Instant Session Plans for Essential Life Skills: Health and Well-being

This resource pack contains a host of activities to help people deal with issues ranging from depression to bereavement.

This is an interesting resource pack that offers a wide selection of activities to explore emotional well-being and mental health issues with groups of young people.

Divided into 10 sections, the book includes specific topics, such as coping with depression and bereavement, as well as more generic activities that suggest relaxation techniques and effective ways to cope with stress.

Author Robin Dynes clearly knows his subject and the book is the result of 25 years of experience in the field. He claims that the resource can be used to support both young people and adults - and this is probably largely true.

However, some of the activities may need adapting to make them accessible to young people. In particular, some of the role-play scenarios will need to be changed to better reflect young people's issues.

There is also an implicit assumption about participants' literacy and numeracy levels that may need some careful consideration.

Also, don't be put off by the length of the introduction. For the complete beginner to group work, it offers a comprehensive, if pedantic, set of guidelines.

However, for the more experienced practitioner, the repetition and attention to the smallest detail may be reason enough to put the book away and never look at it again.

Stick with it, as there are lots of things to recommend in this resource. The exercises have clear aims (though no specified learning outcomes) and each activity is laid out with an introduction, main activity and an idea for how to close the session.

I particularly like the emphasis placed on building emotional resilience: there is a whole section on Staying Positive, which I think would add real value to any health and well-being curriculum.

I loved the fact that there is a tear-off section, which on return to the publisher will be exchanged for a Pdf of the materials, effectively removing the difficulty of trying to fit pages to photocopiers and allowing you to print off the handouts as and when.

I presume that this facility is reflected in the rather over-inflated £34.95 price tag, which is a lot more expensive than similar resources.

Also be warned, there are stringent rules about who can and can't use the resource materials. Although I am not sure how enforceable they are, the first two pages are dedicated to labouring this point.

One area that does need careful consideration is the section in the introduction that looks at avoiding discrimination. Within it are points that are at best confusing and at worst difficult. It is probably best to look at your own equal opportunities policies to ensure equality of opportunity for all and gloss over this bit.

Instant Session Plans for Essential Life Skills: Health and Well-being is a practical resource that could be used effectively in a wide range of youth work settings.

But before you invest, you may want to look at someone else's copy first to make sure that it will meet the needs of the young people with whom you work.