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How are you doing? There’s never a wrong time to ask if someone’s okay, but sometimes everyone needs a little push to ask the question. Tomorrow, 14 September 2023, is R U OK Day?, Australia’s national day of action to remind us all that we can always ask “are you OK?”.
Mental health in the VET sector reflects much of what mental health has been in Australia historically, and focusing on how the sector approaches it has never been more important.
R U OK? is calling on all of us to let the people you care about know you’re here, to really hear them. It’s a conversation that can change a life. You don’t need to be an expert to reach out – just a good ‘friend’ and a great listener. Use these four steps and have a conversation that could change a life:
- Ask R U OK?
- Listen
- Encourage action
- Check in
This year for World Teachers’ Day, VDC is focusing on Wellness Awareness, so save the date, 27 October, registrations opening soon.
Mental health problems don’t discriminate, in fact, 44% (2 in 5) of Australians ages 16-85 are estimated to have experienced some kind of mental health disorder in their life. 14% (1 in 7) of children and adolescents aged 4-17 are estimated to have experienced a mental illness in the previous 12 months. This information is available here, on the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare website.
Mental health in Australia is a much talked about topic, but this is quite a recent development. R U OK? started as a campaign in 2009. It then became a public health promotion charity in 2010. Since then, “R U OK?” has been a phrase seen all over schools, workplaces, and public areas year after year. You can check out exactly how individuals and organisations can get behind R U OK? Day here: https://www.ruok.org.au/join-r-u-ok-day.
A research report from 2012, written by Annie Venville and Annette Street, detailed how mental illness was impacting the VET sector’s students, and more specifically, how students with mental illnesses are less likely to complete their training, and even less likely to actually disclose their mental illness in order to gain support.
As noted in the report,
“Students usually do not disclose their illness at the outset for the following reasons: they want to be self-reliant and to protect their sense of self as a coping person; they fear stigma, prejudice and rejection; and they don’t consider an episode of psychosis or depression as a ‘disability’. But the risk is then that students are often too ill and too vulnerable to seek help when they need it the most. If, out of desperation they do disclose, support is not necessarily forthcoming or useful.”
But, it’s not just students who are hesitant to talk about their struggles.
“When asked if they would disclose their own mental illness or encourage a colleague to do so, all staff indicated they would ‘probably not’. What appeared to be trust in the organisational response to students with a mental illness was in reality a trust in their own response.”
So what does this study then reflect? Granted, it is from over ten years ago now, so new research would be required to see how things may have changed. Everyone needs support for their mental health, teachers and students in the VET sector are no exception.
VDC have a range of sessions that could be of assistance, as teachers and trainers are often the first to notice potential mental health problems in their students.
Unpack your own unconscious bias with Helen Storr, and see how you can make your classroom a more open space.
Learn how psychological safety impacts learning outcomes with Chemène Sinson.
Join Karen Dymke to discuss how 10-20% of people worldwide have dyslexia. How many could be in your classes?
VDC also have a range of Webinar Recordings and eLearns on VDC-Learn, to support teachers and trainers as well.
Webinar Recording: Teaching Strategies for Challenging Behaviours
eLearn: Teaching Students with Anxiety
eLearn: Trauma Informed Teaching
