Spotting the Signs – Supporting Young People’s Mental Health

We were delighted to welcome award-winning mental health speaker, Daniel Wilsher, back to Godalming College during Men’s Wellbeing Month in December. He delivered an inspiring talk to students, speaking openly about some of the most challenging periods of his life, starting at the age of 9 when he lost his father to suicide. He discussed the difficulties many of us feel with opening up and talking to someone, the pressure of being ‘a man’ and dealing with the mental load alone. His honesty resonated deeply with the students, many of whom queued afterwards to speak with him.

Daniel’s first visit to Godalming was during an INSET day; delivering a talk titled ‘Creating Hope in Students’ Lives’, and running workshops as part of our regular safeguarding training programme. He offered practical strategies to strengthen how we support young people through the mental health challenges they experience every day, reminding us that “We have the power to turn our darkest moments into the parts of our lives which shine the brightest.”

Daniel has taken both staff and students on an emotional journey of a child navigating trauma, drawing on events, experiences, and turning points that have shaped not only his struggles but also his more recent successes. Over the last three years, he has toured the UK delivering talks to schools and colleges, and has worked with thousands of people to share his story and support people through emotional and troubling periods of their lives. We look forward to inviting him back to inspire and give hope to more students in the near future.

An award-winning mental health speaker and entrepreneur, Daniel Wilsher is the founder of Damaged Goods Co., Co-Founder of LivEdx, and a finalist on Channel 4’s hit show The Piano.

You can read more about Daniel Wilsher here.

For Health & Wellbeing support at Godalming College, students can complete a Health & Wellbeing Referral form on their self page, where they will be referred to a member of the Health & Wellbeing Team. They can also access the College Health & Wellbeing App (WISDOM), which is available 24/7 using the unique code found on the Student Portal, or call the free 24-hour confidential helpline on 0800 028 3766.

Further information can be found on our Wellbeing page on the college website: Support for Wellbeing.

For other free, confidential support:

• Young Minds - Visit YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity For Children And Young People | YoungMinds
• Kooth 
• Samaritans – Call 116 123 (24/7)
• Shout – Text SHOUT to 85258 (24/7)
• Papyrus (HOPELINE247) - Call 0800 068 4141, text 88247 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org