Thriving Teens: Stories from the Frontline of the Classroom

This week, Lucy chats with Claire Gildersleve — a teacher at The BRIT School who is also a Thrive Programme Coach for the school working directly with students and staff. With 15+ years of experience on the front line of teen mental health, Claire shares her perspective on what young people are really facing today:

• The constant pressure of social media
• Body image worries and comparison
• Anxiety about world events and the future
• A lack of real tools to cope with life’s challenges

Watch Claire light up as she shares a couple of examples of students she’s watched overcome their anxieties and develop into calm, confident, powerful individuals. That’s why she’s passionate about The Thrive Programme and how she is able to equip students (and staff!) with:

• The knowledge they aren’t powerless or helpless – how to focus on the things they can control
• How to recognise and change their limiting beliefs
• How to build an internal self-esteem that isn’t reliant on likes, grades, or other people’s opinions
• How to build social confidence
• Learning helpful coping mechanisms so they can recognise and reduce pressure before it becomes overwhelming
• Skills to change the way they think about challenges so they can respond with confidence and resilience

From her work at The BRIT School to training in surrounding schools, Claire has seen first-hand the difference The Thrive Programme makes — not just in academic performance, but in confidence, relationships, and overall wellbeing.

If you want to understand the reality of teen mental health today — and the solutions that truly work — this is an episode you won’t want to miss. 

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