Episode 3: Redefining the Classroom: Nurturing Mental Health Through Nature, Arts, and Understanding

"It's not our children who are disordered, it's the environment in which we're expecting them to operate."In this month’s episode, our experts explore the pressing issue of children's mental health in the UK. With one in five young individuals facing probable mental health disorders, the urgency for effective support systems is undeniable.Joining the conversation are Kate Silverton, renowned broadcaster turned qualified child therapist, and Professor Nicola Walshe, a proponent of climate change and sustainability education. Together, they dissect the challenges faced by schools and parents in supporting children's mental health and the innovative ways to foster well-being through nature and the arts.Kate Silverton shares her insights on the variability of mental health support in schools and the critical need for standardised, professionally trained mental health professionals on-site. She emphasises the importance of understanding the neuroscience behind children's behaviour and offers a sneak peak of some of the practical, science-backed strategies found in her latest book, ‘There’s still no such thing as naughty: parenting for the primary years’.Professor Nicola Walshe discusses her work with the UCL Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education, highlighting the transformative power of combining arts with nature to improve children's mental and emotional well-being. She presents compelling evidence from the Eco-Capabilities project, illustrating how such practices not only benefit the students but also reinvigorate teachers' passion for their profession.This episode is an impassioned call to disrupt the status quo of public health and education systems, advocating for a holistic approach that prioritises emotional well-being and connection to nature as the foundation for learning and growth.Public Health Disrupted with Rochelle Burgess and Xand Van Tulleken is produced by Annabelle Buckland at Decibelle Creative / @decibelle_creativeRead full show notesAcess transcript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Om Podcasten

Presented by Doctor, writer and TV Presenter Xand Van Tulleken and community health psychologist, UCL lecturer and self-proclaimed hippie, Dr Rochelle Burgess.This podcast is about public health, but more importantly, it’s about the systems that need disrupting to make public health better. In each episode, we’ll be challenging the status quo of this field, asking what needs to change, why and how to get there. Each month we’ll be joined by activists, scholars, artists, comedians and industry professionals to offer perspectives from the UCL community and beyond. We’re calling this podcast Public Health Disrupted because that’s exactly what we want to do. We are going to be breaking down disciplinary, sectoral and geographic boundaries to really understand the diverse and complex issues impacting our health. Issues as complex as structural racism and as broad as the role of tech in public health. New episodes will be made available monthly via the UCL Soundcloud, Acast, Spotify, Apple Podcast and Google PodcastIf there’s a question you’d like us and our guests to answer, email us at healthofpublic@ucl.ac.uk or tweet @UCLHealthPublic.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.