Wellbeing - College Community
We have a team of psychologists at the College who can support your child whilst learning at home.
Get in touch with the School Psychologist
Below is a resource that contains useful information and tips for a variety of challenges that may arise during the home isolation period during COVID-19.
RESOURCES:
Finding security and comfort in the good news amidst anxiety This resource provides Parents with advice on what they can do to support their children Online. View the resource Family dynamics are the patterns of relating, or interactions between family members. Family dynamics impact our development, values, ideas, behaviour, how we see ourselves, and how we relate to and interact with others. All families have some helpful and some unhelpful dynamics, and every family has unique dynamics, however, there are some common patterns. Some of the ways of dealing with difficult family dynamics include: accepting people for who they are, not taking things personally, not falling into the guilt trap, looking for the positive, being direct, calm and assertive, etc. For further information on how to work through some difficult dynamics, please refer to this link, as well as the link below if additional information is required: Conflict is a normal part of relationships, and it is inevitable in families. It happens when people have different needs, beliefs or ways of handling situations. Having effective skills in conflict management can assist families in having a happier, better life. Sibling rivalry is normal and inevitable, and there are many reasons for it. It is particularly common among siblings of the same gender who are close together in age. There are lots of things parents can do to help their kids get along better and work through conflicts in positive ways, such as outlined in the links below. Guilt and shame carry a strong burden. The below links offer insight into how to make peace with these two burdensome emotions and transform your life. When our emotional needs are not being met, or when one of our deeply held emotional needs is being threatened, we get triggered. When people get triggered, they do whatever comes naturally to meet those needs. The greater the need or the greater the threat to something we need, the greater the potential for a volatile reaction. Emotional needs are neither good nor bad. It’s how we react to those needs and try to meet them that can either be helpful or harmful. Identifying emotional triggers leads to better self-awareness. Follow the link below for tips on how to better control your triggers. Parents can think of a boundary as the line to define where they end, and where the child begins. It is in children’s nature to test and push the boundaries to see how far they can go. Children push boundaries for multiple reasons. They want to understand their boundaries, they want to see if we are consistent, they want to see how we will react, they want to know if we are paying attention, and children push boundaries for merely being, well, children. What is crucial is how you handle the situation. Below links contain some effective tips for maintaining strong boundaries with your child. A child's attachment style is the type of bond that is built between themselves and their caregivers, namely their parents. Attachment includes the children’s feelings of affection and safety when with that parent, as well as the expectation that their needs will be met. The way that children build an attachment to their caregivers has a significant impact on many other areas of their life. From how they socialise and take risks, to how they relate with their future partner and to how they will end up parenting their own children in the future. Please see the links below for a more thorough look into attachment, and how this affects the child. Helplessness is the belief that there is nothing that anyone can do to improve a bad situation, even when they might have the ability to do so. People with learned helplessness can overcome it, by working on their resilience, self-esteem and self-compassion. By developing a positive internal dialogue, people can break free from a cycle of helplessness. This is called learned optimism. For further information, please follow the links below. Hopelessness is an emotion characterised by a lack of hope, optimism, and passion. An individual who feels hopeless may often have no expectation of future improvement or success. After all, the word literally means ‘without hope’. Hopelessness can sometimes feel paralysing, affecting your ability to complete daily tasks, and it can affect your functioning in your personal and professional life. The good news is that you can overcome thoughts of hopelessness. Here’s how. Many people have mental health concerns from time to time. However, a mental health concern becomes more serious when ongoing signs and symptoms cause frequent stress and affect your ability to function. Symptoms vary depending on the type and severity of the condition. The links below outline some early indicators of mental health concerns. While we all experience feelings of sadness and moodiness from time to time, some people experience these feelings intensely, for prolonged periods of time, and sometimes without any apparent reason. Depression is a serious condition that affects both physical and mental health. Follow the links below for some tips in coping with depression. With the number of COVID-19 cases increasing every day, Psychologists offer insights on how to separate yourself from others, while still getting the social support you need. For tips, please see the links below. Given these changing times, it is normal for children to experience varying levels of anxiety. Below are some professional tips to help you support your child during these changing times. When a child’s anxiety is heightened, most parents naturally go into protection mode. Some parents might try to solve problems for the child, or try and help the child avoid their anxiety triggers. Whilst these strategies may help the child in the short term, they can actually prolong and maintain anxiety in the long term. As much as they would like to, parents cannot protect their children from experiencing anxiety. Rather, it is a good idea for the parents to help their child learn coping strategies to manage their anxiety. If you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed by the current global panic around Coronavirus, be reassured that this is a very normal response. However, it is important to go easy on yourself and to take time for self-care. The link below includes 10 activities you can do to self-care during this period.
Find some usual health information on the NSW Health website
We have a team of psychologists at the College who can support your child whilst learning at home.
Get in touch with the School Psychologist
Below is a resource that contains useful information and tips for a variety of challenges that may arise during the home isolation period during COVID-19.
RESOURCES:
Finding security and comfort in the good news amidst anxiety Find out how to talk to your child about the COVID-19 situation and tips to support wellbeing.
This curated selection of resources will assist parents and carers to best to support their children and reduce worry and distress. It contains a video, factsheets and tips about what you can expect and how you can help children cope. Below are resources that explore the challenges adults can face during challenging times and building up the courage to seek support. Information and useful tips about how to support and keep safe students engaging in online learning and activities. If you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed by the current global panic around Coronavirus, be reassured that this is a very normal response. However, it is important to go easy on yourself and to take time for self-care. The link below includes 10 activities you can do to self-care during this period.
Find some usual health information on the NSW Health website
