Frequently Asked Questions
Booking
You’re unsure if your child is too anxious or burned out for sessions
We have created lo/no-demand sessions where we can accommodate people who are extremely anxious or exhausted. However, we understand how important timing is, and that sessions may be possible on good days, but not bad. Or that young people may want to attempt things, but may find the attempt too difficult and may need to rethink. That’s ok too. In the future we intend to offer sessions for people for whom the current sessions may be too much, and we are also planning parent sessions where you can learn the tools and techniques and share these with your children. We can keep you informed of new sessions that may better suit your child via our mailing list, so you have the information for when they are ready.
My child seems older/younger than their age. What course should i sign up to?
It’s important that young people are surrounded by people of a similar age and stage to them during sessions. However, young people are all different, and some are more at ease with people a little older or a little younger than themselves. We have therefore designed sessions with particular age groups in mind, but it is up to you as parents to decide which group your child will feel most at ease in. In the future, we intend to offer sessions for people for whom the current sessions may be too much, and we are also planning parent sessions where you can take onboard the tools and techniques and share these with your children. We can inform you of new sessions that may better suit your child via our mailing list, so you have the information for when they are ready.
You’re worried about ‘taking up a spot’ in case your child can’t attend
Don’t worry about taking up a spot! Being unable to attend due to anxiety, exhaustion, fear of the unknown, demand avoidance, or difficulties coming out of hyper-focus are all common. Our booking set-up accounts for a proportion of people being unable to attend on the day, so booking a spot doesn’t mean you’ll take a spot from someone else. If you can’t make it on the day, then we will help you reschedule to another slot, or put you on a mailing list to stay in touch so you can re-engage when the time’s ready.
Will you help with getting into school and staying?
The program you are on at the moment is specifically designed to support young people who are experiencing emotionally based school avoidance. We don't talk about the issue directly in sessions as for many young people, their anxiety around school is so high, and focusing on school itself can be very triggering. Instead, the program is designed to address some of the issues that young people face around school avoidance, getting young people thinking about some of their challenges and beginning to equip them with tools they can use for themselves. We will extend the program over time to cover a wider range of issues around school avoidance. We are also very happy to have a parent one-to-one where we can talk through issues. For the moment, Not Fine in School has a database with a wide range of resources which are really helpful. We are sorry to not be able to offer more at the moment.
Before Sessions
My child is anxious about attending
Before the session we really recommend you watch our introductory videos. They introduce our sessions and facilitators. This may help get your child more comfortable with what is to come in the session. Other top tips from parents include: - having their favorite food on hand - making sure they have enough time to mentally prepare for the session - supporting transition time between a previous hyper-focus activity and the session - joining on their child’s behalf and letting them listen to see if they are interested - make sure they know they don’t need to participate, can just listen, and can leave at any point! When it comes down to it, if the session isn’t working that day, there is no need to put too much pressure on pushing through because it may create a stressful experience. Rescheduling a time is also very easy for us to do! In the future, we intend to offer sessions for people for whom the current sessions may be too much, and we are also planning parent sessions where you can take onboard the tools and techniques and share these with your children. We can keep you informed of new sessions that may better suit your child via our mailing list, so you have the information for when they are ready.
What’s the format of the class?
Before the sessions we recommend you watch the video we send out to introduce your child to the class and to our facilitators. This may help get your child more comfortable with what is to come in the session. If young people want to attend class using a nickname or pseudonym, you can set their preferred name before you join the session, (see ‘can my child attend anonymously’ below for instructions). Sessions begin with a short welcome. Young people don’t have to turn their cameras on at any point unless they wish to. Before beginning some simple interactive activities, early parts of sessions are usually used to explain ideas through presentation and short videos. Young people are welcome to watch, engage via text messaging, or talking. Most sessions use anonymous interactive tools so young people can feel less vulnerable responding to questions and activities. Young people are welcome to leave the session completely or leave and rejoin at any time (see "What if my child needs to leave mid-session?" below). And to participate (or not) in whatever sections this wish.
I’m not sure I can chaperone my child
We do require that a parent or carer is present during sessions. Parents can be sitting with your child (off camera) or just be nearby. We have found having a parent in the session with the child is helpful for the experience for a few reasons. - Being around can provide an extra level of comfort during the class. This may help your child feel safer and more able to engage, allowing them to get more out of it. - Some young people may need help to set up their zoom and work through any technical difficulties that may arise. - Parents can provide messaging support for their young people, which may make participating a bit easier. - Many parents have said it has been helpful chaperoning sessions because they are also learning. With some of the courses, like in session 2, the facilitators talk through tips to help work through anxiety. Having the parents informed on these methods allows them to help their child apply them.
You can’t attend a session?
No worries! Things come up last minute, and we understand starting new activities can be difficult. We will SMS message you on the morning of each session to ask you if you are: 1. Planning to attend 2. Unsure if attending is possible 3. Need to reschedule your session(s) 4. Need to cancel Just reply to the text message and we'll get back to you if we need any further information.
During Sessions
My child doesn’t feel able to talk, or communicate during a session
That is totally okay! Listening to the session is a great way to interact and learn. Your child will still get a lot out of being there alongside their peers. During sessions, there will be opportunities to interact that don’t involve speaking, but there’s also no pressure to do that either. Being present, listening, reflecting, and being part of the group are all hugely positive steps.
Can my child attend anonymously? Or under another name?
Your child can attend under your name, their name, or a pseudonym of their choosing. If your child would be more comfortable using a code name, you can either let facilitators know ahead of the session, or you can private-message them during to let them know This is totally up to the child and is truly whatever would make them feel the most comfortable. - In order to change a name on zoom prior to the meeting, here are the steps: - sign in to zoom - click on your profile picture - select settings - select profile - click on edit profile, which will bring you to a zoom web page where you can edit your name. - if you join the meeting, and forgot to change your name beforehand, follow these steps: - click on participants - find your name and hover over it - click on more and then select rename
What if my child needs to leave mid-session?
This is really okay! Joining for part of the session is a big step. An hour is long, so if the session becomes overwhelming, your child is welcome to hop off. If they leave, they are: - welcome to rejoin the session at any point - we can rebook your child into the same session at another time - or they can choose to skip that session and come to following sessions Again we appreciate any time they want to spend with us! We can also share asynchronous content from the sessions for them to browse in their own time if they would be more comfortable.
How can i communicate with facilitators in session?
- There are several ways to communicate with our facilitators during the sessions. Unmuting and talking always works, but using the chat feature is another great option! Our facilitators are happy to correspond/talk through the chat and it is also possible to send messages privately to the facilitators. - Private messaging is a great way for your child to ask any questions, communicate anything they need, and participate more anonymously. - To use the private chat, follow these steps: 1. look in the chat box at the bottom to see who the message will be sent to. It will typically say the message is to ‘everyone’ 2. Hit the down arrow and select the facilitator’s name that you want to talk to 3. then type what you want to say and send your message:)
After Sessions
What if i need reschedule one or more of your sessions?
Absolutely you can. We really appreciate it if you could let us know ahead of sessions that you'd like to reschedule. You can do this by emailing [hello@uncommonminds.co.uk](mailto:hello@uncommonminds.co.uk) or responding to the pre-session SMS message we send out on the morning of each session. If things don't go to plan and you need to reschedule after missing a session, that's ok too. Just email us at [hello@uncommonminds.co.uk](mailto:hello@uncommonminds.co.uk) and we can help book you onto alternative sessions.
You've got feedback for us
We love all feedback. The good, the bad and the unexpected. It’s what helps us continuously learn from and improve sessions. We are aiming to be able to support a ‘full spectrum’ of young people. We understand that your young people may not be the most chatty about the sessions, so you’ll often be sharing your reflections, or impressions of what your young person did or didn’t enjoy. This is still very helpful and a lot better than us trying to guess what you think! Head over to our feedback form, and we’d love to hear from **you!**