Mental Health and Well-being Workshop

Date: 10–11 November 2023
Time: 08:30–18:30 Central European Time (CET)
Location: Council of International Schools (CIS) office, Leiden, The Netherlands

Whole-school approaches to addressing & preventing 
self-harm and suicide

This workshop will help you implement practical, embedded strategies for prevention, early intervention, and management of self-harm and suicide. It’s designed to help you learn how to support your school community and manage difficult situations.

You’ll learn from evidence-based materials delivered by clinical and educational experts from the Anna Freud Centre and counselling psychologist Dr Rina Bajaj. The schedule allows plenty of time for personal and group Q&A opportunities with experts and CIS staff, and you’ll leave with resources and guidance to adapt to your school context.

This workshop is designed for you to:

• understand what is meant by a whole-school approach to mental health and well-being  
• acquire a range of practical strategies for implementing a whole-school approach in your context
• begin planning the actions your institution can implement for a whole school approach to mental health, including how to disseminate the learning from this workshop
• learn strategies for early identification and management of suicide and self-harm 
• develop an awareness of the prevalence and risks associated with self-harm and suicidal ideation  
• understand protective factors and preventative strategies
• feel equipped and confident to develop protocols to deal with self-harm and suicide  
• understand leading practices for a school’s response to suicide and how to support students and staff 

Develop skills that empower you to participate fully as a member of your school’s well-being and response teams, support the development of a supportive mental health culture in your school, and lead your community in this area. 

Why learn about this with CIS?

The content is culturally sensitive and will support our diverse international school community. We draw from research and practice guidance from multi-disciplinary expertise (a clinical psychologist, counselling psychologist, experienced school leaders, and safeguarding professionals). Participants can also embrace networking opportunities with other international school counsellors, educators, and school leaders. 

We are proud to partner with the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, which has developed and delivered mental health care for over 70 years, and Dr Rina Bajaj, a Counselling Psychologist with over 17 years of clinical and psychologically informed experience within the field of mental health and well-being.