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Mental Health Education Program for schools
Schools play an important role in supporting the mental health needs of young people and their families. The headspace Mental Health Education Program aims to increase student understanding of mental health and wellbeing, what impacts it, reduce stigma and help young people and their families build strategies and skills to manage challenges and changes, including where to get help.
Mental health workshops for students are available for teachers and educators to book at no cost to grade 6 and secondary schools across Australia, including metro, regional and remote areas. They are interactive, strength-based and evidence-informed and timed to fit a standard school lesson
Mental health workshops
Audience: Years 7-12
Our regular mental health workshops are facilitated in classrooms at your school in-person or online via a projector. Workshops and topics include:
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Workshop |
Learning outcomes |
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Let’s talk about it: Mental health |
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Looking out for your friends: Notice, Ask, Connect |
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Bullying and mental Health |
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Self-care: looking after your mental health |
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Emotions |
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Culture, identity, and wellbeing |
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Connection and wellbeing |
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Book a workshop for your classroom
Teachers and educators can book in-person student workshops for their classroom below. Please note a waiting list may apply.
| Download our flyer | Request in-person workshop |
Transitions: Primary to secondary school
Audience: Years 6 and 7
Helps prepare students for the changes ahead as they move into secondary school. Topics covered:
- Understanding how change impacts mental health
- What we can and can’t control
- Understanding our values
- Building our support networkg
Book a workshop for your classroom
Teachers and educators can book in-person student workshop for Yr 6 and Yr 7 classes below. Please note a waiting list may apply.
| Request in-person workshop |
Upcoming transitions webinars for families:
Please note, registrations for these close one hour before the start time.
Transitions: Leaving secondary school
Audience: Years 10-12
Helps prepare students for the changes ahead as they finish secondary school. Topics covered:
- Handling stress during big life changes
- Learning ways to stay calm and cope
- Finding people who can support
Book a workshop for your classroom
Teachers and educators can book an online or in-person student workshop for your classroom below. Online workshops can be streamed directly into your physical classroom setting via Microsoft Teams (students are unable to join the session from individual devices - check out our FAQs). A waiting list may apply for in-person workshops.
| Book online workshop | Request in-person workshop |
Upcoming transitions webinars for families:
Please note, registrations for these close one hour before the start time.
Supporting young people: Notice, Inquire, Provide
Audience: parents / carers
Designed to complement the student workshops, this 'Supporting young people' workshop is for parents / carers in your school's community. Topics covered:
- Understanding adolescent mental health and development
- Understand young people's emotions
- Support young people to manage their emotions
- Where to seek support for you and your young people
Book an in-person workshop
Please note that this 'Supporting young people' workshop can only be delivered if an in-person student workshop is also booked.
FAQs: Online mental health workshops for schools
Online workshops are delivered via Microsoft Teams and will be streamed live into physical classrooms around Australia. Students will join the session as a group through the teacher's stream - please do not share the Microsoft Teams meeting link with students to log in individually from their devices.
Teachers and educators will need to:
- Book their classroom into a workshop via our online event management system (registration links are above, per workshop).
- At the start time, join the workshop via the Microsoft Teams link.
- Stream the workshop via a projector and speakers for all students to view as a group. Access the Teams chatbox via a keyboard to actively engage with the discussions or use a functioning microphone for students to engage verbally with the wider group.
Whilst it is not compulsory to have your cameras on, we encourage that you do where possible, to support engagement and connection with other groups in the session. This can also support our Mental Health Education Program consultants to engage with your students and to see what is happening in each classroom. We understand that local school guidelines or internet connections may limit whether your group can have their cameras on.
To participate in the online workshop, you will need:
- Microsoft Teams (please speak with your IT departments to ensure you have access to Microsoft Teams ahead of time)
- A projector
- Speakers
- Keyboard to engage with discussions via Microsoft Teams chatbox
- Microphone, should your students also wish to engage verbally with the wider group
Please do not share the Teams link with students to log in individually using their own devices.
Each session will run for 1 hour and 15 minutes:
- 60 minutes for content and activities
15 minutes at the beginning to ensure everyone can log in and their technology is working
Teachers are required to supervise the students and manage behaviour throughout the sessions. We also ask that they support the group to engage and actively participate in the event discussions and activities. It is also important for teachers to monitor the wellbeing of students throughout the session and check in on anyone who they feel may have been impacted by the content.
These online workshops are being offered to classes across Australia so we are unable to shift the times. We recommend setting up a separate space in the school with staff supervision, for class groups to attend the workshops between lesson times.
Any class at your school from year 7-12 is welcome to join any of the online workshops, with the exception of Transitions: Primary to secondary (year 6 only) and Transitions: Leaving secondary school (years 10-12 only).
Your classes are welcome to register separately or together as a whole cohort. If the time slots don’t fit with your timetable, we suggest setting up a separate space in the school with staff supervision for class groups to attend.
Please note that we do not recommend selecting students to attend a workshop, as the workshops are designed for delivery to your entire class. The general mental health information can support the wellbeing of all of your students.
The content will discuss general mental health and ways to manage stress and tough times. We also promote help-seeking and encourage young people to reach out to their families and teachers if they need any support. If you’re aware of a student in your class who may find these discussions upsetting, please speak with their families and give them the option to opt out.
If your school has recently been impacted by a critical incident or suicide death, please connect with the Be You team in your state or territory for support.
Need more information?
The Mental Health Education Program is a Schools Suicide Prevention Activity initiative. headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation is funded by the Australian Government.