EPV 2024 SUMMER COURSE
Working With Children With Depression
Understanding how depression impacts children, how this presents and how professionals can support children with depression.
COURSE APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Course breakdown
10 hours on-demand video material and 10 hours offline learning
Online tutor moderation
Downloadable articles and resources
Access on mobile and desktop
Course Approved for the Department of Education and Skills EPV Summer Course Certificate 2024
Full access to the course
Course Goals:
Obtain awareness of the symptoms of depression in children
Understand the key psychological components of depression
Become equipped with effective exercises that can safely and easily be implemented
Learn how to support children with depression in the classroom
With over 5,000 online students, the Child Psychology Institute comes highly recommended as an EPV Summer Course Provider for Irish school teachers.
We also welcome secondary school teachers and SNAs to our summer courses.
Depression In Children
How Teachers Can Identify and Support Children with Depression
According to the HSE, 1 in 4 children may experience depression before entering into adulthood. Depression in childhood may present as low mood, lack of interest, poor appetite and reduced social interactions, for example. At CPI, we believe that teachers have a great opportunity to notice when students’ interests, activity levels and socialisation have changed because they can compare it to the norm for that child. Issues may also be arising from the home environment, which might mean other factors are at play that can impede on children discussing their issues with parents. And while many teachers can be concerned about their students’ emotions or behaviours, there is a gap in Ireland in terms of what happens next.
In a social-scape where support is not always readily available, we at CPI believe it’s vital that teachers feel confident in their approach with these children. There is a fear we ourselves can’t handle the situation or we may not know the right thing to say – on this course, we will showcase exactly what these children need and you will learn how to support your students…but more importantly, you will learn why they need someone just like you to see them!
This is a course we wish we didn’t have to develop. It’s a course that deals with hard topics like depression, self-harm and suicidal ideation in children. While the topic can be difficult to discuss, it is absolutely imperative and worthwhile that we as adults are equipped to support children of all ages with their emotional needs. This course will change how you respond to the children who truly need someone to look up to!
Lorraine lynch, founder of child psychology institute
Addressing Self-Harm in Children with Depression
Understanding the Link Between Self-Harm and Suicide Risk in Children
Many children who suffer from depression, low mood and low self-esteem also engage in acts of self-harm. As recently as 2019 in Ireland, 561 children aged 10 to 14 years presented to Irish Emergency Departments following acts of self-harm (Griffin et al., 2019). There is evidence from clients within CPI that children as young as 4 are also self-harming, and there are reports from doctors, schools and CAMHS that acts of self-harm which do not require emergency department care are on the rise. This is worrying because Bennardi et al (2006) has shown that these children who engage in acts of self-harm are more at risk of suicide.
Supporting children with depression is not the plight only of social workers, psychologists or doctors. For many children, they don’t have the support of allied health professionals and there is so much that can be done by teachers to foster an environment which is calm, compassionate and open. Being aware of children’s issues means that we can intentionally say and do the right things instead of unintentionally saying and doing the wrong thing. We can promote community in the class-group, enhance emotional literacy and make students feel like they matter, they’re valued and they are seen and heard.
We can be that one safe secure adult that some children don’t naturally have in their lives.
We can be the person who sees the communication behind the behaviour.
We can be the difference!
This course is ten hours of audio content, visual content and assessment in total, and there are ten hours of recommended reading and resources for you to further develop your own learning.
Course Dates
GROUP 1
July 1st - 13th 2024
GROUP 2
July 15th - 26th 2024
GROUP 3
August 1st - 16th 2024
Meet Your Instructor
Lorraine Lynch is CEO and Founder of the Child Psychology Institute. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychological Studies and English, a Higher Diploma in Psychology and a Masters of Science in Health Psychology. Lorraine is also the author of two books designed to promote children’s wellness – #100happydays4kids and Closing Saor’s Day. She is currently completing her thesis for her Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology.
“It is essential that children meet adults who are responsive and understand how a child’s mind works so that they can truly blossom into happy successful adults.”
Course Aims
- Understand the key psychological components of depression
- Be able to identify the different types of depression and co-morbidities
- Be aware of the symptoms of depression in a typical child
- Know the neurobiology of depression
- Have a good understanding of how the brain responds to depression
- Have an awareness of how the body responds to depression
- Appreciate the immediate & long-term effects of depression on a child, including self-harm and suicidal ideation
- Understand the importance of appropriate therapy for the depressed child
- Know how to support children with depression in the classroom
- Be introduced to effective exercises that can safely and easily be implemented
FAQs
Each course is divided into three groups that are running on the following dates:
- Group One: July 1st – 13th 2024
- Group Two: July 15th – 26th 2024
- Group Three: August 1st – 16th 2024
The course starts and ends on each of the above dates. It is a completely self-paced online course – you decide when you complete tasks within your chosen course’s dates!
Yes, all work is monitored by our e-tutor team, which means that you will receive feedback and you will be notified if more detail is required.
All of our EPV Summer Courses are just €99 per course. Pay just €175 for two courses or €250 for three!
Just add the course and the date to your cart and the discount will automatically be applied. Remember, as per DES guidelines, you cannot complete two courses in the same time-frame.
Our primary focus is on you learning and then supporting children with their emotional wellness. As a result, we place value on reflective learning. You’ll be asked to discuss your own understanding and experiences, as well as brief summaries of important topics. All assignments are less than 500 words.
We are obsessed with children’s wellness and our mission is to impart as much knowledge as we can on to the people who matter – the teachers and SNAs who are guiding, supporting and shaping our children every single day.
All of our courses have been developed with the most current research in the area of health and educational psychology. Students who have completed courses with us in the past keep coming back for more. Why? Because our customers complete courses that are jam-packed full of meaningful information and effective strategies that really do create change, not just across classrooms, but across careers!
We will be in touch before your course starts with login instructions. For now, enjoy the last term of school and we’ll see you in July/August for some summer learning!
