About Me
I have previously been a Senior Leader in a large 11-18 school in West Sussex. As part of my role I had responsibility for the progress and wellbeing of Pupil Premium students. I completed my NPQSL on this area and was an SLE for my academy chain. I then became the mental health and wellbeing lead and realised that staff mental health support needed to be an important part of a school's culture. I wrote my book 'Supporting staff mental health in your school' to help to reduce the shame and stigma felt by staff who may be struggling with their mental health and to let them know they weren't alone. I left my teaching role in November 2022 to become a freelance trainer and consultant supporting schools to develop various aspects of their whole-school approach to mental health.
I have coached over 200 leaders through the DFE-approved SMHL Award and supported schools and colleges by writing bespoke training to meet the needs of their setting.
I am a fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching and have worked with them as a Leading Diversity Advisor for mental health. I have delivered webinars for ACAMH on various topics including supporting students who have experienced trauma. I deliver keynote lectures on all aspects of mental health in schools including both student and staff mental health. I have enjoyed delivering webinars for Thrive based on supporting colleagues with the menopause and supporting staff mental health and wellbeing. I also enjoy writing content for a range of educational CPD providers and journals. I currently work for West Sussex Mind delivering workshops for the community
around mental health.
When I am not working, I enjoy sea-swimming, yoga, climbing and exploring new beaches in my campervan Audrey with my
wonderful whippet Luna.
Keynote & Workshop Themes
Staff mental health training
Supporting staff mental health in your school for leaders
Creating a staff wellbeing toolkit
Supporting colleagues with the menopause
Supporting colleagues who have experienced trauma
Understanding and preventing vicarious trauma
ITT provider and wellbeing training
ITT/ECT wellbeing toolkit and boundaries
ITT/ECT managing workload and the importance of rest
ITT wellbeing for mentors and tutors
Leadership of mental health
How governors can support a whole-school approach
to mental health
Auditing your school's mental health provision
Supporting children's mental health
Mental health training for LSA's/HLTA's
Student Mental Health Ambassador training
Supporting students with exam stress
Parent/carer's workshop on supporting their child's
mental health
Supporting students with EBSA
Supporting students who have experienced trauma
I can also create bespoke sessions for your setting's specific needs.
Supporting staff mental health
1. Supporting staff mental health in your school for leaders
2. Staff wellbeing toolkit
Understanding the signs and behaviours of mental ill health
Having meaningful conversations about mental health
Reasonable adjustments for mental health
Further reading and external support services
Case Studies
Understanding when extra self-care might be needed
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and wellbeing
Physiological wellbeing.
Emotional wellbeing
Further reading and external support services
Wellbeing exercises
Wellbeing plans
3. Supporting colleagues with the menopause
4. Supporting colleagues who have experienced trauma
What is the menopause and who experiences it?
The physical, emotional and behavioural impact of the
menopause.
Reasonable adjustments for the menopause.
Case studies/menopause policy example.
External support and further resources.
Understanding what trauma is
Understanding the signs and behaviours of PTSD
Having meaningful conversations about trauma.
Reasonable adjustments for staff with PTSD
Case Studies
Further reading and external support services
5. Understanding and preventing vicarious trauma in school staff
Understanding what vicarious trauma is and why it’s important to talk about now
Understanding how to recognise if you might be experiencing vicarious trauma
Further reading and external support services
Understanding how emotional boundaries can help to protect against vicarious trauma
Practical coping strategies and self-care which can protect against vicarious trauma
Supporting ITT/ECT wellbeing
1. ITT/ECT wellbeing toolkit and boundaries
2. ITT/ECT managing workload and the importance of rest
3. ITT wellbeing for mentors and tutors
Understanding when extra self-care might be needed
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and wellbeing
Physiological wellbeing
Emotional wellbeing
Self-care audit
Managing workload techniques
The importance of the different types of rest
Looking for your first teaching role
Identifying which trainees may need support with
their mental health
Wellbeing exercises
The importance of boundaries
Having meaningful and supportive conversations
about mental health
Understanding what ‘reasonable adjustments’ could
be put into place to support staff mental health
Understanding the importance of emotional boundaries
for mentors/tutors
Leadership of
Mental Health
Understanding the practical ways that governors can support a
whole-school approach in their school
Learning where to go for further information and resources on
this topic
Understanding what a whole-school approach to mental health
is
What is a whole-school approach to mental health
Reflection exercises on each of the eight areas
Developing an action plan
Further resources
Supporting student
mental health
1.
Mental health training for LSA’s/HLTAs (3 hour session)
Considering how children’s mental health been affected by COVID
Supporting students who have experienced trauma
Supporting students with Emotionally-based school avoidance
Supporting students with Eating Disorders
Supporting students who Self Harm
Talking about mental health
Encouraging self-care
Further resources and external support services
2. Student mental health ambassador training
Understanding the signs and behaviours which may indicate that
someone is struggling with their mental health
Tools to support your own mental health
Looking at which websites/ support services you could suggest to
anyone who is struggling with their mental health.
Understanding the role of a student mental health ambassador
3. Supporting students with exam stress
To understand how to encourage students to be aware of their
mental health and wellbeing during stressful times.
To understand how to create and embed a student mental health
provision map to signpost various support options
To understand practical strategies to support students with their wellbeing and self-care.
To understand how to support students using active listening
techniques.
To consider which services/resources to signpost students to if
they are struggling with their mental health.
4. Supporting students with EBSA
What is EBSA?
Working with parents
Risk factors for EBSA
Talking to children about EBSA- Identifying and removing barriers
Supporting children to manage their wellbeing
Further support services/ resources
5. Parent/carer workshops on supporting their child’s mental health
Considering how children’s mental health been affected by COVID
Supporting students with Eating Disorders
Supporting students who have experienced trauma
Supporting students with Emotionally-based school avoidance
Supporting students who Self Harm
Talking about mental health
Encouraging self-care
Further resources and external support services
6. Supporting students who have experienced trauma
What is trauma?
How your school can provide a trauma-informed approach
How can it affect children?
How to spot trauma-based signs and behaviours in the classroom
Further reading/support services
Creating an emotional regulation toolkit for your students
Wellbeing Coaching Package for ITT Providers
I deliver an online or in-person wellbeing ‘toolkit’ session for your whole cohort ITT students to give them time and space to reflect on their current wellbeing. (If you have specific needs emerging in your cohort,
I can amend the session to take these into account).
As a follow-up, I provide a 45 minute one-to-one Zoom coaching session to your students. This will involve them booking a session via my Calendly and completing a pre-session short questionnaire. (the fee for this is £50 per session). During the session, I work with the trainee to create a bespoke wellbeing plan with be created to take into account existing commitments.
As a follow-up workshop for your cohort, I provide a session on managing workload, the importance of rest, and how to consider mental health and wellbeing when applying for their first role.
Supporting Staff Mental Health in Your School
My book Supporting Staff Mental Health in Your School provides steps to ensure that self-care and family time do not slip under the radar in the face of increasing pressure and limited resources. From providing adequate staff room facilities to ensuring that teachers can set clear boundaries around weekends and break times, these ideas create and foster a culture of openness around mental health and help teachers to re-discover their love of teaching. It contains case-studies and practical ideas to ensure schools can provide meaningful support for colleague who are struggling with mental ill-health.
To purchase a copy, head to:
www.amazon.co.uk/Supporting-Staff-Mental-Health
Client
Testimonials
Amy worked with my staff team on a series of workshops designed to improve staff wellbeing. She engaged with the school leadership to identify the aims, listening carefully so that the first workshop was in line with this. A subsequent survey of staff identified that some staff were still not convinced that this wasn’t just a tick box exercise, and others gave feedback requesting further training from Amy in specific areas. Amy’s second workshop addressed these needs and had really positive feedback.
Many members of staff said they had introduced tools Amy had given them, or revitalised and renewed their use of tools such as journaling as a result of the workshop. In our second staff well-being survey, the majority of staff felt that well-being was taken seriously by the school and engaged really positively with a follow up focus group.
As headteacher I feel a real shift in the willingness of staff to be engaged in the work of well-being and that we have permission and a language to be able to support each other safely.
Dr. Hildi Mitchell, Downs Infant School
Amy's presentation was really informative and the timing was perfect for the start of the new year. It can be a little overwhelming when you are trying to put those positive habits in place to support your own wellbeing and I loved the idea of a maintenance plan and also the tricky times plan. I will have to check out her book 😊
Beccy
Just a quick email to say a huge thank you for your contribution to the conference on Friday. It was great to have your session as part of the day. It was really well received, and the feedback was extremely positive.
We can't thank you enough and really appreciate you giving up your time to be part of it.
Lizzy, Edge Hill University
Sanctuary in Chichester was given a really great talk on Vicarious Trauma by Amy. She presented the topic very clearly and everyone who went thought it was useful.
Claudie Fleming, Sanctuary in Chichester
Amy delivered support and training for us on staff well-being and supporting the wellbeing of young people in school. Amy was also a huge support in helping me to develop a menopause policy which was taken on board by the trust I worked for at the time and to develop our staff wellbeing offer as a school. Staff found Amy’s training invaluable and engaging with many key elements that they were able to take on into their practice. I would highly recommend Amy.
Kelly Smith, Deputy Headteacher, Salford Virtual School
Amy is a dedicated proponent of mental health and wellbeing. In her work as a school leader and teacher, she always encouraged, supported and delivered practical training for staff and pupils. She made a very real difference to many pupils who found life's challenges often overwhelming. I am not surprised that Amy is now sharing her knowledge and influence even wider.
Yasmin Maskatiya, Education Consultant
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Fees
My fee for in-person training or keynote speaking is £400 per hour plus travel expenses per school.
I am based in Shoreham by Sea.
My fee for online zoom training sessions is £300 per hour per school. MAT discounts available on request.
Get in Touch
To find out about my availability or
discuss your school’s or college's
specific training needs:
@amysayer2017@gmail.com
07557980876
@AmySayerAS
www.linkedin.com/in/amysayer