'Growing Optimism' In Northamptonshire, UK

Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 11 Jan 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Young people in Northamptonshire are being given an emotional head start that should minimise the risk of them becoming depressed in later life.

Maranne Wass, a Senior Educational Psychologist and Mike Brooks, Principal Educational Psychologist, with the Northamptonshire Local Authority, presented research developed from the Penn Resiliency Programme on Thursday 10 January 2008, at the British Psychological Society's Division of Child and Educational Psychology Annual Conference in Bournemouth.

Year Five pupils in Northamptonshire who demonstrated thinking styles that have been linked to a risk of developing emotional problems, particularly depression, were invited to take part in the Growing Optimism programme. These pupils took part in a pilot programme teaching them how to use strategies derived from cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), that encourage a more accurate and helpful thinking style.

Pupils that took part developed more positive ways of thinking about themselves and their experiences. The thinking style they developed and social problem solving skills they learnt should work to minimise their risk of future depression.

Maranne Wass said: "Martin Seligman has pioneered this work, which has shown the effectiveness of CBT techniques in group settings with children. The programme teaches children how to recognise the link between their feelings and the automatic thoughts that underlie them and we have replicated findings with English children, that Seligman has previously demonstrated with American young people. We are continuing to develop this work in Northamptonshire schools."

The British Psychological Society