Supporting Children's Mental Health and Wellbeing
Interlude Hypnotherapy
Published: May, 2025
Children’s mental health is undeniably one of the most pressing issues we face today. With reports like The Good Childhood Report 2024 revealing staggering findings such as 11% of children experiencing low wellbeing and the UK ranking last in life satisfaction among European 15-year-olds (PISA 2022), we’re confronting a crisis. Behind these statistics are young lives overshadowed by anxiety, stress, and diminished happiness. The question is, how do we change the narrative?
Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) offers an innovative, practical, and forward-thinking method to support children’s mental health. Unlike approaches that fixate on what’s “wrong,” SFH helps children build confidence, resilience, and pathways to a positive future. This article explores the state of children’s mental health, uncovers the barriers they face, and shows how SFH, alongside other evidence-based strategies, can empower children to thrive.
The State of Children’s Mental Health in 2025
The UK is grappling with a dangerous rise in mental health challenges among its youth. NHS figures show that one in six children aged 5-16 is likely to encounter a diagnosable mental health condition. Alarmingly, this marks a 50% increase in prevalence over just three years. Girls are disproportionately affected, with extreme dissatisfaction regarding appearance and school repeatedly highlighted in reports.
Globally, the trend is no better. Data from OECD’s PISA 2022 aligns with findings of disparity between socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged children, emphasising systemic inequalities exacerbating this mental health emergency. While these figures highlight the scope of the problem, they’re also a rallying cry to explore innovative solutions.
Here is where Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy shines. By focusing on what children want to achieve rather than dwelling on problems, SFH provides a path to practical solutions in a uniquely engaging and child-friendly way.
Rising Trends and Their Impact
- Declining Happiness: The Good Childhood Report shows that key areas of joy for children, including friendships, school experiences, and life in general, have been steadily declining over the last decade.
- Financial Pressures: Poverty casts a long shadow over children’s mental health, with those in struggling households nearly twice as likely to report low life satisfaction.
- Social Media: Platforms like TikTok can simultaneously connect children to supportive communities while exacerbating concerns about self-worth and body image.
SFH acknowledges these modern pressures and emphasises achievable, forward-looking steps to address them. It’s about helping children view challenges as stepping stones rather than barriers.
Challenges to Children’s Wellbeing
Children today face pressures from every angle, and understanding the core challenges they encounter is vital to providing the right interventions.
Academic Expectations
Families and schools often balance academic ambitions with mental health, but not always successfully. Constant testing, competitive environments, and high parental expectations can leave children feeling overwhelmed. Even high achievers may struggle with anxiety linked to perfectionism.
SFH uses relaxation techniques and guided visualisation to help children reframe their relationship with pressure. It trains their brain to focus on incremental progress rather than perfection, steering their thoughts toward positive outcomes.
The Post-Pandemic Landscape
Though the initial disruption has subsided, many children carry the emotional remnants of the pandemic. Missed developmental milestones and years of hybrid learning created real gaps—not just academically but socially and emotionally. Some children are still finding it hard to reintegrate into structured settings like school.
This is where hypnotherapy offers a fresh perspective. During sessions, children can rediscover their confidence and build comfort with the present environment without succumbing to unhelpful rumination. It’s about equipping them with tools to adapt.
The Reality of Waiting Lists
Mental health services are stretched. According to NHS data, over a third of young people referred for mental health support aren’t deemed eligible for treatment. Even those who do qualify often endure extensive waiting periods.
SFH, which is accessible privately or through emerging holistic practice hubs, can fill this gap. Its practical framework ensures children experience immediate progress, helping families who may feel abandoned by lengthy referral systems.
How Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy Supports Children’s Mental Health
At its core, SFH focuses on solutions rather than problems, making it especially well-suited to children. Unlike traditional forms of therapy that may explore historical traumas in-depth, SFH encourages kids to imagine their best future and identify small, actionable steps to move towards it.
Using elements of neuroscience, hypnotherapy helps children train their minds to process situations optimistically. A hypnotherapy session might include establishing specific goals (like managing exam day nerves), visualisation techniques, and addressing areas where they already excel or show resilience. SFH aligns their focus with what’s working, helping them see their strengths clearly.
Young people often thrive when given this type of positive reinforcement. For example, a child experiencing bullying may not only focus on the hurt but also on what steps they could take to feel more confident or proactive. SFH provides that reframed clarity.
Key Benefits of SFH for Kids
- Improved Emotional Regulation: Techniques help children manage overwhelming emotions, reducing outbursts and building calm problem-solving skills.
- Confidence in Abundance: SFH’s solution-driven focus builds self-belief as kids see themselves succeeding incrementally.
- Reduced Anxiety: Hypnosis deeply relaxes the mind and body, allowing young brains to process fear and uncertainty from a place of calmness.
Complementary Strategies for Parents, Schools, and Policymakers
While SFH offers a highly effective tool, its impact multiplies when used alongside other proven strategies.
For Parents
- Encourage Positive Dialogue: Replace worry-driven criticism (“Why can’t you just focus?”) with encouraging phrases like “I believe in you.” Discuss feelings openly to create trust around emotional issues.
- Structure Tech Time: Excessive screen usage links to poor sleep and heightened feelings of inadequacy. Flexible but clear boundaries on devices encourage healthier habits.
- Create Consistent Routines: A sense of regularity helps children feel secure, especially those recovering from post-pandemic uncertainties.
Parents who combine SFH techniques with tailored approaches at home often see noticeable results in children’s mood stability and resilience.
For Schools
- Introduce SFH Sessions: Group or individual hypnotherapy workshops could help students tackle exam anxiety or improve self-confidence in the classroom.
- Teacher Training in Emotional Literacy: Schools benefit greatly when educators can identify signs of distress early and adopt supportive measures.
- Foster Inclusivity: By ensuring learning spaces feel non-judgmental, children have more opportunities to flourish socially and academically.
Broader Policy Change
- Expand Emotional Wellbeing Hubs: Policymakers should champion initiatives like “Drop-in SFH Clinics” at schools or community centres. Such spaces offer targeted support and reduce burden on overtaxed mental health frameworks.
- Universal Access to SFH Resources: Standardising SFH-protocol or subsidised programmes could ensure economic factors don’t hinder access to this beneficial method.
Everyday Actions Matter
Never underestimate the power of smaller, day-to-day gestures in shaping a child’s mental health. Modelling calm behaviour during stressful moments, recognising achievement (beyond academics), and reinforcing feelings of safety go a long way.
Imagine a world where children grow up confident in their ability to steer their lives positively. Through collaborative support spanning parents, educators, therapists, and wider communities, we can turn that vision into reality.
Children’s mental health deserves all the resources, creativity, and proactive thinking we can offer. Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy provides part of the answer. Its ability to reframe thought patterns, build optimism, and unlock potential makes it a powerful ally in changing what feels like an uphill battle.
Together, through small steps and collective strategies, we can reverse the decline and replace it with hope, resilience, and wellbeing for an entire generation.
Sources
The Good Childhood Report 2024
A sense of belonging and safety at school: PISA 2022 insights
