Mental health challenges among young people are on the rise globally, with research from The Lancet Psychiatry Commission revealing a surge in anxiety and depression in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite this, research has shown that three in four Australian children aren’t getting the support they need to address their mental health issues.
Like many schools around the country, staff at Sydney’s Waverley College have noticed a rise in mental health and wellbeing concerns amongst its students – so much so that staff felt compelled to take action.
By training all staff in Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) the school sought to empower students to seek support from any trusted staff member, removing barriers to important mental health conversations.
“Staff have actively sought additional mental health training, recognising its critical importance. Just as physical first aid is compulsory, we view YMHFA as equally essential in today's complex mental health landscape,” James Horrocks, Head of Student Wellbeing at Waverley College, told The Educator.
“This approach cultivates a compassionate, holistic culture of support across our entire school community.”
Horrocks said the most effective strategies in breaking gender stereotypes and reducing stigma among students have been providing opportunities to have open and honest conversations regarding mental health with the College’s trained staff.
“These are provided through our wellbeing mentor groups known as CCC time [Connection, Culture and Communication], Pastoral Care lessons and whole-of-school events such as RUOK Day,” he said.
“We also found that utilising a wide range of guest speakers who talk openly with our students about their experience and mental health journeys, has been incredibly powerful in reducing stigma and starting positive mental health conversations.”
One guest speaker who visited the College earlier this year is Gus Worland, founder of Australia's leading mental fitness charity ‘Gotcha4Life’.
“Gus Worland gave an incredible address to the college on mental fitness this year, along with presentations from the Black Dog Institute and Australian Institute of Sport on mental health, resilience and normalising help-seeking behaviours,” Horrocks said.
To build on the work it has been doing with YMHFA, the college has re-invested in having a staff member certified as a Mental Health First Aid trainer.
“This has enabled us to deliver the training to new staff in-house while also offering refresher courses for staff requiring renewal points,” Horrocks said.
“This approach ensures continuous professional development and maintains our commitment to staff mental health support.”
To complement this, the College runs fortnightly multidisciplinary meetings between the College Nurse, College Psychologists, and Head of Student Wellbeing, Horrocks said.
“In these confidential sessions, we discuss emerging student wellbeing trends, allowing us to identify and proactively address potential issues before they escalate.”