Wellbeing Hub

Welcome to our new Chaplain

Hello everyone!

My name is Kristen, and I’m very excited to join The Gap State High School community this week as your new Chaplain. Before I start, I’d love to share a little about myself, as I look forward to getting to know all of you and learning about your individual stories.

I began my journey as a chaplain this year in Term 3 at Payne Road State School, and this has been a rewarding shift for me. While I come from an aged care background, I’ve always had a deep passion for working with people in a caring and supportive way. It’s been a wonderful experience so far, especially getting the chance to spend time with students, offer support in classrooms, and even improve my Uno skills (I’m getting pretty good!).

In my spare time, I love playing games, singing and dancing along to music, and having a good laugh—especially at dad jokes! I also have a great collection of card games, so if you ever want to pop by the Chappy office for a fun game or chat, I’d be thrilled to see you.

I can’t wait to meet you all and begin our journey together. See you soon!

Defence Work Experience Program

Defence provides Work Experience placements to secondary and tertiary students who are interested in a career in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) or Australian Public Service (APS).

1 App and 300 000 ways to feel healthier and happier!

Insight Timer is a free phone app containing many meditation and mindfulness practices - over 300 000 in fact!  Meditation offers so many benefits for our mental and physical health including: 

• Improved sleep quality
• Reduced stress and tension
• Enhanced self-awareness and improved self-image
• Increased feelings of love, gratitude and compassion
• Decreased levels of anxiety, depression and pain
• Increased focus and motivation

As a psychologist, I often find myself recommending this app to assist with stress, anxiety, sadness, loneliness, self-criticism, perfectionism and sleep.

The app allows you to search for different styles of guided meditations or particular topics, and you can filter the search by duration. For example, if you feel stressed and need to take a pause, you can search for a short 1-5 minute practice. Below are some of my favourite guided practices:

• Mindfulness/Mindful Breathing
• Yoga Nidra/Body Scans
• Visualisation/Guided Imagery
• Gratitude Practice
• Vagus Nerve Breathing
• Progressive Muscle Relaxation
• Self-Compassion/Loving Kindness Meditations
• Sleep Meditations/Sleep Stories