Mental Health Support Team (MHST)

The Mental Health Support Team is a new NHS commissioned service working in our school. The aim of the service is to offer free early therapeutic interventions to help children and young people with mild to moderate common mental health difficulties such as anxiety, low mood and emotional dysregulation. 

What MHST Can Offer 

MHST provides support through:

• One to one sessions with an Education Mental Health Practitioner.
• Group work.
• Parent-led work.
• Whole school approaches to supporting mental health.

MHST Support Criteria 

The support offered by the MHST is low‑intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (LI‑CBT). This is a brief, structured, and goal‑focused intervention designed to support specific presentations. MHST cannot support young people where:

• There are lots of contextual concerns causing the emotional wellbeing difficulties.
• The difficulties are suspected to be related to neurodiversity rather than mental health.
• The difficulties exceed the remit of a low intensity intervention and require a more specialist service.

How can I get support? 

A young person or parent/carer may request support within school. A School staff member may identify a young person in need of support. These requests/ observations can then be discussed with the Designated Mental Health Lead in School (DMHL) who can make a referral into MHST. Our DMHL at Three Ways School is Lucy Heaton. 

Mental Health Support Team (MHST)

Providing Early Intervention & Support

The Mental Health Support Team is a new NHS-commissioned service working directly within our school. MHST offers free, early therapeutic support to help children and young people manage common mild to moderate mental health difficulties. 

Available Support

The MHST provides a variety of support pathways tailored to the needs of the student and their family:

• One-to-One Sessions: Direct support with an Education Mental Health Practitioner.
• Group Work: Collaborative sessions learning coping skills and strategies.
• Parent-Led Work:  Empowering parents with tools to support their young person at home.
• Whole School Approaches: Assemblies, training and initiatives to foster a safe and supportive environment for everyone.

Support Criteria: Is this right for you?

The MHST utilises low-intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (LI-CBT). This is a brief, structured, and goal-focused intervention.

When MHST is Most Effective

LI-CBT is designed for specific mental health presentations including low mood, anxiety and emotional dysregulation. However, it is not the appropriate service if:

• There are significant contextual concerns (e.g., environmental factors) causing the distress.
• The difficulties are suspected to be related to neurodiversity rather than primarily a mental health need.
• The difficulties require specialist services (exceeding the remit of low-intensity intervention).

How to Access Support

Accessing the MHST is a collaborative process between the family and the school.

The Referral Process:

All requests and observations are discussed with the school’s Designated Mental Health Lead (DMHL) Lucy Heaton, who is responsible for making official referrals to the MHST.