Our fast paced and rapidly changing world can be a challenging place for young people who have a vast array of pressures put on them. From education, choices and the ever-present impact of social media, these all offer challenges that no other generation has faced.

At CSW, we work with young people affected by these challenges and regularly see the impact they have. Adapt2 was developed from our Intensive Family Support Service, seeing a need for a hands-on tool to support young people to find the strategies to cope and develop the resilience to succeed.

The programme was particularly designed to provide early help to those on the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting list or outside the scope of CAMHS.

Adapt2 is a 10 session programme, across primary and secondary aged young people, it is not a therapy manual, it is designed as a toolkit for professionals to work alongside the young person not to fix them or provide medical support but to help them see for themselves that they can succeed and overcome areas where things have become overwhelming.

A successful pilot project saw young people improving their school attendance, lowering risk of exclusion from school and teachers describing them as calmer, less angry and coping more appropriately. The young people involved enjoyed the hands-on activities and aide memoires that helped them remember the strategies after the programme giving them the tools to be able to meet the challenges that today’s world presents.