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Student Support

Student Support

Student Support

Three female students painting and smiling to the camera

At SFX, we recognise and understand the challenges of adolescence by ensuring our students have the required support they need to reach their academic and personal potential.

We offer a range of support services to assist our students to navigate their day-to-day life at the College:

  • Counselling
  • Reset Space
  • Seasons for Growth
  • Young Carers

Counselling service

Counselling services are provided by MaryMead CatholicCare, with two qualified counsellors being placed at the College. Students may self-refer to the counselling service, or they may be referred by pastoral teachers, classroom teachers, Year Coordinators or by parents/carers. The role of the College counselling service is to support the emotional well-being and mental health of all students. The counsellors work in close collaboration with the Pastoral Care team and make use of outside and community agencies where appropriate.

There may be a short waiting period to access services and the aim is to provide short-term support of up to six sessions. The counsellors also work closely with families to ensure maximum support for all students. Parents/carers of students who are under 14 will be contacted to obtain consent for counselling and students over 14 can speak with a counsellor without their parent permission. All Parent/carers will be contacted if we are concerned about the safety of their child.

How to contact the service:

Often a student or their parent/carer will initially speak to the Year Coordinator to discuss their concerns and the option of counselling. However, students and their parents/carers can also directly email (belinda.ding@mccg.org.au and julia.larby@mccg.org.au), or call to discuss any confidential well-being concerns, or make an online referral at https://catholiccare.force.com/housing/s/school-referral-form.

Other information and contacts

Reset Space

At SFX, we utilise the Reset Space which is designed for students who are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, escalated or others unable to participate effectively in class. Sometimes school situations or the classroom environment itself can create sensory overload, anxiety or over-stimulation for some students.

To assist with this, we provide the use of two reset rooms, located next to the Director of Student Wellbeing and Assistant Principal Student Wellbeing offices. The Reset Space is supervised by our Wellbeing Officer, who has specialist qualifications as an art therapist and utilises a range of strategies to assist students to re-engage with their learning. Students may also prefer to simply have reset time to themselves.

Students are encouraged to use the Reset Space as a proactive measure to re-set their emotions and gain the support needed to return to class. The Reset Space is intended for short-term stays, with students expected to re-enter class once they are emotionally ready.

Seasons for Growth - Learning to live with change and loss

Change and loss are issues that affect all of us at some stage in our lives. At St Francis Xavier College we recognise that when changes occur in families through death, separation, divorce and related circumstances, young people may benefit from learning how to manage these changes effectively. There may also be students whose families are experiencing hardship and loss because of work-life changes.

SFX offers a very successful education program called ‘Seasons for Growth’. The program is facilitated in small groups and is based on research that highlights the importance of social support and the need to practice new skills to cope effectively with change and loss. ‘Seasons for Growth’ covers topics such as self-esteem, managing feelings, problem-solving, decision-making, effective communication, and building support networks.

If you believe your child would benefit from participating in the ‘Seasons for Growth’ program, please first have a conversation with them and then contact their relevant Year Coordinator.

SFX is pleased to be able to offer this important program and we are confident that it will be a valuable learning experience for those involved.

Young Carers

SFX facilitates a support program for students who are young carers in their families. A young carer is a young person who helps to take care of a family member who has a disability, chronic illness, mental health issue, substance misuse problem, or who is frail or aged. The person receiving care is often a parent but could also be a sibling, grandparent or other close relatives. A young carer could also be someone who cares for younger siblings because their parents work long hours. Our young carers do a range of tasks such as cooking, cleaning, watching out for their family’s safety and taking family members to appointments.

The responsibilities associated with being a young carer can sometimes make school difficult (challenges completing homework/assignments, being late for school or missing school etc.). Stressful situations at home can also make it difficult to concentrate on learning at school. The Young Carers Group at SFX supports students to navigate the demands of school and family life so that they can flourish in all that they do.

The Young Carers Group meets during school time and provides students with the opportunity to discuss a variety of topics including:

  • Balancing home and school responsibilities
  • Organisational skills
  • Positive thinking
  • Tips to manage stressful situations
  • Practical skills (cooking, first aid, living a healthy lifestyle), and much more!

Partnerships with University of Canberra

A male university student talking to a younger female high school student

Our College has partnered with the University of Canberra to provide additional support services to SFX students.

Occupational Therapist

Occupational therapy students and the occupational therapy clinical educators from the University of Canberra (UC) Faculty of Health Clinics work in partnership with St Francis Xavier College to provide occupational therapy support to the students, teachers and parents in the College community. The UC health clinics are a multi-disciplinary service located on the University of Canberra campus, who provide a variety of services to the general public.

Occupational therapists can help with many areas of a child’s development, including thinking, emotions, behaviour, sensory processing, social interactions, play, gross motor skills, and fine motor skills.

The UC occupational therapy students visit the school two days a week during the school term and work with teachers to identify general areas of need for students in the school, including assessments of individual students. This may involve discussion with class teachers, observation in classes, and general developmental screening if appropriate. Once the needs are established, the UC occupational therapy students run small group programs and work with individual students.

If you are interested in the UC Occupational Therapy program, please reach out to the SFX Inclusive Education Coordinator, Karen Garrity. and teachers with updates about a student’s progress.

Optometry

In partnership with the University of Canberra's Future of Health - Equity and Healthcare Pathways Programs, students are being presented with the opportunity to have an eye and vision screening test conducted by Optometry students from the University of Canberra. The eye and vision screening includes testing on each of the following components: vision and prescription; eye health; depth perception and colour vision; and eye muscle focusing. All participating Saint Francis Xavier College students will receive an eye report explaining any findings to parents or carers.

This program is a free service and testing is non-invasive. For students to participate their Medicare number will need to be provided to facilitate provision of the report. Please reach out to Director of Student Wellbeing, Leilah Ayton, if you have any questions.