From the College Counsellors:
This is understandably a trying time for all in our community as we deal with this global pandemic. During this time of instability it is important that we are mindful of the health and wellbeing of your son and ways to assist them in maintaining a healthy headspace. Some of the best tips are outlined on page 11 of the College Student Diary. A copy of these tips can be found on the parent iLearn Wellbeing site, which you can find here.
ReachOut have released a great resource for young people called 10 ways to take care of yourself during coronavirus which you can find here. It has links to online exercise workouts, relaxation tools and suggestions for achieving balance in challenging times.
The Australian Psychological Society have released great tip sheets on managing anxiety associated with COVID-19, which you can find here, and maintaining your mental health during isolation, which you can find here.
It is very important to keep conversations going with your son about the current situation and also about maintaining their health and wellbeing as our access to our usual activities is changing. Topics such as dealing with unpredictability and disappointment (for example, sport seasons changing) are important to discuss with your son at the moment. If you would like further resources on how to best manage these conversations, you can find tips here:
- ReachOut how to deal with uncertainty during the coronavirus
- ReachOut dealing with bad world news
- ReachOut how to accept things out of your control
- Headspace how to cope with stress related to COVID-19
- SchoolTV Special Edition on COVID19
- ReachOut how to call a helpline
We would emphasise how important it is to maintain a routine with off-site classes, sleeping times, eating patterns, socialising, relaxation and exercise. It is also important to monitor your son’s online and mobile communication, as we enter a landscape where boys might be socialising mostly through these tools. You can find advice on how to help your son have safe experiences online with tips from the eSafety Commissioner website here. Please contact your son’s Boarding or Academic Coordinator if you have any concerns.
With the possibility of having some spare time at the moment, now is a great time to work on amplifying good mental health. BITE BACK, designed by The Black Dog Institute, is the very first online positive psychology program designed to improve the overall wellbeing of young Australians between 13 and 16 years old. It’s free. You can find it here.
If your son is receiving treatment through an external mental health professional, it would be important to ring the clinic and see what services they are offering at the moment (such as online counselling) and how to keep in touch.
There are mental health helplines available. The main services are:
24-HOUR TELEPHONE COUNSELLING
Lifeline on 13 11 14
Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
ONLINE COUNSELLING
eheadspace.org.au (6am-12am everyday)
Lifeline (7pm-12am) – https://www.lifeline.org.au/get-help/online-services/crisis-chat
Kids Helpline (for 12-25 year olds) – http://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/get-help/webchat
Please know that you can contact our counselling service during business hours by emailing counselling@joeys.org.