Over the past two weeks we have welcomed families into the school to discuss their children’s learning now and the future.  Student Led Conferences were very successful in allowing families to speak to their child and their teachers about goals they have set this year and how to go about achieving them.  It’s always best when these conversations occur with all key players present and we were very pleased to see all students accompanying their parents.  The following week parents of Year 10 and 11 students came to school to have the important discussions around their children’s future pathways by making subject selections for next year.  This is often somewhat daunting for students, especially the Year 10s, as they make the first decisions regarding vocational or general pathways.  As always, we have staff available to talk through these points and support students and their families with any questions that still remain around this.  Thank you to Josh La Grutta and Carena Brookes for organising these nights and to the staff who gave their time to meet with families.

Teenage Mental Health

Knowing how to approach the issue of teen mental health can be difficult yet it is something that is relevant to many of us at some point.  The following information is from ReachOut.com and is a prompt for our thinking as to how we might best be able to support our children and young people. Young people who may not be willing to acknowledge that they are struggling or you may be wondering whether the issue is serious enough for you and your child to get help. The good news is that there are many options for help and support depending on what your child’s needs are and what they are ready for. Getting help early will give your child the best chance of managing mental health problems before they become more serious.

Get help early

Most mental health difficulties first appear between the ages of 11 to 25, while the brain is going through a process of rapid development. Around 1 in 4 young people have experienced a mental illness by the time they are 25. It is important to look out for signs of mental health or emotional problems in your child from an early age. When mental health conditions are treated and managed early, the episode of illness is likely to be less serious and have a shorter duration.

Mental health conditions are generally episodic, which means that your child will likely experience periods of being unwell in between stretches of time where they function well. Learning to spot the signs and symptoms of your child’s mental health problems early will mean that you’ll have the best chance of managing the illness and getting them the help and support they need.

Unfortunately, only around 30% of young people who experience psychological distress actually get the help that they need. This can be due to a number of reasons, including:

• not accepting they may have a mental health difficulty
• not believing their problem is significant enough to warrant help
• being unwilling to disclose their problem because of the stigma attached to mental illness
• lack of belief that anything or anyone can help
• environmental factors like cost, distance, inflexible opening hours and long wait times
• close adults and friends not noticing or recognising the signs and symptoms and therefore not supporting the young person to seek help.

When to get help

Knowing when to get help for your child can be difficult. At times, the signs and symptoms of mental health problems can be similar to the ‘growing pains’ of being a teenager. It’s not always easy to tell the difference between ‘normal’ teenager behaviour and when there might be something else going on.

Mental health difficulties will surface differently for everyone. There’s no ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’, except in relation to your own child’s behaviour. As a parent, you have an important perspective; you’ve spent years with your child getting to know their patterns of behaviours and emotions and you’re well placed to detect when your child’s own ‘normal’ has changed. If the change is affecting your child’s life negatively and they’re not able to function effectively in daily life, it may be time to get help. Remember to trust your instincts, if you think there might be something wrong, it’s best to find out.

What to do next

There are many different types of help and one way is not necessarily better than another. Different approaches will work for your child differently and sometimes it’s a combination of approaches that works best.

The first thing to do is to have a conversation with your child and find out more about what’s going on. Things to remember when having a supportive conversation:

• take it seriously, actively listen to what they are telling you
• be positive in approaching the situation and support them to take a first step
• be your child’s greatest advocate in getting the right help for them
• be optimistic that you will get through this together.

Even if your child doesn’t open up at first, you’ll have shown that you’re concerned and willing to talk. Once you and your child have acknowledged there may be a mental health difficulty going on, it's time to look at support options. We can offer support to young people at BHS through our Wellbeing Coordinator, Lucy Thiel; Counsellor Ash Parsons; Middle School Assistant Principal, Michelle Pudney; Senior School Assistant Principal, Carena Brookes and a number of other staff.  However, there are also many other professional options such as talking to your GP, an external counsellor or CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Health Service) if you think it’s time for that extra support and advice.

As always, I am available to speak to parents about any issues or concerns or to discuss any aspect of their child’s learning.  I can be contacted at the school via Daymap, email Sonia.Pringle235@schools.sa.edu.au or phone 8862 0600 where you can speak to me directly or make a time to come and see me.

Sonia Pringle

Principal