SUPPORTING STUDENTS IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS

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SUPPORTING STUDENTS IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS

• Judy Ring
• Travancore school

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Travancore School Context
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ROLE OF TEACHERS

• Co-located with
• Banksia Inpatient Unit (Footscray)
• ORYGEN Outpatient Services (Parkville)
• Run on site groups
• Liaise with current educational setting
• Develop future pathway plans

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WHY WE DO THIS?

• Completion of schooling rates are low for young
  people with mental health problems.
• Resulting levels of employment are also low
• Functional recovery not matching symptom recovery
• Participation in mainstream, age appropriate
  activity can be a useful part of treatment and in
  itself aid recovery

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SHOULD UNWELL YOUNG PEOPLE BE AT SCHOOL?

• Each case needs to be considered individually
• Minimising the disruption helps reduce the long
  term or permanent disconnection from education
• Sometimes the stresses of continuing are so great
  that a break is recommended but should be in the
  context of a planned return
• Consider all ways to keep engagement /attachment
  to place of learning and avoid complete
  disconnection

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• Strategies To Help
• Young People
• Remain In or
• Return To Education

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Reduced Workload

• P/T study (consider the culture in your setting)
• Reduce expectations on catching up, choosing
  major assessment pieces only
• Consider ways to recognise work completed over 2
  different years/semesters
• It may be difficult for some to string together
  adequate attendance/assessment pieces
• Experimenting with VCAL structure at ORYGEN

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Hours of Attendance

• Avoid most stressful times e.g. early mornings,
  social/break times
• Provide a safe place for non class times
• Consider effects of medication
• Tolerance and stamina may need to be gradually
  built
• Graded exposure

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Transport

• Make sure you discuss transport plans with
  students
• Students may have difficulties using public
  transport
• Travelling at peak times
• May be relying on family members

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Develop a Support Team

• Participants may include student, coordinators,
  class teachers, welfare personnel, clinical case
  manager, treating doctor, parent/carer, other
  agencies i.e. housing
• Develop a plan
• Set achievable goals
• Review the plan

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Support Team cont.

• Regular case conferences should occur to
• Share knowledge, plan ongoing interventions, and
  determine best management strategies (eg. If
  going to go to school part time there should be
  clarity about how many hours they can attend and
  what they do in their other time)
• Clarify the roles of all involved, and who else
  may need to know information (eg other teaching
  staff)
• Management plan should be reviewed regularly with
  all involved. Schools need to provide regular
  feedback as to progress/challenges

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Management Plans

• Use information gained by treating clinicians
  combined with knowledge from your setting
• Strategies learned for detection of early warning
  signs
• Management of uncomfortable thoughts and feelings
• Challenge avoidance (graded exposure)
• Use of language from therapy, challenging
  unhelpful thinking, reframing
• Crisis management when can things be managed in
  school or when does it need specialist input

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Management Plans cont.

• Clarify and take into account any possible side
  effects of medication
• Determine when medical follow up is required
• Consider who needs to be informed and what level
  of information they need
• Pass cards
• Check in times
• Be clear about your role and capacity to help
• How will this plan be reviewed and updated?

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Information Sharing vs Privacy

• Students needs to be in charge of who knows what
  (with support)
• Some staff may hold more detailed information
  than others
• Teachers need some information to better assist
  students (they dont need to know everything)
• Teachers need to understand privacy and the
  impact of stigma

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Students Personal Goals

• Clarify what they are
• They may be different to your goals for that
  student
• As a support person you are assisting them to
  achieve their goals
• Use their motivation for their own goals to
  direct the process

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Dealing With Unwanted Questions

• Discuss beforehand what a student is comfortable
  with
• Practice some general statements that dont give
  away too much personal information
• e.g. Ive had some ongoing health problems
• I dont want to discuss the details

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Pathways Planning

• Offer individual educational/vocational planning
  preferably with someone in the loop
• Help them dispel fears my life is wrecked
  there is no future for me
• There are many ways to achieve goals!
• Challenge the idea of a normal pathway.

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Work Requirements

• Clarify any cognitive problems (talk to treating
  clinicians)
• Consider alternative assessment tasks
• Oral presentations are a problem for anxiety
• Have an avenue for completing work away from
  class
• How can technology help?

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Involvement of Peers

• Friendship groups may assist with support
• What information do they need?
• Friends may also need support what can be put
  in place for them?
• Consider the management of the impact of any
  distressing behaviour on the group.
• Debriefing and/or explaining long absences while
  maintaining privacy

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When to Refer

• Change in their presentation - Emotional and/or
  Behavioral. If symptoms severe and complex
  likely referral to mental health services,
  otherwise consider community based services (eg.
  GP,)
• Risks unclear or unable to be managed with
  current supports
• If not sure, ring and consult

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Making a Referral

• QUESTIONS YOU ARE LIKELY TO BE ASKED
• Does the young person know about the referral?
• Demographics
• Behavioural changes
• Physical symptoms
• Degree of risk (thoughts/plan/intent)
• Family history
• Drug use
• Offending behaviour
• Available supports

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Specialist Support

• Your students case manager or treating doctor
• SSSOs (DET schools)
• Regional Child Adolescent Mental Health
  Services (CAMHS) can ask for a consultation or
  make a referral www.dhs.org.au
• G.P.s
• Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care
• Youth Counsellors (Local Councils)