The College has adopted the Action for Happiness GREAT DREAM initiative – which celebrates 10 keys to happier living.
We actively encourage students to weave each of the keys into their daily life, promoting resilience, fulfilment and positive relationships and equipping students with the skills and attitude to thrive both in and out of college.
For more information about Action for Happiness visit the website here
It is vital that every student feels well supported from the first day they arrive at the College, giving them the confidence and resources to fulfil their potential.
All students are assigned a Progress Mentor who will be their advisor during their time at the College. It is their role to build a positive relationship with the student and their parents, discuss career and Higher Education options and prepare them for life after Sir John Deane’s. The Progress Mentor team should be the first point of contact for any student who feels they need extra support.
All students meet with their Progress Mentor once a week during Personal Development tutorials.
Sir John Deane’s Sixth Form College offers a professional counselling service. The student may choose to self-refer via an internal post box, email the team directly or refer via their Progress Mentor. The college counselling team all fully qualified and members of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP), working in line with the BACP ethical framework.
The counselling team use a person-centred approach, which means they are there to listen to students, without judgement, taking the time and care to build trust, striving to provide a safe and supportive space to talk freely. As standard practice at the College, students will be offered up to six sessions, each session will last 50 minutes. If a student requires more than six sessions, the team can discuss what their next steps might be and support with any referrals.
We actively encourage you to look at the counselling page of the VLE for some useful guidance around many topics such as resilience and your mental wellbeing, and links to external services.
Please find below a list of websites, where you can find information and guidance on student health and wellbeing.
The counselling section of the VLE has an abundance of useful links, documents and resources around various aspects of mental health and wellbeing.
Kooth is an online mental wellbeing community. Kooth has features and tools to support young people if they are looking for advice or are not feeling their best, such as online magazines and a place to set personal goals and journaling, as well as free, online support.
Young minds is committed to improving children’s wellbeing and mental health. The charity provides information, advice and support for both parents and students.
NHS live well website supplies advice, tips and tools to help individuals make the best choices about their health and wellbeing, ranging from sexual health, exercise and eating well.
The Anna Freud Centre has fantastic advice and guidance for families. The website provides a support services directory, strategies on self-care as well as many other useful resources.
As part of the No Harm Done project, which aims to reassure those affected by self-harm that things can and do get better, Young Minds has developed a resource package for children and young people, parents and professionals.
The Hub of Hope is the UK’s leading mental health support database. It is provided by national mental health charity, Chasing the Stigma, and brings local, national, peer, community, charity, private and NHS mental health support and services together in one place for the first time.
For a directory of apps that can support your mental health.
Resources for Parents
https://www.visyon.org.uk/resources
https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/parents-helpline/
https://www.mindedforfamilies.org.uk/young-people
https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/childrens-mental-health/
