The Happy Path Programme joins Sutton’s ATTFE College

The programme holds learners and their individual needs at the heart of planning and implementation.

It embeds life skills, helping them to not only ease current barriers towards learning and life pressures, but equip them with tools and strategies for the future.

Liz Barrett, ATTFE principal, said she she is incredibly impressed with the impact of The Happy Path programme, with the college looking forward to rolling out future Happy Path courses, and to piloting it with Alternative Provision learners.

To find out more about the Happy Path Programme, see therapeutic-pathways.co.uk or email [email protected]

Charlotte Birch, ATTFE level three-plus learning manager, spoke to The Happy Path team to find out more about their work with the college, and its impact...

Can you give us a brief overview of The Happy Path and the intent?

We designed and piloted a pioneering therapy programme aimed at improving the lives of young people by supporting the mental health of learners aged 16-19 who joined our programme from ATTFE College.

Our aim is to help young people overcome anxiety, anger issues and depression by developing a positive mindset leading to good mental health. We do this by treating people with respect and helping them recognise they have the answers within themselves to resolve their problems. This promotes responsibility and ownership and enables transformative results.

We enable young people to reach their potential. As they become more confident and start to feel more hopeful, they become open to learning, trying new experiences and opportunities.

We hoped, above all, this programme will give them a sense of getting their life back, where they feel in control and able to cope. They will become more resilient as they will know themselves what they’ve overcome, and will have the tools to take control whenever they need to.

What learners have you been working with at ATTFE College?

We’ve been working with ATTFE programme of study learners aged 16-19 over two sites, The Dukeries Academy, Ollerton, and Sutton Community Academy. They are studying a range of courses from construction, car mechanics, hair and beauty, and childcare. More recently, we’ve been working with the employability group.

Have you seen a difference in the learners since working with them? Please give specific examples.

We’ve seen significant improvement across the group. Those that fully engaged with all elements made the most progress.

Harriet came into the programme a bit dubious and doubtful. She wanted to feel more confident and be happier in herself. Very quickly an excellent rapport was built between Harriet and her one-to-one therapist where she opened up about difficulties sleeping, vivid and sometimes distressing dreams and a general malaise and lack of motivation which meant she stayed in her bedroom when not at college, cut off from friends and family.

We saw Harriet become comfortable in group development sessions. Speaking out, joining in and making friends with all members of the group. By week four her vivid dreams had stopped and she was sleeping better.

After the group development session on the importance of sleep, Harriet made a decision to stop drinking energy drinks – she was averaging two cans of Monster a day. We are now seven months on and she hasn’t had one since she decided to stop.

Harriet thrived at Walesby Forest on the volunteering project. There were different generations of volunteers and staff there, it was easy and natural to talk while working.

After a group development session on healthy habits, Harriet decided to reduce the amount of mayonnaise she was having. She has gone down a dress size and is now doing the Slimming World diet.

Harriet arranged to meet a friend from college on a weekend and went out for the day.

Harriet enjoyed the volunteering project so much she has continued volunteering there in her own time. She loves it. The staff have been talking to her about an apprenticeship when she is 18.

What tools and strategies do you use with learners to have a positive impact on their future?

Our programme has a three-pronged approach:

• Group development sessions where we help learners understand their emotions and why they may be feeling anxious or depressed;
• A volunteering project with purpose, preferably in nature. We want them to feel they are doing something worthwhile, making a contribution to the community at the same time as being active and feeling the benefit of being surrounded by the natural environment;
• One-to-one therapy sessions to help them focus on small steps to change.

Our approach is to treat each other with respect and set that as an expectation for the group. We use team-building strategies to have fun and get to know each other and encourage the group to support each other. We adopt a therapeutically informed approach and have adopted the PACE – playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy – model which has proven beneficial in preventing and diffusing difficult situations.

What are your future plans working with ATTFE?

ATTFE has been wonderful to us and we’ve loved working with them. We want to carry on working with them to deliver more Happy Paths and pilot a programme working with young people seeking alternate provision.

What has been your favourite thing about working with the ATTFE learners ?

Getting to know them and see them become more confident. We’ve had so much fun; young people don’t tend to have the same filters as adults, it’s been like a breath of fresh air.

What feedback have you had?

We asked: “What did you get out of attending the Happy Path Programme?”

Comments include: “More friends, more confidence, having fun”, “My mum’s said the Happy Path programme has been positive, she can see a lot of positive difference in me”, “Confidence, social skills, better health plans e.g., diet and sleep schedule, people to talk to, bonds with people”, and “I feel more confident and feel fitter and more active”.