Vol. No. Vol. 2618No. 3027
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Wednesday, 2016 Wednesday, January February13, 7, 2024
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PROUD SUPPORTERS: Lily and Monty Milson wave off riders at Grampians Ride To Remember in Ararat on Sunday. Lily and Monty are grandchildren of Terry Weeks, the inaugural Blue Ribbon Foundation Ararat branch president who died in 2022. Sunday’s event was one of the largest on record, with more than 500 riders helping to raise money for a new ultrasound machine at East Grampians Health Service. Story, page 7. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
Mental-health focus BY SEAN O’CONNELL
W
immera mental-health organisations are emphasising to young people and their families the importance of prioritising mental health as school resumes.
Grampians Community Health general manager of community services Faith Hardman said while is was crucial to keep children engaged in their schooling, they also needed to be aware of how they were feeling and what they could do to improve their mood and overall health. “Try not to stress too much about ac-
ademic performance as mental health should be a higher priority,” she said. “Children do better at school when they are calm and socially connected. “Sometimes letting a child have a half day or day home every couple of weeks can help. “Structured respite can work well for some children who are experiencing serious levels of mental illness.” Ms Hardman said it was important for parents to have meaningful conversations about feelings and fear with their children. “Children sometimes need to do a bit of basic learning around physical sen-
sations and feeling anxious,” she said. “Acknowledging how they feel and not redirecting the discussion is important. “You do not want to normalise anxiety, but you do want to encourage children to speak about it, voice their concerns and acknowledge the reality of those feelings to create a sense of connection and safety.” Ms Hardman said parents should speak to the school or seek professional help when needed, if they were experiencing anxiety or significant worry about their child’s schooling. Horsham headspace community
awareness and youth engagement coordinator Alisha McLaughlin said it was common for people to assume returning to school was nothing more than a ‘rite of passage’. “It can feel really stressful and anxiety provoking for a lot of young people to go back to school, especially for year sixes going into year seven and people going into year 12 for their final year of school,” she said. “There are new friendship groups, new classes and new subjects, which can cause anxiety for a lot of young people. “It’s important to make them aware
that these are all really normal feelings to have at the start of the year, but also there are supports available to help them get back into their routines.” Mrs McLaughlin encouraged parents to keep checking in with their children, in a gentle and supportive way. “Your young person might be really withdrawn, a little bit quieter, you might notice a change in their eating habits or that they’re feeling a little sadder than usual,” she said. Continued page 3
IN THIS ISSUE • Praise for paramedics • New angling prize pool • Gliders soar into Horsham Phone: 03 5382 1351 Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
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