Counselling & Psychological Services

Introduction

The Counselling and Psychological Services (CaPS) team at KWS work as part of the Wellbeing Team in Junior and Senior School. Our CaPS team is made up of two psychologists; Bec Campey and Amy Newsom. They have specific training and experience in child and adolescent mental health. 

Their role as School Psychologists is to provide student-centered, confidential and evidence-based support for students. They also work with staff and parents to address academic, social/emotional and behavioural issues which impact on student wellbeing.

An important part of their role is to provide preventative support and education to staff, students and parents. This can be done individually, in small groups or to large cohorts. In 2022, they will offer more opportunities to meet with staff and parents to talk about topics of interest and build capacity to better support students.

This year, they are working with the following year groups:

• Bec – Year 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 & 11
• Amy – Kindergarten, Year 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 & 12

Adjusting to a new school year

Whether it is adjusting to a new school, moving from Junior to Senior school, or starting a new school year, managing change can be challenging. 

Our top tips are:

• Set up a consistent routine– this includes regular sleep times, homework schedule, time set aside for physical activity and socialising, as well as limits for technology use
• Let all feelings come and go – whether it is feeling excited about an upcoming excursion or feeling homesick at night, making space for emotions allows them to subside more easily
• Put yourself in other people’s shoes – after the school holidays, young people can find it challenging spending most of the day (or most of the night if they are Boarders) with lots of people again, so it is important that they practice pausing and taking time to imagine how others are thinking and feeling 

More tips for young people can be found here: 7 tips for dealing with change | Coping | ReachOut Australia

More tips for parents can be found here: Helping your teen cope with change - ReachOut Parents

Suggestions & Contact Details 

We welcome your suggestions for topics of interest that you would like to learn more about. You can contact us by email on the details below:

• Bec – rcampey@kws.nsw.edu.au
• Amy – anewsom@kws.nsw.edu.au