Mental Health & Wellbeing
Provisional Psychologist Primary School Outreach Program
We are pleased to announce a new partnership between Buninyong PS and Federation University. The aim is to increase access to psychological services by placing provisionally registered psychologists in schools. These provisional psychologists are enrolled in Master of Psychology programs at Federation University and are in their 5th or 6th year of training, currently completing their placement under the supervision of experienced psychologists.
Buninyong Primary School has two provisional psychologists from Federation University for Terms 3 and 4 who will be on campus each Thursday.
What is a psychologist?
Psychologists are university-trained health professionals who have studied mental health and human behaviour. Psychologists are experts in the ways people think, feel, behave and learn.
Therapy delivered by a psychologist aims to improve children’s resilience, capacity to cope and thrive. Psychologists can also undertake academic, cognitive, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism spectrum disorder assessments.
Children might see a psychologist for help if they are experiencing difficulties with learning, behaviour, emotions, or mental health. If you have a child who has challenges with the following, a psychologist may be able to assist:
• Learning about, recognising, and responding to their feelings appropriately.
• Behaviours that are challenging. Including angry outbursts and aggression.
• Sharing, talking to, and playing with other children.
• Low self-esteem and negative self-talk.
• Managing feelings of anxiety. Including separation anxiety, social anxiety, and school refusal.
• Coping with grief and loss or adjusting to big changes, such as parental separation.
Psychologists use various therapies and approaches to help people but don’t prescribe medicines. If a psychologist thinks a child might need medicine, they can offer a referral to a psychiatrist or paediatrician.
Sarah Rowe
Hello, my name is Sarah and I am really looking forward to supporting Buninyong Primary School and its students, staff, and families for the remainder of 2023. I am a provisional psychologist completing my 5th year of a Master of Clinical Psychology. I have a lot of experience working with children and adolescents through my time as a youth facilitator, an Out of Home care case worker and Headspace. I have a passion for working with young people from all backgrounds and enjoy working collaboratively with clients to improve their mental health and reach their goals.
I always strive to provide a warm, safe, and non-judgemental space where individuals can be themselves and tailor evidence-based treatments in my practice such as Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Mindfulness Techniques.
Antonia Wilson
Hi, my name is Antonia and I am so excited to be joining the Buninyong Primary School community for Terms 3 and 4. I am a provisionally registered psychologist and I am completing a Master of Professional Psychology at Federation University, my 5th year of psychology training. I have a strong interest in and passion for working with children and working alongside them and their families to help them overcome a range of challenges.
I very much take a strengths-based approach to my work. This means that in addition to getting an in-depth understanding of the difficulties that a child might be experiencing and equipping them with the tools to overcome those difficulties, I also seek out the child’s strengths and unique qualities to empower them and achieve positive change.
Open Parachute Program
Dear Parents,
We are pleased to announce that this semester we will be delivering the Open Parachute Mental Health Program to our students.
This program addresses issues of stigma surrounding mental health in young people, encourages help-seeking, and creates a culture of mutual support and respect for any struggles that students may face.
This program was developed by Dr Hayley Watson, an adolescent clinical psychologist who has been developing programs globally for the past 15 years.
There are audio and video-based resources to provide you, as a parent, with practical tools for supporting the well-being of your child at all stages of their life. We will be sending you links to access these resources as your child progresses through the
program.
This program aims to build a strong foundation of resilience so that your child can learn to trust in their own abilities, relate to their own feelings in a healthy way, and change any unhelpful patterns that may hold them back at any point in their lives.
It is normal for your children to have feelings stirred up throughout the course of this program, because we are intentionally providing a space where they can address challenging issues in a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment. These
conversations can also continue at home if you and your child would like to explore these topics further – the video-based resources for parents can help guide these discussions.
Links to Resources -
Open Parachute Wellbeing Resources.pdf - Google Drive
https://learn.openparachuteschools.com/parent/login?id=AU_SdzzHstp
Altruistic August - Action for Happiness Monthly Calendar
Each month a new action calendar is released, packed with daily ideas for happier living.
In August, let's create a wave of kindness to spread around the world!
You may enjoy using this calendar with your family and participating in the daily actions to help you appreciate the little things.
Leigh Catchment Group - Cultural Heritage Talk
Limited tickets remain.
Join proud Wadawurrung woman Bonnie Chew as she leads a Cultural Heritage Talk at the Buninyong Community House as part of the Leigh Catchment Groups Connecting to Country project. Guests are invited to bring along any cultural artefacts or photographs for Bonnie to discuss or identify. A hearty Bush Food inspired supper will also be provided by Kittelty's Ballaarat after the presentation.
Bookings Essential - https://www.trybooking.com/CJUQS
Bonnie is the director of Mirriyu Cultural Consulting with extensive knowledge in Mental Health First Aid, Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Management, Reconciliation Action Planning, Incarceration, Genealogy, Health and Education.
She currently holds two Ministerial appointed positions, serving as a Indigenous Independent Prison Visitor and Indigenous Heritage representative of Victoria on the Victorian Public Records Advisory Council and more recently a Council Member of the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council.
Wednesday the 2nd of August 6pm-8pm at the Buninyong Community House.