Student Wellbeing

Nurturing faith and mental health: my role as Chaplain

I am so grateful to have been entrusted with the role of chaplain at Emmaus Christian College. 

Renee, my wife of twelve and a half years, is a skilled, passionate ICU nurse, and together we have three beautiful daughters. 

Elle is 8-years-old and loves learning in Year 2 with Mrs Keating. 

Finley turned five earlier this year and is thrilled about learning to read in Mrs Giles' Foundation class. 

Our third daughter is Liv, our incredibly chatty and even funnier 18-month-old. 

And then, of course, there's our fur-baby Hugo, our incredibly affectionate 1-year-old golden retriever, who both keeps us sane and drives us insane in almost equal measure!

Building relationships characterised by understanding, safety and trust is foundational to who I am. My working life as a teacher of eight years and as a pastor for five years, before joining the Emmaus staff team a year ago, has given me many opportunities to learn, develop and grow in building such relationships.

In our context here at Emmaus Christian College, I can cultivate relationships with staff and students where I pray they feel seen, understood, and ultimately safe to share openly and seek support. I am particularly passionate about being there for students who experience anxious thoughts and feelings. 

My own journey with anxiety is a deeply personal aspect of my life that has shaped not only who I am, but also my deep desire to support young people who experience anxiety.

Throughout my teenage years and continuing well into adulthood, I learned firsthand the isolating nature of anxiety and the debilitating cycles of worry and fear that characterise a journey through anxiety. Thankfully, I also learned firsthand the power of the Gospel to provide deep security in the love of God and the power of seeking support from skilled practitioners.

I recently had the opportunity to be accredited in Youth Mental Health First Aid along with several other colleagues here at Emmaus. A key learning was that while we have seen a significant reduction in stigma around mental ill-health in recent times, today's average young person experiencing mental health challenges is actually quite likely to 'self-stigmatise'. I.e., talk themselves out of speaking up and asking for support because they are concerned about adding complexity to the lives of their parents, close friends, etc., who already have enough going on. 

Here at Emmaus, we are passionate about ensuring that young people always have a place to turn, should they need support. This is why we have our Student Wellbeing Team. 

As part of this team, I desire to be someone who provides a place of safety and compassion for young people who may be experiencing difficulty in their mental health, and anxiety in particular. 

Through the lens of my own experiences, I endeavour to listen well, hold space and empathise with the challenges being experienced and offer support through prayer, truths about the God-given value and worth of every individual, and where appropriate, connect young people to internal supports (Student counsellors on our Wellbeing team) and also external professional supports.

We consider it a great privilege to show God’s love to students through our care. 

Please remind your children that we are always here to support them should they be going through any challenges.

Additionally, if you would like to request counselling support for your child, you can make a referral on the Wellbeing Support page on the Emmaus Website.  

Joel Overweel

Chaplain