Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week invites us to pause and reflect on how we are supporting the emotional wellbeing of the children in our care. Mental health does not begin in adolescence or adulthood. It is shaped quietly and consistently in childhood, through relationships, everyday experiences, and the way children are suChildren’s Mental Health Awareness Week: Looking Beneath Behaviour
Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week invites us to pause and reflect on how we are supporting the emotional wellbeing of the children in our care. Mental health does not begin in adolescence or adulthood. It is shaped quietly and consistently in childhood, through relationships, everyday experiences, and the way children are supported by the adults around them.
At the heart of children’s mental health is something very simple, yet often overlooked. Children have emotional needs, and those needs matter just as much as food, sleep, and physical safety.
Children are not born knowing how to manage big emotions. They learn by observing the adults around them. When adults respond with patience, warmth, and attunement, children’s nervous systems begin to settle. This process is known as co-regulation. Over time, these repeated experiences help children develop the ability to soothe themselves, name their feelings, and cope with stress. Co-regulation is the foundation that self-regulation grows from.
When children feel emotionally safe, they are better able to learn, play, and connect with others. When they do not, those feelings often show up in ways adults experience as challenging. Behaviour becomes the language children use when they do not yet have the words to explain what is happening inside them.
All children need experiences that help them feel safe, connected, capable, and supported. These needs are not fixed or the same every day. Sometimes a child needs closeness and reassurance. Sometimes they need space, encouragement, play, or clear boundaries. Supporting mental health is not about choosing one approach, but about staying curious and responsive to what a child needs in that moment.
When emotional needs are unmet or overwhelmed, children often move into survival responses such as fighting back, shutting down, avoiding, or trying hard to please others. These responses are not signs of bad behaviour or failure. They are signs that a child’s nervous system is under stress and looking for safety. Co-regulation helps bring children back to a place where they feel safe enough to think, learn, and reconnect.
Supporting children’s mental health is not about being perfect. Children do not need adults who always get it right. They need adults who are good enough – those who notice when things feel hard, who repair after misunderstandings, and who show that emotions can be managed safely within relationships. Balance matters, between protection and independence, freedom and guidance, play and structure.
Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week is an opportunity to reflect on the small, everyday moments that support emotional wellbeing. Staying calm during big emotions. Naming feelings without judgement. Valuing play, rest, and connection. Modelling healthy ways to cope with stress. Normalising support when things feel difficult.
These moments send a powerful message to children. Your feelings make sense. You are not alone. You do not have to manage everything by yourself.
At The Other Clinic, we offer the Circle of Security parenting program for parents who want to feel more confident in supporting their child’s emotional needs. The program focuses on strengthening the parent–child relationship, helping parents make sense of behaviour through an emotional lens, and building the skills needed to support children through big feelings with calm and connection. For parents who are curious to learn more or wondering whether this approach might be a good fit for their family, we invite you to get in touch or speak with our team for more information.
To meet with a professional psychologist or counsellor, call The Other Clinic at 8809 0659 or email us hello@theotherclinic.sg.
References:
Loose, Christof, et al., editors. Schema Therapy with Children and Adolescents: A Practitioner’s Guide. Pavilion Publishing & Media Ltd, 2020.
Hoffman, Kent. Raising a Secure Child: How Circle of Security Parenting Can Help You Nurture Your Child’s Attachment, Emotional Resilience, and Freedom to Explore. Guilford Press, 2017.
The Circle of Security Network. “About the Circle of Security.” CircleOfSecurityNetwork.org, Circle of Security Network, n.d., https://www.circleofsecuritynetwork.org/the_circle_of_security.html.