School Life News

Raising Awareness and Promoting Mental Health at the British School of Sofia

13 Jan 2025

International school curricula are prioritising student well-being and mental health much more than these have ever been addressed in the past. At the British School of Sofia, we are firm believers in the importance of emotional well-being. That is why an entire week is dedicated to mental health, encompassing a range of activities and workshops aimed at equipping students (and parents) with the tools needed to handle difficult emotions and life situations in the most productive way.

The British School of Sofia (BSS) mental health week took place from January 13 to 17, 2025. The school counsellors, as well as guest lecturers, organised seminars, talks, and activities to help students recognise challenges and keep those difficult situations from impacting their emotional well-being.

Finding New Ways to Deal with Difficult Emotions

To start the week, we came together to discuss an important topic – the major transition that all students go through when they graduate and head off to university.

IB students met Francesca Malpass – a third-year student at the University of Leeds who is currently interning at BSS. Francesca talked about the biggest changes that occur when you leave home to go to university, as well as the steps that can be undertaken to make the transition easier.

From acquiring important life skills to socialising within university settings, Francesca delivered a thoughtful workshop inspired by her own experiences and the coping strategies that she identified as most effective during her first years at the university.

The next event BSS held as a part of the mental health week was the second Parents Academy of the year.

Mrs. Emilia Ilieva-Kraynova, a master trainer on empathy and non-violent communication talked about big emotions like anger, shame, fear, and guilt. Parents who attended the workshop learned about the best strategies parents can embrace to support their children, strengthen communication, and develop a lasting bond that is based on trust, mutual respect, and emotional understanding.

Freeing Minds, Embracing Self-Love

Apart from the seminars and workshops that occurred over the course of the week, the team of BSS counsellor put together an entire programme of activities aimed at unlocking the potential of students to learn, grow, and explore. 

The reminder mirror project had students thinking about feel-good affirmations, phrases, and quotes. These were turned into stickers – a testament of positivity on those difficult and discouraging days. 

Additionally, students partook in a breathing exercise class starter. For three minutes each day, they detached and got ready for the challenges ahead. While the activity is rather simple, it demonstrates the small things that can be done to relax, become more present, and connected.

Needless to say, talking about experiences and feelings is just as important as self-reflection and engaging in little acts of kindness. The BSS counsellors organised a mental health corner day on the Friday of our mental health week.

The mental health corner aims to give anyone who needs to talk a safe space for the discussion of well-being, challenges, and difficulties. Students were given an opportunity to ask questions and share with the school counsellors.

Eliminating Challenges and Difficulties One Step at a Time

There is a reason why the importance of a proactive approach towards mental health among children and adolescents is increasing.

Globally, one in seven children aged 10 to 19 experience a mental health disorder (accounting for 15 per cent of the global cases), the World Health Organization (WHO) reports. 

And while the percentage of children and teenagers who have a clinically diagnosable problem is high, approximately 70 per cent of them haven’t had appropriate intervention at a sufficiently early age.

At BSS, we are firm believers in supporting students holistically. The student support team consists of supervisors, medical professionals, special education needs teachers, and counsellors who apply principles of psychology to everyday situations and challenges students face.

 

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