Wellbeing

@ LPS

Help Seeking

What is help-seeking?

Help-seeking is a positive coping strategy. 

Help-seeking could mean asking for assistance with day-to-day events such as learning experiences, and relationships (e.g. negotiating with peers on a task, managing anxious feelings).

 

Why is help-seeking important? 

Seeking help is important because it can foster children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. There are a range of influences and experiences – both positive and negative – that impact on an individual’s mental health. These influences and experiences are known as risk and protective factors. Being able to ask for help can act as a protective factor because help-seeking can lead to accessing resources that support mental health and wellbeing.

 

When children and young people view help-seeking positively, it builds a sense of agency and confidence that they can influence their world and receive help if needed. Children and young people who have a positive experience of help-seeking are empowered to access available supports in future. Getting help when needed may buffer the impact of risk factors that challenge a person’s mental health and wellbeing. The earlier individuals can access support, the better. Issues that aren’t addressed can become more difficult to manage, continuing to affect the child or young person as they grow.

-Be You

 

In the Year 3/4 classrooms we worked together on help seeking, what it feels like when you need help, reasons why we might need help at school and how it feels when we receive help. 

 Feelings before asking for help Feelings after getting help
 

upset

mad

sad

stressed

nervous

confused

overwhelmed

frustrated

lost

anxious

annoyed

scared

sensitive

unsure

lonely

helpless

 

relaxed

happy

sorry

content

confident

warm glow

unstressed

settled

loose

friendly

kind

hopeful

energetic

on top of yourself

 

We then created our own plan of the adults at school we can ask for help. This is helpful, especially if a teacher is away, you can move to your next person!

 

When we ask for help it doesn't necessarily mean someone solves a problem for us but helps us work through it, build our skills so maybe next time we can use what we learnt, helps us communicate, suggests possible solutions, ask us questions to understand the problem and to help us change our feelings- often from hard to have feelings to easy to have feelings.

One of the most important steps is speaking up and asking for help, if we don't tell anyone it's hard for someone to know we need help.

360 AllStars

Last week we were able to participate in another First Call Fund experience at the Arts Centre (for free- including our tickets and travel!) All Year 3-6 students went along to watch the "urban circus". It was great to see the tricks from the artists but some of us were disappointed that the BMX riders didn't come on stage!

Here's what some Yr 3/4s had so say...

It was the best experience of my life! It was so bright and loud that it was amazing!-Tresene

At 360 Allstars when the lights came on it was like looking at the sun. It was bright and amazing. I could hardly keep still in my seat it was so scrumptious!-Sophia

It was an amazing experience! Everything was so good. I give it 5 stars!-Rowan

It was the best show EVER!-Spencer

The 360 Allstars was the biggest, most exciting show I have ever seen. My favourite 360 all star was the one dressed in red. He was awesome. He was one of the people who did gymnastics. - Sophie

The 360 Allstars did all kinds of amazing tricks like playing with basketballs and spinning them on fingers. They had two really cool break dancers. They also had a drummer. -Finn

360 AllStars was amazing and impressive. There were 2 break dancers and basketball player that was really good.- Archer

On Wednesday the 15th the 3/4s went to see 360 Allstars in the Melbourne Art Centre. There were 4 men and my favourite was the break dancer in the red because he was good at doing flips.-Ivy

On Wednesday the 15th all the 3/4s went to see 360 Allstars in the Melbourne Art Centre. There were four men and my favourite one was a break dancer in blue. He shook his booty at us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!-Hattie