Adolescent emotional distress is escalating in UK classrooms. Recent NHS Digital and national mental health data indicate that 1 in 5 young people aged 8–25 now have a probable mental health condition, with rates of self-harm continuing to climb. Nearly 1 in 5 secondary school students report engaging in self-harm, peaking between ages 13 and 15, while over 31% of young women aged 16–24 report lifetime self-harm.
When confronted with self-harm, adult instincts often default to panic, fear, or disciplinary measures—reactions that can inadvertently amplify shame and trigger contagion.
Under the Surface moves beyond surface-level panic to provide educators with a clear, neuroscience-backed roadmap. Grounded in contemporary developmental psychiatry, this training deconstructs the neurobiological mismatch of the adolescent brain, explains why theoretical coping fails during crisis moments (“hot vs. cold cognition”), and equips school staff with concrete de-escalation, distress tolerance, and safety planning strategies.
Learning Outcomes
Understand what neuroscience reveals about emotional intensity, impulsivity, and the limits of logic in crisis.
Shift perspective from reactive alarm to seeing self-harm through a developmental and emotional regulation lens.
Discover why calm-classroom advice fails during emotional overwhelm—and what to do instead.
Build confidence using calm, non-judgmental communication to de-escalate acute distress.
Learn practical, body-based regulation techniques suitable for classroom and pastoral settings.
Explore whole-school approaches to manage peer contagion while following robust safeguarding procedures and supporting staff wellbeing.
Who Should Attend?
This course is designed for teachers, youth workers, safeguarding professionals, social workers, mentors, and anyone working with young people who want to better understand the impact of self harma and harming behaviours and develop positive strategies that envoke change.
Why Attend?
KIP Education provide evidence-based, frontline perspectives on the risks young people face right now. Unlike standard training sessions, you will leave with a toolkit of practical activities ready for immediate use across your school or organisation. KIP Education moves past tick-box PSHE to provide the deep-dive analysis and usable strategies required to ensure that respect and responsibility become the standard of behaviour.
ABOUT OUR TRAINING
At KIP Education, the experiences of professionals, and the young people they work with, are at the heart of our training programme. Each year we deliver training to over 10,000 professionals, and our expert trainers give you the practical skills to support the young people you work with.
Our training courses are designed to build your understanding of key issues and give you the confidence to make a difference in young people’s lives.
KIP Education is a boutique provider of innovative learning solutions for all organisations large or small. Our customised offerings are focused on reducing the cost of training while maximizing results.
KIP Education can provide training in your area for small or large groups. To arrange a course please contact us.For more information please visit our training course page.