‘The rise in children seeking support for issues related to anger, as highlighted by Childline’s data, demonstrates the importance of early intervention and teaching children healthy ways to process emotions.’

Full article available on Social Care Today.