Register: Webinar for parents as part of new wellbeing program
A new online program is helping Blackfriars better manage students’ wellbeing and mental health.
This year, Blackfriars has started using Wellio – a digital platform to proactively improve the wellbeing of our Secondary students and equip parents and caregivers with new skills to support their sons.
“In response to both students and staff reflecting on our wellbeing program in the past, the recommendation was to look outside the wellbeing journals that we’d had to something that might be more interactive and engaging for the boys,” Blackfriars Director of Wellbeing Anthea Osborne said.
“So, we spent a lot of time last year exploring different resources and we’ve gone with Wellio, which helps students proactively improve their mental wellbeing using research-backed habits and techniques,” Ms Osborne said.
“The Wellio program supports students in improving their sleep, managing social media use, building healthy relationships, improving physical wellbeing and reducing anxiety and also allows parents to be involved.”
One such opportunity for parents/caregivers is a webinar – Managing Stress and Anxiety – which will be held tomorrow evening (Wednesday 29 March) at 6pm (Adelaide time).
“This webinar unpacks the tools you have to support your child when they are feeling overwhelmed,” Ms Osborne said.
The webinar will include:
- Good anxiety vs bad anxiety – Discussing how stress can sometimes be good and what you can do when your child’s stress becomes harmful anxiety.
- The thinking feeling connection – How thoughts turn into feelings and what you can do to ensure your child doesn’t find themselves in thinking traps.
- Techniques to manage anxiety – A toolkit of strategies that you can use to help your child manage and prevent anxiety.
Wellio also provides data which allows the school to monitor students from a wellbeing perspective.
“So, it will actually alert us if there are boys who perhaps may … not be travelling well,” Ms Osborne said. “We’re then able to connect them with our wellbeing and counselling staff to provide them with extra support.
“It’s a huge step forward. We’ve taken on board what the boys suggested to us, that they weren’t getting much from the wellbeing journals, and found something that they can better connect with.”
Wellio sits alongside the school’s overall pastoral care and wellbeing program which, in 2023, encompasses four themes – Relationships and Meaning (Term 1), Health (Term 2), Mental Health (Term 3) and Positive Citizenship (Term 4).
Other wellbeing sessions planned for this year included visits by a sleep specialist and Encounter Youth. Earlier this term, Blackfriars hosted sessions delivered by the Pat Cronin Foundation.
Register for tomorrow night’s webinar here. Wellio will also record the event, so please register if you cannot attend but want access to the recording.
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