General News
11 February, 2024
Time to check in on students' wellbeing
Wimmera students returning to school can do so knowing they have a helping hand if pressure and anxiety get the better of them.
Wimmera students returning to school can do so knowing they have a helping hand if pressure and anxiety get the better of them.
During what can be a time of anticipation, excitement and nerves, headspace Horsham is encouraging youngsters to take care of themselves and wants parents and guardians to know how they can best help them with their mental health and wellbeing.
Alisha McLaughlin, community awareness and youth engagement co-ordinator, said there were many emotions young people might experience all at once when it came to going to school.
"They might feel nervous to start Year 7, excited about their final year in Year 12, a bit sad that the holidays are over, happy that they get to see their friends or anxious about a subject they find challenging," Ms McLaughlin said.
"These are all normal emotions to experience."
Ms McLaughlin said for most young people, once they got back into a routine and started to find their rhythm, those initially powerful emotions would start to decrease.
"We encourage young people to talk to a trusted adult in their lives if they are feeling more worried than usual about going to school for any particular reason so that they can get the support they need," Ms McLaughlin said.
"A trusted adult could be a parent or guardian, a teacher, wellbeing staff at school, a sports coach or any other adult they feel safe talking to."
She said responsible adults should be able to have a supportive conversation with a young person about how they were feeling about school, and work through some of their emotions together.
"Being a teenager is already a challenging time, so having a trusted adult to talk to about their emotions can be a really helpful tool," Ms McLaughlin said.
"Just remind your young person that you are there for them and that you will support them whenever they feel ready to share how they’re feeling."
Ms McLaughlin said if any young person aged 12-25 needed to contact them, the team at headspace Horsham could help.
Families also can refer a young person who might need extra support by calling 5381 1543 or visiting https://headspace.org.au/horsham
Ms McLaughlin said headspace also had a six-week parenting program, called Turning Into Teens, designed to help parents learn additional skills on how to create closer connections with their young people.
It's free and online, with applications closing on February 19. The course starts on March 16. Call headspace Horsham or email info.headspacehorsham@vt.uniting.org