Mental health masterclasses in the Community
Our Mental health Masterclasses are based on the Orygen Brief Interventions Clinic (BIC), a toolkit with the latest evidence-informed practices and guidance for the treatment of mild-to-moderate high prevalence disorders in young people, and covers topics ranging from managing anger, boosting self-esteem and developing healthy sleeping habits. We've transformed the toolkit into group-based workshops where we facilitate a safe space to learn and practice skills for improved wellbeing. Building on our successes with online groups, we are now offering to co-facilitate a 4-6 week mental health masterclass program at schools and community spaces! You can expect to learn a selection of lifestyle, interpersonal and intrapersonal development skills in these interactive group workshops, guided by a headspace youth peer worker.
What's on the menu?
Get Relaxed
The aim of this session is to:
- Gain a basic understanding of mindfulness and relaxation and the usefulness of implementing these practices to assist with managing feelings of tension and discomfort.
- Increase awareness of current physical, or body state, together with the thoughts, fears and memories that intrude into the present moment
- Acknowledge and compare feelings of discomfort with those of freedom and relief.
- Promote curiosity and sample different mindfulness exercises from a position of openness, free of judgement.
- Normalise the challenge people may face with trying something new for the first time.
- Develop a list of relaxing activities that people can enjoy on their own or with others.
Say It Straight
The aim of this session is to:
- Understand the advantages and disadvantages of different communication styles, and to explore what styles of communication people use.
- Consider the thoughts and beliefs that may stop people from standing up for themselves when their needs aren’t being met in a social context.
- Develop an understanding of the different aspects of communicating assertively, including without blame, taking ownership of feelings, describing rather than judging, and offering a compromise.
- Increasing confidence in being assertive by using these skills in different social situations.
Boost Your Confidence
The aim of this session is to:
- Consider the impacts of negative self-appraisal re: body image on both short-term (emotional distress) and long-term (patterns of avoidance, time, money)
- Normalise their experience through education and de-stigmatising language.
- Consider media consumption from a more critical perspective
- Increase people’s appreciation of diversity both in them and in others.
- Move towards self-acceptance through whole-of-person appreciation with a particular focus on strengths and values.
- Expand people’s lives through engaging in meaningful life experiences that might have been avoided due to body image issues.
- Experiment with different ways of re-connecting to people’s physical selves in a positive way through relaxation, mindfulness and increased self-care.
Healthy Thinking
The aim of this session is to:
- Normalise the experience of having problems and to recognise that problems can be solvable.
- Understand the difference between worrying and problem-solving
- Explore the vulnerability that is experienced in relation to confronting problems and that from a position of vulnerability we can create new opportunities.
- Conceptualise the six-step problem solving approach and practice implementing the model using a real-life example, or the case examples provided.
Keep Your Cool
The aim of this session is to:
- Normalise the experience of anger as an appropriate emotional response.
- Understand the difference between anger and aggression and to recognise that anger is a learned response.
- Begin to identify the physiological, cognitive and behavioural build up during an anger response.
- Conceptualise ‘anger as a volcano’ metaphor by observing different physical, emotional and behavioural cues in each state, including the consequences of each state.
- Explore people’s previous experiences of anger by examining the events before, during and after, with particular emphasis on the short-term and long-term.
- Introduce ongoing self-reflection by encouraging people to be their own ‘scientist’ or ‘experimenter’.
- Trial practical strategies to vent anger and/or aggression in a more meaningful and helpful way that is not damaging to people themselves or others.
- Enhance understanding of empathy and its impact on emotional responses.
Master Your Moods
The aim of this session is to:
- Understand why we have emotions and develop an awareness of the relationship between thoughts, feelings and actions.
- Understand sadness and anxiety, and how these emotions vary in intensity.
- Consider the truthfulness of people’s thoughts, and learn how to challenge thoughts and develop a more rational perspective.
- Explore the brief nature of emotions, the impact of judgement, and explore emotions as physical sensations.
- Experiment with different ways of accepting and siting with emotions rather than act based on a temporary mood state.
- Increase activity and enjoyment by re-engaging in activities of achievement or pleasure
Sleep Well
The aim of this session is to:
- Share experiences around sleep and what might be impacting negatively on it
- Normalise the challenge people are facing within the context of our stressors
- Provide people with education around the importance of sleep as well as engage them in discussion
- Explore people’s current sleep routine
- Experiment with different ways of re-connecting to people’s
‘physical selves’ in a positive way through relaxation,
mindfulness and increased self-care.
Get Active
The aim of this session is to:
- Enhance understanding of the short-term and long-term benefits of physical activity on physical and mental health.
- Be(come) aware of the recommended physical activity guidelines indicated by the WHO.
- Examine people’s current level of physical activity
- Acknowledge the challenges or barriers around being active or increasing physical activity in people’s routine by looking at the cost and benefits of exercise
- Develop a list of activities people are currently engage in or would like to engage in
- Develop a weekly activity schedule
Eat Well
The aim of this session is to:
- Understand the short-term and long-term benefits of good nutrition and balanced eating on physical and mental health.
- Be(come) aware of the recommendations for food and beverage intake, according to the Australian Dietary Guidelines.
- Examine people’s current eating patterns and routines, and identify areas for change.
- Normalise and acknowledge the barriers to balanced eating or making dietary swaps.
- Identify current food preferences or things that people would like to try.
- Plan and set goals for making healthy food swaps or participating in meal planning and preparation at home.
Term 1 of 2023 is now fully booked. For more details or enquiries, please email headspaceSunshineCommunity@orygen.org.au