3 Learn how to support others

It’s important to look after each other.

Supporting others your own age has a positive impact on their mental health and wellbeing.

There are many simple ways to offer support to your peers.

WATCH THIS

Here are 5 steps you may find helpful. Once you have checked in and asked someone how they are:

If you ask someone how they are, make sure you:

Meet them. Try to put yourself in their shoes and understand how they might feel and meet them where they are (emotionally)
Listen and Hear. Show this by looking at them when they speak, nodding when you understand, not interrupting, asking questions to clarify and summariseEg: What I am hearing is…
Recognise and validate their emotions and how they feel. Reflect back what they have said.Eg: I can hear you are feeling angry
Acknowledge their pain without judgement by showing acceptance and understanding.Eg : That’s really sucks OR That sounds really challenging
Show gratutide that they have opened up. Opening up when we are in pain is hard, so show them that you appreciate this.Eg : Thank you for sharing with me Or That must be so hard to talk about

Why is it important to respond with empathy?

Being empathetic towards others helps them to open up and speak about how they’re feeling.

Please remember : You are not a psychologist or Doctor and it’s not your job to provide treatment options. Just by being an empathetic classmate or friend you are making a HUGE difference. You may like to suggest that the person going through a tough times speaks with a trusted adult (speaking with a parent, counsellor, teacher etc). If you are worried about someone’s safety, always seek help from a trusted adult as soon as possible

3 Learn how to support others

Understanding Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand how someone else is feeling or to understand the situation they are in. It is the ability to “put yourself in someone else’s shoes” and to understand the way a situation might make them feel.

Which of these statements might you use if you want to show empathy? Which statements are not empathetic?

Understanding Empathy

Which of these statements might you use if you want to show empathy? Which statements are not empathetic?

Choose the correct colour for each statement

Drag and drop the statements into the correct column.

At least you have other friends

I can see why you are really hurting

I can see how difficult this has been It sounds like you did everything you could

I can see why you would be upset

You really need to think more positively

Maybe you need to try and forget about it

It’s not such a big deal, I think you need to calm down

You must have felt so annoyed

The same thing happened to my friend and they are fine

I can hear how angry you are feeling

At least you have other friends

I understand why you feel this way

I’m not sure what to say, but I’m here to listen

That sounds like a hard experience

Surely it’s not that bad

Wow. I don’t know what to say

That sounds really tough

At least you got into the soccer team

Can I tell you what really helped me when I was feeling down?

Empathetic

Non-empathetic

At least you have other friends

I can see why you are really hurting

I can see how difficult this has been It sounds like you did everything you could

I can see why you would be upset

You really need to think more positively

Maybe you need to try and forget about it

It’s not such a big deal, I think you need to calm down

You must have felt so annoyed

The same thing happened to my friend and they are fine

I can hear how angry you are feeling

At least you have other friends

I understand why you feel this way

I’m not sure what to say, but I’m here to listen

That sounds like a hard experience

Surely it’s not that bad

Wow. I don’t know what to say

That sounds really tough

At least you got into the soccer team

Can I tell you what really helped me when I was feeling down?