After five years of research and development alongside Clinical Psychologists, researchers and teachers, the Motus program is making a big impact in schools. The program teaches children how to understand and protect their minds through education on emotional literacy, cognitive behavioural therapy, neuroscience, diet and sleep education, emotion regulation, mindfulness, empathy and social skills.
Research has demonstrated that mental health issues in adults can be prevented if there is a proactive approach taken from a young age. The ‘7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence’ program allows children to grow up with a healthy understanding of their emotions and how to manage them. This enhances their social skills, develops their friendships, and allows them to develop strong support systems to cope with difficult life events.
Research has shown that emotionally intelligent children are better decision makers. Emotional intelligence acts as a buffer against dangerous situations for your children and it gives them a better insight into what career they want to pursue in the future. Emotional intelligence education increases the likelihood that children pick the rights choices to ensure they are on the right path to becoming happy and successful young adults.
If children are able to regulate their emotions, it allows them to focus on their academics. Research has shown that emotional intelligence is better than any other skill or trait, including IQ, in relation to predicting academic success. Emotional intelligence gives children the opportunity to develop an internal coping system and interpersonal relationships, which allows them to flourish academically.
Research shows that school-based mental health programs lead to improvements in social, emotional, and academic outcomes (Durlak et al., 2011; Taylor et al., 2017; Cipriano et al., 2024).
The program is suitable for students aged 10 – 14 in fourth, fifth and sixth class (years 4, 5 & 6). We can tailor the program to focus on the transition into secondary school and or the transition into adolescence. We do not teach younger classes because the content is not developmentally appropriate for them.
This is a four-module workshop which focuses on (1) exam stress management, (2) general mental health, (3) relationships and sex education, and (4) careers and study skills. Schools can choose to only cover two or three modules if they prefer.
We carry out the program at your school premises.
The program is taught by two psychology graduates who have been Garda Vetted/DBS cleared. The facilitator is required to have a psychology undergraduate degree and specified training, and the assistant is required to be undertaking an undergraduate psychology degree and specific training.
We carry out the workshops throughout the entire school year. We advise that you book at the start of each term or at least two or three months in advance so you are not left disappointed. If you wish to book for September, we recommend you book before March.
Our program involves 3 x 2 hour lessons spread over 3 weeks. If requested, we can carry out a full school day program.
The workshop is based on the evidence based 7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence.
The workshop is mixed in with lots of games and activities so the children remain engaged throughout the day and they learn while having fun.
It is broken into three lessons as follows:
We do not speak about anything of a sensitive nature such as suicide or self-harm.
The parenting adolescent mental health webinar is a 50-minute webinar via Zoom that covers an introduction to mental health education, the Motus program content, and how to maintain a positive mental health environment.
The school is welcome to do a parent only seminar or a teacher only webinar (which can be included in Croke Park Hours).
We offer a two hour webinar on how to take care of your own mental health independent from the workshop.
The app involves students completing five well-being activities each week, including revision animations of the program content. Each completed activity gains points for a school and the school with the most points at the end of the year wins the Motus mental health award. The teacher receives access to the app alongside a short handbook after the workshop is completed.
The teaching resources involve ten weekly activities that revise the workshop education.
We have carried out the program in several special schools. The program is adapted to include more games, less technical information and more emphasis on the emotional management aspect. We dorecommend that the program would be more suitable to children with special educational needs over the age of 12.
We ask the school to break the classroom into five clear tables. The only thing we need is access to an interactive whiteboard and a regular whiteboard. We bring all other resources.
In order to book, the only details we need is how many children are in the class and to agree on a date. Once that is confirmed, we then send you a confirmation email with details on what will happen on the day, Garda Vetting, parent letters and payment options. Send us an email at team@motuslearning.com or give Eoin a call on 0877502188.
If you follow us at Motus Learning on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, we post published research papers, blog posts backed up by research and a podcast with experts in the field of psychology and well-being. We also have online courses and a teacher hub that teachers can avail of.
Send us an email at team@motuslearning.com or give Christopher a call on 0873312120.
