Student wellbeing for academic success

A focus on student wellbeing for academic success TUESDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2023

ZOË ROBINSON (HOST) ADVOCATE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

Zoë Robinson was appointed as the Advocate for Children and Young People in January 2021.

Zoë holds a law degree and a Masters of Human Rights. She previously worked as a solicitor for firms in NSW, for Deloitte in internal strategy and was the CEO of the NSW Peak Body for Youth Homelessness. Prior to commencing her appointment as the Acting Advocate, Zoë worked at the Department of Premier and Cabinet. Her role was focussed on breaking disadvantage. Zoë also volunteered for a number of months for an organisation that represented death row inmates based in Houston, Texas.

Having both experience in the professional services industry and the not-for-profit industry means that Zoë brings a balance of passion coupled with a “can-do” attitude to her role as Advocate. Zoë firmly believes that children and young people should be given every opportunity to succeed and set themselves up for success, and that they should have the opportunity to choose what that means to them. Zoë believes that all children and young people should be heard, listened to and be central to the work that we do both in government, business and community. Zoë is enthusiastic, energetic, and pragmatic and thoroughly enjoys collaborating with people to achieve a purpose and an outcome.

ANDREW SCOTT Andrew Scott leads the Psychological Services team at Pymble Ladies’ College.

He is a clinical psychologist with many years of experience supporting children, young people, and families.

Andrew first discovered his passion for working with families in 2010 during his first position within a child and youth mental health service. He then went to work in Fiji where he trained and supported counsellors working in the hospitals, prisons, and in the community. He also had the opportunity to introduce mental health and domestic violence screening into the antenatal support programs provided in the hospitals.

Since returning to Australia Andrew has worked across both private practice settings and in public health. Before joining Pymble Ladies’ College he led the Child and Youth Mental Health team at Hornsby Hospital and developed a deep appreciation for the research and clinical practice of family systems and attachment-based therapies.

If you would like to see more about what an attachment-based approach to parenting looks like (with a strong neuro-developmental perspective) then you could read some of Dr Dan Siegel’s work like No-Drama Discipline.

LISA MALTMAN Lisa Maltman is the founder and owner of The Sleep Connection and is passionate about improving lives through healthy sleep.

Lisa established The Sleep Connection to address the growing concern around the impact that insufficient sleep is having on many of our younger children, along with approximately 70 per cent of our adolescents. This can have serious consequences on learning, motivation and mental health.

Lisa has worked with more than 100 schools across public, catholic and independent sectors in multiple states in Australia. Lisa specialises in helping students, staff and parents thrive in their overall physical and mental health, school performance and family lives through her interactive programs and workshops. She is also a speaker at key Australian mental health and wellbeing conferences.

Through The Sleep Connection Lisa delivers a comprehensive solution from education through to pathways to professional help. She collaborates with specialists from SleepShack, which delivers the clinically proven online sleep program for pre-teens and teenagers, along with the Woolcock Paediatric and Adolescent Sleep Clinic. The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney is a world leader in sleep and breathing research.

Lisa has a unique ability to inspire change, sharing the message from three perspectives: •

Professional - as a sleep educator with a background in treatment of sleep apnea and corporate health.

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Family - living the reality of her message as a full-time working mother of two teenagers.

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Personal - as someone who in the past has been personally impacted by chronic insomnia and understands the impact and road to recovery.

DR JUDITH LOCKE Dr Judith Locke is a registered clinical psychologist, former teacher, and school counsellor. She speaks to parents, teachers, and students throughout Australia and internationally, on topics related to modern parenting, family wellbeing, and academic environments.

Judith is the author of two best-selling parenting books, The Bonsai Child and The Bonsai Student, and The Bonsai Child has been published in China also.

She has a clinical private practice, and consults with families in Australasia.

Judith’s psychological commentary features regularly in the media, including a weekly parenting column for The Sunday Mail. She is a member of The Australian Psychological Society and a fellow of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists.

TAKEAWAY POINTS How to put your child on commission.

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Asking you for a lift? Get them to do something for you, such as take in the washing.

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When they want a toy car in the supermarket, you can buy it, but have them earn it by doing a few chores at home.

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Give them a chance to earn more money to buy those Doc Martins or cool jeans, by doing extra chores around the house.

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Never pay them more per hour than what they would earn at a part time job.

Give them an accurate idea of realistic pay rates.

BRAD MARSHALL B.A.PSYCH; MHSC.BEH SCI; MRES; PHD CANDIDATE THE UNPLUGGED PSYCHOLOGIST DIRECTOR OF THE SCREENS & GAMING DISORDER CLINIC

Brad is recognised as one of Australia’s leading experts in excessive internet use or ‘internet addiction’ otherwise known as gaming disorder and related disorders. As the Director and Founder of The Screen & Gaming Disorder Clinic, Australia’s first established specialty clinic, he is a well-respected presenter and speaker on the topic, frequenting schools, corporate and parent seminars. He is the author of the parent book The Tech Diet for your Child and Teen which has been published in over a dozen countries and languages world-wide. In his spare time Brad is doing a PhD research program at Macquarie University, running clinical trials for gaming disorder.

BRAD’S TAKEAWAY POINTS •

Sleep is sacred. If screens impact a teen’s sleep schedule, things can turn for the worse, so get into the routine of taking steps to limit that i.e. by turning the home WIFI off at night.

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Don’t overthink “good and bad” screen time. Just think of all recreational screen time in one bucket.

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Try not to make judgment statements about smartphones, apps or screens in general. Even if we disagree with their overall use, don’t enter into a circular argument about it.

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The use of cyber safety apps to monitor your teen should not replace fostering a strong connection and communicating with them.

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Try not to take their screen use personally. Children and teens are vulnerable to overusing their screens, and parents should be there to help when they break the rules. Getting angry and upset usually doesn’t achieve anything.

RESOURCES TECHNOLOGY

DISCIPLINE

The Sleep Connection

The Unplugged Psychologist

Dr Dan Siegel

Brad Marshall

Whole Brain Child and No Drama

Printable sleep diary. Get a picture of your whole family’s sleep health. The two-week sleep diary is quick and easy to fill out, taking only a couple of minutes each day to complete

Unplugged Psychologist Blog Includes information on the Pitfalls of Gaming, warning signs of addiction, how to deal with boredom without technology

Teens and Social Media The Parents Website, a discussion about unplugging from socials

Video Games and Grief An analysis of how gaming can help process grief

Digital Families The prevalence of the digital diet and the steps parents can take to teach children good tech habits

Discipline

The Whole Brain Child Calm the chaos and the developing mind

No Drama Discipline

ABC iView “Ask the Doctor” Sleep Episode

SLEEP

(30Mins) ABC TV health series segment on sleep

The Sleep Connection Information, resources and videos relating to the presentation

The Sleep Health Foundation Key Australian website on most sleep topics

WELLBEING

An online program for sleep problems in pre-teens and teens

Why Parents Should Stop Being their Child’s Sherpa

Sleepio

How to Avoid Being a Bonsai Parent 5 essential skills children need to ensure success at school

Helping Your Child Thrive The value of eating meals together

By the National Sleep Foundation

A refrigerator sheet

Sleep Shack

Helping vs doing the work kids should do themselves

Sleep Calculator

An online program tailored for adults, to help improve poor sleep. Sleepio-Expert articles & guides are highly recommended reading

Woolcock Paediatric Sleep Clinic Australia’s specialist Paediatric and Adolescent Sleep Service which assesses and manages all sleep disorders in children and teenagers. The team includes sleep specialists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and ENT’s

Smiling Mind Exists to help build mental health and wellbeing, using positive and innovative tools that are accessible to all. Mindfulness apps available to assist with sleep and relaxation

pymblelc.nsw.edu.au Avon Road Pymble NSW 2073 PO Box 136 North Ryde BC NSW 1670 Australia +61 2 9855 7799 A SCHOOL OF THE UNITING CHURCH ACN 645 100 670 | CRICOS 03288K