Mr Nathan Beckett Assistant Principal Wellbeing
Last week on September 11th we recognised - RUOK? Day. This day encourages all of us to think about our mental health and wellbeing, regardless of whether we may have a lived experience of mental illness or not. It also gives us the opportunity to understand the importance of good mental health in our everyday lives and encourages help seeking behaviours when needed. The day also focuses on the importance of positive relationships and conversations. In Year meetings this week students were provided with information, scenarios, activities and discussed the importance of looking out for each other and seeking help when needed. For our young people, developing help seeking behaviours is a skill that needs to be nurtured and developed. Hence, the need for others to observe and offer the conversation – RUOK? Use these four steps and have a conversation that could change a life:
- Ask R U OK?
- Listen
- Encourage action
- Check in
Young people are often not programmed to ask for help. Help seeking skills need to be learnt through encouragement, modelling and building a safe environment. During an instructional walk to an English class this week I was shocked to hear the response from a Year 8 class when I asked the question – Do you know who or where to go to ask for help when you are struggling? Many of the students were reluctant to speak up and indicated that they were not overly confident to talk to a parent or a teacher. Most agreed this was due to their own anxieties and I was relieved that most students indicated they know they should ask for help
Headspace Australia this week revealed that the statistics around young people and mental health have never been more serious. The impact of 2020 has increased the rates of psychological distress with the following statistics even further evidence that we all need to reach out, listen and take action:
- 51% of young people said they were unable to carry out their daily activities on at least 1 day in the previous two weeks.
- 34% of young people report high or very high levels of psychological distress.
- Rates of “coping” have significantly dropped among 12-14 years olds and 22-25 year olds in the last 2 years.
These statistics combined with the fact that only 1/3 of young people engage in professional help when needed certainly bring more awareness of the need to talk about, learn about and act on Mental Health at SCM. The SCM Wellbeing team are more than equipped with resources and abilities to address concerns. For further information, you can also access:
https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/
Nathan Beckett Assistant Principal (Wellbeing)