Fundamentals: A Guide for Parents, Teachers and Carers on Mental Health and Self-Esteem

By Natasha Devon and Lynn Crilly

Direct, practical advice for parents on helping teens boost their self-esteem The importance of self-esteem has been stated to the point of losing all meaning, yet it's essential to every human being's development and happiness. In what can be an incredibly toxic and frightening modern culture, young people in particular are struggling to gain some vestige of self-esteem and are subsequently battling myriad mental and physical health issues. For parents, teachers, and caregivers who want to help but don't know what they can do, there is Fundamentals—a self-help book for people who are fed up with patronizing self-help books. This guide will give you pragmatic, relevant advice on how to nurture self-esteem and discuss and deal with mental health issues, delivered with positivity, humor, and realism. Although touching on specific issues such as self-harm, eating disorders, and anxiety, this is more generally geared towards instilling confidence and promoting a positive state of mind. A collaborative effort between Lynn Crilly—a mother and counselor who writes with love and warmth for her fellow parents and carers—and Natasha Devon—a journalist and activist, who writes with passion (and a few swear words) for teachers—there's something in this book for everyone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Blake
• Release date: May 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781784182977

Natasha Devon

Natasha Devon MBE is a writer, presenter & activist. She tours schools, colleges and universities throughout the world, delivering talks as well as conducting research on mental health, body image, gender & equality. She campaigns both on and offline to make the world a fairer place. Natasha writes regularly for the Guardian and Grazia Magazine, is a former columnist for Cosmopolitan Magazine and the Times Educational Supplement. You might know her from channel 4’s Naked Beach, BBC 3’s How to Live with Women or BBC IWonder’s Why do I Earn Less Than a Man?. She also appears as an expert on Good Morning Britain, BBC Breakfast, Channel 4 News and LBC. Natasha regularly speaks at Parliament and gives evidence to the Education and Health Select Committees, representing the interests of teenagers and teachers. In 2015 she was awarded an MBE for her services to young people and in 2016 the Sunday Times and Debretts named her one of the 500 most influential people in Britain. Natasha is a patron for the charity No Panic, which provides advice and support for people struggling with anxiety. She is an amasador for Glitch, and a member of the Men & Boys Coalition (specifically advising on reducing rates of suicide in men). She is a fellow of University of Wales: Aberystwyth and advises them, as well as Coventry University: London, on campus wellbeing. She has co-authored a number of books, as well as her own book A Beginners Guide to Being Mental published by Bluebird.