Counsellor/Wellbeing
Welcome to Term 1, 2024! A particularly warm welcome to our new families and staff who have joined the Marian College community.
I would also like to welcome Georgia to the College Counsellor team here at MCC. Georgia will be joining us here at MCC 2 days a week. I am sure the MCC community will make her feel welcome.
Transition
The start of the new school year involves a lot of change. Everyone reacts differently to change – some may find it exciting, stressful, or anxiety provoking while others will not react at all.
Adults often have strategies to manage change while young people often do not have a lot of experience and knowledge of change, so they can find it more challenging.
Starting secondary school is a big transition for many young people. Other transitions may include moving home, going on holidays, birth of a sibling, family changes, separations or bereavements, but small transitions are happening all the time.
How quickly young people adjust varies and it is important to understand that they often communicate their feelings through behaviour, relying on the adults around them to understand, acknowledge and interpret their behaviour, and provide a safe, secure, predictable space for them.
Transitions are successful when young people feel confident, secure and included – and these are all important protective factors for children’s mental health and wellbeing.
We build resilience by learning and developing social and emotional skills – including coping skills. With these skills we manage life stressors, grow confidence and willingness to try new things, and seek and accept help when required.
During transitions, to provide the most positive experience for young people, maintain and grow relationships, and reduce routine disruption and stress it is important to:
- Plan and prepare for transitions through a supportive orientation process
- Have consistent communication with everyone - including the young people, their families, educators and other supports
- Develop strategies that include planning for and respecting diversity and individual needs.
- Be flexible when the unexpected happens.
- Establish routines as soon as possible to develop a sense of predictability in the new environment.
School TV
For those new to the College, I want to share a great wellbeing resource
Because parenting doesn't come with instructions, SchoolTV is a wellbeing resource implemented at our school to help support you in the challenges of modern-day parenting relating to youth mental health and wellbeing. Parenting is a learning journey and SchoolTV supports families by providing credible information from trusted sources with practical strategies to help alleviate some of the challenges being faced by young people today.
Watch video interviews with leading wellbeing specialists and browse a library of resources. Each topic is accompanied by factsheets, podcasts, books, articles, apps and other videos.
This award-winning resource helps families build relationships, foster connections, enable understanding and break down barriers to navigate a pathway towards better mental health and wellbeing for young people. It will assist you in starting those conversations on topics that can sometimes be awkward or difficult to tackle.
You can access SchoolTV here.
Our new MCC families may find the School transitions topic on School TV very helpful. There are a range of resources that address the challenges of transitioning to secondary school and provide helpful advice on ways to support both yourself and your young person. Please take some time to check it out.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your young person’s wellbeing, please reach out to their Pastoral Leader or the Thrive Wellbeing team at MCC.
Best wishes for Term 1!
Karen Surian College/School Counsellor