stem4 is a teenage mental health charity aimed at improving teenage mental health by stemming commonly occurring mental health issues at an early stage.
Young people have just as much right to accessing facts about good mental health as they do good physical health, and yet there is a lack of accurate information. Embarrassment or social stigma surrounding mental health issues can so easily lead to confusion with what may be normal development, as opposed to the early development of a mental health issue.
By raising awareness, sharing information on how to recognise early warning signs and by providing effective strategies in how to deal with them, stem4 aims to identify and stem these conditions early on. stem4 does this through:
- A comprehensive and clinically informed website, www.stem4.org.uk, sharing information on identification, early intervention and management
- Their Calm Harm and Clear Fear apps
- A library of educational videos about teenage mental health, ‘Head-Ed’
- stem4 conferences, designed to inform delegates of the early signs of mental health problems and what steps they can take to make change. They encourage dialogue, create a platform to share ideas and provide a forum to consider best practice and standards of care
Developed for stem4 by Dr Nihara Krause, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Calm Harm is an award-winning app that helps young people to resist or manage the urge to self-harm.
The app uses the basic principles of an evidence-based therapy called Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), is featured on the NHS Apps Library and is available as a free download from Google Play and the App Store.
Find out more at www.calmharm.co.uk
The Clear Fear app provides ways for young people to manage anxiety. Developed in collaboration with young people, Clear Fear uses a Cognitive Behavioural (CBT) framework to focus on learning to reduce the physical responses to threat by learning to breathe, relax and be mindful as well as changing thoughts and behaviours and releasing emotions.
The app also has helpful descriptions of the different ways in which anxiety shows, resources and a ‘grit box’ to boost resilience. The app is available as a free download from Google Play and the App Store.
Find out more at www.clearfear.co.uk
stem4 t-shirts out in force at our yard in Bermondsey
Diespeker offers its full support to stem4 and is proud to be a part of raising awareness for these important issues with the intention that in the future the prevalence of diagnosable mental health conditions will decline.
Managing Director John Krause has now completed over 160 marathons, many of which he has run in aid of stem4. John also organised a marathon in Malta, which 30 people took part in, raising over £7,500. Diespeker teams have taken part in several South Downs marathons raising around £3,000; Diespeker sponsored the runner t-shirts for these events. Other fundraisers include a five-a-side tournament where the older team (with an average age of 60) beat a much younger team, much to John’s satisfaction. A team from Diespeker took part in Ride London, a cycling challenge involving over 26,000 cyclists riding through London and Surrey, following much of the route of the London 2012 Olympic road cycling races. And each year, Diespeker supports the fundraising Schmidt Wimbledon Charity Ball which includes live and silent auctions with the chance for someone to win a fully fitted kitchen from Schmidt. Diespeker donated a beautiful terrazzo for auction at one of these events.
If you would like more information about stem4 please visit their website on www.stem4.org.uk or email enquiries@stem4.org.uk.
Diespeker employee Sydney Robertson at a stem4 event
