Year Ten teenMHFA Training

As of yesterday, Wednesday, all of the Year Tens have now qualified as Mental Health First Aiders 2023. This relevant and well-constructed course has been conducted at GSG for seven years with encouraging results, such as normalising help-seeking and using helpful, appropriate language around mental health. My profound hope is that stigmatising attitudes and behaviours are reducing, and our mental health literacy is blooming, as we feel more comfortable when we communicate our care, our concern, for self and others, in our chats, our teachings, our learnings, and our everyday connections with family, friends and other humans. The areas we cover in the course include the following: healthy minds, the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviours, the difference between mental health problems and crises, the importance of early intervention, and the mental health action plan (Look, Ask, Listen, Help Link with an Adult, Friendship Maintenance). The course comprises many film clips, games, activities and discussion. The Certificates of Completion for students have been passed on to the Health Ed staff, Mr McLean and Miss Smith for distribution to students next term.

Recently, some of the students were canvassed with regard to the value and relevance of this training. See below the thoughtful and considered feedback from some of our students.

Why do you value the teenMHFA training?

Knowing the five actions in how we can approach someone we’re worried about.
Having all the skills – because we talk to each other and don’t necessarily want to go to an adult first off, sometimes.
Knowing what the difference is between a crisis and a developing problem and when and how to have the conversations.
The videos of lived experience were really helpful in showing us what we as friends or MHFA’ers can do.
Early intervention and making getting help seem normal.
That it’s not weird to talk about our feelings.
I appreciated the stats and facts offered.
I valued the video of who to go to and what they do was useful to know (counsellor, psychologist, psychiatrist).
Realising that as a MHFA’er I can still have safe personal boundaries.
Knowing that a responsible adult might be a favourite relative or a teacher makes getting help easier.
A lot of the content reinforced some of the common sense of what we already know.
The structure of the course made sense and helped me understand it.
Knowing the wording for a crisis must be direct was really helpful.
It’s ok to not be ok.
The course reinforced that help-seeking and that it’s not weird to talk about stuff.
Having the skills now makes me feel more confident.

Have you had a situation where this has been helpful?

Yes (chorus of yes’s) – knowing when and how to help has helped me deal with a recent situation.

Thank you to these awesome young people: Mary, Archie, Chelsea, Amy, Sophie, Oliver, Gus and Connor from Mr McLean’s Health Ed Year Ten classes.

This is really helpful feedback and I love that the students highlight the following: the normalising of help-seeking, that experiencing emotional challenges is part of being human, and capacity building is important as an adolescent task. It’s really heartening as an educator and counsellor to understand that the impact of the learnings has been rippling forth in the seven years that teenMHFA training has been offered at GSG. Its relevance and value have always found traction and practicability in our students.

Finding Awe in the Quotidian

I have recently read Enchantment by Katherine May who, after a devastating health crisis, found the rekindling of hope, awe, mystery, fascination and wonder to be transformative in her journey back to health. May avers that “awe has always been available to us - it's an artefact of own attention rather than a force that emanates from magnificent things - it's perpetually nearby”. This speaks to me or rather shrieks its truth to me so resoundingly and is worth listening to, for our very health and wellbeing. It reminds me to be mindful, grateful, and more courageous, in my everyday existence. I found this book to be nourishing spiritual and emotional balm and a timely reminder to – just be in the moment.

So these holidays I’m looking forward to caressing the silky ears of my Labradors, to crunching the fallen leaves of the Liquidambar, to marvelling at the full moon, to inhaling the smell of a newly minted novel, to jumping in puddles, to smiling at the shenanigans of the new fluffy wren fledglings, to savouring Raphael chocolates, to being in silent reflection … to just being present for myself, showing up and working on being my best self. So that I have enough in the tank for my beloveds.

I wish you an awesome Easter, Ramadan, Passover and holiday break.

Ms Sheryl Moncur | School Counsellor & Teacher

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