September: Navigating the New Term and Supporting Young Minds
September is a time of change. For many young people it marks the beginning of something new: a new school year, new subjects, perhaps a new school, college, or even university. While this can be exciting, it also carries challenges that weigh heavily on young minds and the families who support them.
The First Steps: Reception and Primary School
For the youngest children beginning reception or primary school, separation anxiety is a very real concern. Being away from home and from familiar caregivers can create intense worry. Some children may cry, withdraw, or resist attending altogether. Parents and carers often feel the weight of this too, balancing their own anxieties while wanting to reassure their child.
Moving Through Primary Years
As children move further into primary education, particularly around year four, social awareness and academic pressures begin to grow. Friendships become more complex, and children start to measure themselves against peers in ways that can affect self-confidence and wellbeing.
The Leap into Secondary School
The transition from year six to year seven is one of the most significant educational milestones. Leaving behind trusted teachers, familiar spaces, and established friendships can feel like a loss. The new environment demands independence, self-organisation, and the ability to navigate much larger social circles. For many, this change is thrilling. For others, it is deeply unsettling.
For Neurodiverse Young People
This transition can be particularly challenging. The pressure to mask, to “fit in”, and to manage a more demanding environment can take a toll on identity, energy, and self-esteem. The constant effort to appear as though one is coping may lead to exhaustion, anxiety, and feelings of isolation.
GCSEs, College, and the Weight of Results
The end of GCSEs introduces another complex stage. Those who achieved their desired results may enter college with confidence, yet must still adapt to a new and less structured learning style that requires greater independence.
For those who did not achieve the grades they hoped for, the impact can be crushing. Questions of self-worth and ability may surface, often creating tension within family life. Young people can feel lost as they are forced to rethink plans for their future.
A Levels, Apprenticeships, and University
Whether progressing into A levels, apprenticeships, or the workforce, each pathway brings responsibility and change.
For those moving into university life, the challenges may include living away from home for the first time, managing finances, and building new support networks. This can be liberating, but it can also feel overwhelming, especially when mental health struggles are present.
Beyond Academics: Mental Health Struggles
Across all stages, young people face more than academic pressure. Issues such as social anxiety, bullying, body image concerns, struggles with identity, and in some cases self-harm, can emerge. These challenges can significantly affect self-worth, relationships, and a young person’s outlook on life.
School Refusal
Some young people experience such overwhelming anxiety that they simply cannot face attending school. Families may turn to home schooling, or the child may disengage from education entirely. This is often a sign of deep emotional distress requiring specialist support.
Supporting Families as Well as Young People
Parents and carers carry their own burdens. Watching a child struggle can be heartbreaking, and many feel powerless or unsure of how best to help. Family life can be affected as everyone tries to navigate these changes together. Providing safe spaces for parents and carers to share their experiences and access guidance is just as important as supporting the child.
Creative and Therapeutic Support
In my work as a therapist, I often use creative interventions to help young people explore their feelings. Art, storytelling, and movement can create a safe outlet where words alone may not feel enough. Support is also extended to parents and carers, sometimes separately, to help them process their own emotions and gain clarity on how to respond.
External Support Systems
There are also charities and services that provide valuable resources and safe guidance, such as:
• YoungMinds
• Childline
• The Mix
• Local mental health services and school pastoral support teams
Practical Interventions and Tools
Practical techniques can help both in the moment and longer term. Some examples include:
• Grounding exercises: Using the five senses to reconnect with the present moment
• Breathing techniques: Simple slow breathing to calm the nervous system
• Journaling: Writing down thoughts to untangle racing worries
• Focusing exercises: Such as counting backwards slowly, or tracing the outline of an object to bring calm
• Guided imagery: Visualising a safe and peaceful place
• Positive affirmations: Rebuilding a more supportive inner dialogue
• Routine self-care: Activities such as walking, creative hobbies, or listening to music that support emotional regulation
Transitions in education are some of the most defining moments in a young person’s life. They shape confidence, identity, and wellbeing in profound ways. By recognising the challenges and offering compassionate support, we can ease the burden these changes bring.
At Mindful Moments therapies, my work is dedicated to creating safe spaces where young people and families can explore these emotions and discover what matters most to them. September does not have to feel overwhelming. With the right tools, support, and compassion, it can be the start of something hopeful and strong.
Phiona | Mindful Moments Therapies
Clinical Hypnotherapy | Breathwork | EFT | IEMT
Working with adults and children | Online or in Havant, Hampshire
www.mindfulmomentstherapies.co.uk
Whether you're dealing with stress, anxiety, trauma, bereavement or looking to break habits, reframe fears, or phobias. Phiona can help you develop approaches to overcome these barriers that prevent you from living life to the fullest. Helping you navigate life’s challenges and take the next step towards a brighter, calmer future.
If you feel you would like support, and you feel therapy may be the answer. I offer 15 minute complimentary consultations, for you to have the chance to discover how therapy might support you. Visit my website for more information.
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