Help Seeking

We often hear students refer to others as a ‘snitch” or  a ‘dobber’ in times when children seek help from an adult when things are going wrong, when they are harmed or even when they are made to feel unsafe.  This pressure not to tell has been embedded for several generations and I’m sure was the case for most of us growing up.  Did you know that the act of asking for help or support can act as a protective factor for children’s mental health and wellbeing?  

Help-seeking is a positive coping strategy.

Help-seeking could mean asking for assistance with day-to-day events such as learning experiences, and relationships (e.g. negotiating with peers on a task, managing anxious feelings or relationship breakups). 

Seeking help is important because it can foster children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

There are a range of influences and experiences – both positive and negative – that impact on an individual’s mental health. These influences and experiences are known as risk and protective factors. 

Being able to ask for help can act as a protective factor because help-seeking can lead to accessing resources that support mental health and wellbeing.

When children and young people view help-seeking positively, it builds a sense of agency and confidence that they can influence their world and receive help if needed. 

Children and young people who have a positive experience of help-seeking are empowered to access available supports in future. 

Getting help when needed may buffer the impact of risk factors that challenge a person’s mental health and wellbeing. 

Recognising and describing emotions

Supporting children to recognise and describe their emotions builds help-seeking confidence. Instilling positive beliefs and attitudes about accepting support empowers children to recognise when help is required and seek assistance when needed.

At Our Lady Star of the Sea we aim to develop help-seeking behaviours by:

• Creating  an environment where help-seeking is encouraged and valued.
• Supporting  children’s social and emotional learning, and to help them understand and name their emotions.
• Providing  positive role models and demonstrating help-seeking. For example say out loud, “I’m not sure how to solve this problem – I’m going to ask for help”.
• Provide encouragement and positive feedback for help-seeking. For example, “It looked as though you felt upset. I’m really glad you came to talk to me about it”.
• Having  systems that enable children and families to ask for help (such as a key person they know they can talk to, if needed).  This may involve emailing the class teacher, contacting the Principal or Student Wellbeing Leader. Students are also encouraged to use our Student Safety Form  (requires student login).  This is mainly used by students in Years 3-6.

If you have any questions regarding Help Seeking or other Student Wellbeing matters, please feel free to contact me.

Paul Anderson

Student Wellbeing Leader