Episode 20: Student mental health
The mental health needs of tamariki and rangatahi have undoubtedly increased post-COVID, and schools are often the places where these issues emerge because of the relationships between teachers, young people and their whānau. Getting mental health support for students can be difficult, which can make looking after the wellbeing of students difficult. But there are things schools can do, and others they must do, to look after the wellbeing of their ākonga.
My guests are:
Ngaire Ashmore, tumuaki of Auckland Girls’ Grammar School
Partick Walsh, principal of Sacred Heart College
This podcast was produced for the Ministry of Education as part of Te Ara Tīmatanga mō ngā Tumuaki - The Beginning Pathway for Principals.
You can learn more about this topic by accessing Te Ara Tīmatanga mō ngā Tumuaki - The Beginning Pathway for Principals e-learning modules on the Education LMS: https://training.education.govt.nz
Show notes
Episode themes:
High levels of anxiety in students impacting on their mental health, along with other things like concern about being behind in learning after covid, tough economic times impacting home life, state of the world and climate anxiety, and all is heightened by online access. Low levels of resilience.
Legal requirements around mental health of ākonga should be recorded in school charter, Health and Safety Act requirements are for safe physical space and safe emotional and psychologically safe school.
Importance of building a culture where parents and students feel safe to raise concerns, a culture of caring and a culture that everyone counts. The need to slow down and really understand things that are happening in your school by doing surveys and talking to the students.
Particular risk areas
Teachers are often the first port of call if a student is feeling low, but they’re not trained as counsellors. They need to know they should refer the student on to the counsellor, or to the principal if there is no counsellor.
Be aware of triggers for those with emotional and mental health issues eg school ball for those with body image issues or gender identity issues.
International students often fall through the cracks so it’s important to make sure someone is reaching out and supporting them.
Mental health issues are sometimes dealt with differently in different cultures. Use your staff or community to help you navigate this.
Importance of principal’s relationship with counsellor. Make sure you meet regularly and keep an eye on what is happening with student mental health so you can take action if needed.
Process when student is in need.
What happens if a student takes their own life, and rules around talking about it.
Looking after your own wellbeing around incidents like this.
Additional information
Health and Safety https://www.education.govt.nz/education-professionals/schools-year-0-13/health-and-safety
NZCER wellbeing@school survey https://www.nzcer.org.nz/assessments/surveys/wellbeing-at-school
Stymie https://about.stymie.co.nz
Questions
1:00 [Both] What kinds of mental health issues are you seeing in your kura?
5:21 [Patrick] Are there legal requirements for tumuaki around mental health of tamariki and rangatahi?
14:03 [Both] How can a new principal can get a handle on the level of need around mental health within a kura when they first start?
16:20 [Both] If a school counsellor is extremely concerned about a particular student, are they likely to come to a tumuaki with those concerns, and if so, how does a tumuaki respond?
17:46 [Both] What if there is no counsellor and it's just you. How do you handle it at that point?
19:12 [Both] Where there is a need for a student to have more support, it is increasingly difficult to be able to help them find that support. How do you handle that?
21:42 [Both] If the worst happens and a student takes their own life, what happens in a school, what does a tumuaki do?
23:40 [Patrick] What are the rules about what you can and can't say about the death?
25:19 [Both] What kinds of things can you do to to help yourself through something like that? Because you don't come away from it unscathed.
26:34 [Both] What's your advice to new tumuaki around trying to help tamariki and rangatahi deal with just the myriad of mental health challenges they face today?
New Zealand