Term 1 is School Camps time, and as we all know this can test the brave of hearts of the most robust student. Some students will bounce willingly into the experience but some will need some support to attend.
In the School Psychologist role here at SCAS, I’m often talking to parents about student anxiety. I have found It can be one of the tricky topics to discuss with families, particularly when that anxiety is around separation. Anxiety can be counter-intuitive, what makes us great parents (reassuring, protective) is often the flipside to giving someone ‘Their Brave’ (stepping back and letting go). Maybe this is why it can feel so tough to manage sometimes?
Advice and school expectations initially can feel at odds with our parenting, but in turn, our initial valued actions as a parent can often breathe life into anxiety. In my experience anxiety has a way of dividing support between school and home for children if we don’t take care.
Schools play a crucial role in supporting students with separation anxiety as we are often the first environment students separate to, and also at times anxiety sees school as a perceived threat. It is always a pleasure to see schools and families come together to best support students in getting the most out of the school experience.
Camps are cleverly designed to empower students to spend positive time away from family, giving them ‘Their Brave’ to do amazing things with the support of their peers and special teachers. Camps are designed to provide a gentle nudge forward for some students while stretching others, all at the pace of the individual student. The main goal of school camps is to simply attend and participate at your level.
David Bruce – School psychologist
‘You can see around the corners that they can’t. And you can see their strength, and their resilience, and their courage. You know it’s there, in them, and you know they can do hard things – they’re amazing like that – but sometimes you need to believe it enough for both of you.’ – Karen Young.
I have attached a great article below from an Australian Author and Child Psychologist Karen Young.
How to Manage School Anxiety – What Children and Teens Need From Us – Hey Sigmund
