I remember early in my career, a patient told me that we may not be able to change the world, but we can change someone’s world and that really stuck with me.”

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week (Monday 12 – Sunday 18 May) which is celebrated globally to raise awareness and support mental wellbeing. Studies have shown that one in four people will struggle with their mental health at some point in their lives and one in five children and young people (aged eight to 25) had a probable mental health condition.

This number has been rising since 2017, most notably in the 17-19 age group, so this month we are decided to focus our Five Minutes With on Ayesha Tiwana, Solar Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Team Manager.

We can read more about Ayesha and Solar below.

Hi Ayesha, please could you start by telling us a little bit about yourself and what you do at Team BSMHFT?

“Hello! My name is Ayesha and I currently work as a Team Manager within our Solar Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Secondary Care service. I have the pleasure of line managing and working alongside our CAMHS practitioners with a wide range of professional backgrounds such as nursing, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) therapists, social workers and many more.

“Our Secondary Care team also extends to a psychology team filled with trainee psychologists and therapists as well as a medical team. I’ve been back in the Trust for about a year now, having started in Solar as a therapist, I have recently had the opportunity to step into my current role, with a more direct connection with the flow of the team and service. Day-to-day can consists of supervisions, service development, screening referrals, supporting our team, understanding data patterns, lots of meetings and much more.

“Being in this role has provided me with opportunities to empower our staff, supporting their wellbeing and professional development, to ensure our young people get the best they possibly can from the service. I still work with a small number of children and young people as this is something that’s important to me and allows me to use my therapeutic skills and get creative.

“A bit about myself… I love being around my people, doing something active, cooking (mostly the eating bit) and in nature. My camera roll is largely filled with pictures of sunsets and sunrises!”

Has there ever been a stand-out moment in your career that has made you pause and reflect?

“I don’t think there is enough time to go over those stand out moments. I remember early in my career, a patient had told me that we may not be able to change the world, but we can change someone’s world and that really stuck with me. This is something I think about a lot when working with families and my colleagues.

“In CAMHS, I think it’s been largely seeing that glimmer from a young person when they see themselves past their difficulties, or labels that have been given to them and having hope for the future. When working with our staff team, I find so much joy in hearing reflections, wins and overcoming challenges when talking about their families and networks that they work with.”

What kinds of psychological interventions does the Trust offer to children and young people?

“Interventions can vary across all of our different teams. Teams in Solar include our Primary Care, Secondary Care, Looked after Children’s team, Crisis and Eating Disorders. In short, interventions may include family therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), compassion focused therapy (CFT), occupational therapy support, psychological approaches, medical interventions and support in school.

“I think something beautiful about CAMHS is that the work with children can extend to families and the young person’s network including school, by supporting those around them to support them too.”

What would you say to a parent or carer who is worried about their child’s mental health?

“I would encourage parents and carers to reach out to those around them for support, whether it be family, their child’s teachers or other important people. I would also encourage them to reach out to services, including Solar.

“Here at Solar, we accept referrals from everyone in Solihull – whether that be the young person and families themselves, as well as professionals around them. The referral form can be found on our website. This also shares information for support that is needed in an emergency.”

Why did you decide to pursue a career in children’s mental health specifically?

“I’ve always had a passion for helping people and I’ve always been passionate about mental health. Growing up, someone close to me experienced significant mental health difficulties and I was really drawn and aware of the differences from a cultural perspective and seeking help (though I know everyone’s experience may be different).

“This drew me to wanting to work with people even more, especially groups of people that are underrepresented. I have such a passion about all things diversity and inclusion and connecting this within therapy has been powerful. I’ve always had a soft spot for CAMHS and I think that’s because working with children at such a young age allows for that ‘earlier intervention’ of support and empowers them to see their potential and to overcome and manage their difficulties.

“Throughout my career I have had the opportunity to work with adults largely in forensic and inpatient setting and it really encouraged me to be a part of their journey at an earlier point in their life. Having the opportunity to become team manager has also allowed me to extend this passion to the team I am working with, supporting colleagues who deliver incredible work, whilst also supporting the service to think creatively about accessibility of CAMHS.

“Each child and young person is unique, thinking about their experiences, differences and what makes them, them. This can also connect with my interest and passion breaking down barriers to support accessing mental health support. Stepping into the role as team manager, I think has helped me to extend this passion to our staff team and supporting them in their roles, whilst looking after themselves too.”

What are your hopes for the future of children’s mental health services?

“We have a wonderful team over here at Solar, who are truly passionate about the work they do with our families and I wish we could copy and paste them so there are more of us!

“We are working to support children and families in our areas receive timely support, through a number of initiatives and projects. We also aim to co-ordinate a young person’s care, for example with education or social care and I hope this continues. I feel this will be developed further with the introduction of our Dialog+.”

Past, present or future, what three people would you most want to sit down for a meal with?

“This is a tough one! I’d say my Grandma, she was always full of wise words about life and tales about her life in Africa before she moved to England.”

Tell us something that people might not know about you

“I used to really enjoy going to car shows when I was younger and keen to get this going again!”

Describe yourself in three words

“Outgoing, thoughtful and creative.”