Wellness Workshops for Young People & Family & Friends!

Mental Health Masterclass is back, and it's new and improved!

Masterclass is a great way to learn essential skills that will come in handy throughout your life. If you're waiting for an appointment with one of our clinicians, it will also set a good foundation for your sessions with your therapist!

Open to young people, friends and family members, Masterclass is a weekly, 1-hour group-based educational and skill building workshop series using evidence based modules of our Brief Interventions Clinic Toolkit. This includes nine skill-building and behavioural sessions targeting common problems and they're delivered by a headspace clinician and a young person from our Youth Advisory Group.

All sessions are ’stand-alone’ (meaning you can come to all of them or come to just one! You will get the full benefit of each class without needing to commit to the whole series). At the conclusion of each session, attendees will receive a handout with suggested activities and options for follow-up.

Masterclass is held every Wednesday, 5pm - 6pm at headspace Sunshine.

Topics and dates:

Get Relaxed - 16th October

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 - 23rd October 

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 - 30th October

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 themselves 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 - 6th November

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 - 13th November

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 that is not damaging to people themselves or others.
• Enhance understanding of empathy and its impact on emotional responses.

Master Your Moods - 27th November

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 - 4th December 

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 - 11th December

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 - 18th December

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.

There is no need to register for these sessions, just come along on the night.

For more information, call us on (03) 9927 6222 and ask to speak with Dylan or Carsten