‘It’s a real privilege delivering this programme’: My work delivering Brook’s ‘My Life’

Brook has long observed the intersection between sexual and mental health. In fact, young people very often ask us for support with both. That is why on World Mental Health Day and the first day of Sexual Health Week, Lucy Harker, Brook’s Education and Wellbeing Specialist, shines a light on our 1:1 wellbeing programme ‘My Life’ and the positive impact it has on young people.  

My Life is a health and wellbeing support programme offered by Brook to young people within schools, colleges and youth groups. Based on the theory of change methodology, the programme was developed to provide young people with the skills and knowledge to make informed choices on their sexual health, relationships and wellbeing. Using a goals-based approach, the sessions provide a young person with the opportunity to explore their life as whole, to build upon their strengths and to develop the confidence to shape their life into the life they want.

My Life doesn’t discriminate.

The sessions are suitable for all young people, regardless of experience or ability. Brook staff work hard to remove barriers to participation, and will make the sessions as accessible as possible.

I recently worked with a 17 year old girl who had been referred to do some work on healthy relationships and consent. She had ‘missed’ all of the RSE at school because she was deaf and it was agreed by the staff at her school that should ‘probably wouldn’t need it anyway’. Fast forward two years, and this young person is in college, and in a relationship with her first boyfriend. With support from her interpreter, the young person was able to access the sessions to think critically about what makes a healthy relationship, enabling her to make informed choices within her own relationship. I have to admit, learning the BSL signs to support a condom demonstration was a real learning curve but one I was happy to take because at Brook, we believe that ALL young people are entitled to a good quality RSE.

The sessions are voluntary and we promote a sense of ownership for the young person throughout the programme. We see many young people who feel they have been referred to My Life as a punishment or part of a behaviour intervention and it’s a real pleasure to remove that stigma and to work in a completely non-judgemental manner, outside the constraints of formal education.

Focusing not on attendance, grades and expected behaviour but on empowering that young person to be the best version of themselves.

The resources used within a My Life session have been developed alongside young people to ensure they are as effective as possible. All resources are open to differentiation and can be adapted to suit the needs of the young person.

My favourite activity to use in a session is the Life Wheel. The young person chooses up to 8 areas of their life (such as school, confidence, adventure, fun, alcohol, family, friendships etc) and then scores themselves a mark out of 10 on how satisfied they currently are with each area. They are encouraged to think about why their score isn’t lower, which highlights existing strengths and positive aspects and also how they could get their score higher, encouraging independent thought, resilience and problem solving. This activity lends itself nicely to goal setting and also helps to identify any additional needs which they may need support with or signposting for. Re-scoring at the end of the programme is the perfect way to assess and evaluate any goals that the young person has set along the way.

As well as the coaching resources used, the sessions provide the young person with a safe space to receive targeted support and education.

The confidential, non-judgemental approach in which we work, allows them to ask questions that they may not feel comfortable asking their parents or may not feel able to ask their teacher in front of the class.

Recent examples of this are a year 8 pupil who had witnessed an older peer experimenting with cannabis, so asked to research the effects of drugs and alcohol, a young person feeling unsettled about her changing body during puberty, leading us to research options for underwear to suit her sensory needs, and a year 11 pupil who had been given the contraceptive implant without any information about other options. Together we accessed the Brook website to look at the other options, empowering her to make an appointment with the school nurse to discuss having the implant removed in favour of an alternative method that better suited her needs.

Often we have requests from teachers, youth workers and parents to provide targeted support in certain areas but we maintain that any information provided in sessions is done with the consent of the young person, and delivered in way which encourages critical thinking and encourages the making of informed choices.

Proposed outcomes of My Life include, but are not limited to;

• Increased self-awareness and self-perception
• Improved motivation
• Improved critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Improved self-control and self-regulation
• Improved social skills
• Better understanding of their own values and beliefs

Outcomes are measured in a variety of ways but the ultimate evidence comes from the feedback we receive. From teachers, from parents but most importantly from the young people themselves.

Recent positive outcomes I have observed have been a year 11 pupil delaying pregnancy as she now believes in herself enough to apply for a hair dressing course, a young man with autism enjoying pleasurable self-stimulation safely, privately and hygienically, a year 10 pupil leaving an unhealthy friendship group in favour of spending time with people who make her feel good about herself and a year 8 pupil who lacked confidence in their self-identity, delivering training to professionals on how to work with young people in the LGBT community.

Of course, these are huge achievements but that doesn’t mean we don’t celebrate the more subtle outcomes as well. The 14 year old who can now say two positive things about himself. The young person who, on the most part, can respect the personal space of her teacher. The teenager who has deleted TikTok as she recognises the negative effects it has on her self-esteem. It’s all valid progress.

The My Life programme is just an effective, positive intervention provided to young people.

It’s unique, it’s flexible and it’s holistic.

As an Education and Wellbeing Specialist, it’s a real privilege to deliver this programme and witness first-hand the positive effects it has on the young people that are referred to Brook.

For more information about My Life, please contact training@brook.org.uk