From the Counselling Team
- SLEEP - An Essential Aspect of our Well-being
- College Counselling Team
SLEEP – An Essential Aspect of our Well-Being
Sleep is a really important part of our life. It helps us all to feel well, focused and happy. While we can all experience a bad night’s sleep now and again, if you regularly don’t get enough sleep, it will really affect how you feel and what you can get done during the day.
On average, children aged 6 – 13 years require 10 to 13 hours of sleep a night, adolescents 14 - 17 years require 8 to 10 hours and adults, 7 to 9 hours. For all our students, good sleeping habits are an essential component in promoting positive mental health and well-being, including improved mood, concentration and overall performance at school. On the contrary, lack of sleep is clearly linked to symptoms of depression, such as feeling down, hopeless, irritable, having thoughts of suicide and using drugs and alcohol.
Some Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep
If you’re having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep here are a few things you can try:
- Aim to get to bed and wake up around the same time each day.
- Turn off your screens (such as your phone, TV and laptop) at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
- Exercising during the day is a good way to make you tired at night.
- It’s best to try and keep your bed for sleep. Working, watching TV or being online in bed can cause your brain to associate bed with being alert and awake.
- Try to limit how much caffeine you have, including coffee, energy drinks and soft drinks.
Getting Help
If your son is finding it hard to fall or stay asleep, or if he feels tired a lot of the time then a confidential call to one of our Counselling Team (information below) is the first step in helping to resolve this issue.
For more information about sleep, please go to
www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au or www.reachout.com
Reference: Headspace - National Youth Mental Health Foundation
College Counselling Team
The College Counselling Team are available to provide confidential emotional and social support and guidance for your son and family throughout the year. For reference our College Counselling Team contact details are shown below.
Mr Rick Russo
Counsellor (Full time Monday to Friday) working with students across all year groups.
Email: rrusso@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au
Direct Phone: 9414 4359
School Mobile (in case of emergency): 0418 438 325
Ms Joe McCarthy
Psychologist (2 days per week: Tuesday and Thursday) working with students across all year groups.
Email: jmccarthy@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au
Direct Phone: 9414 4322
Mrs Judy Gill
Psychologist (2 days per week: Wednesday and Friday) working with students across all year groups.
Email: jgill@stpiusx.nsw.edu.au
Direct Phone: 9414 4315
Throughout 2021 the Counselling Team, together with the Learning Support Team, look forward to providing CONFIDENTIAL support to assist your son to build his SELF CONFIDENCE / SELF ESTEEM AND RESILIENCE within a caring, supportive Catholic school community. Please do not hesitate to make contact with any of the above team should the need arise.
Mr Rick Russo - College Counsellor/Chaplaincy Services