At Heathfield School, students can learn about the different aspects of Positive Psychology and related strategies that they can use in their day to day lives both now and in the future. With the increase in mental health issues among teenagers it is imperative that schools address these issues in a way that is preventative, as you might keep yourself physically healthy by eating, exercising and sleeping well.
Students in Forms I to III receive weekly or fortnightly Flourishing lessons which include Yoga, Meditation and Mindfulness and strategies developed from research in Positive Psychology and Positive Education. Part of these lessons include Bounce Forward’s Resilience Curriculum. Examples of such lessons might include healthy habits for mental wellbeing, considering random acts of kindness and developing their character strengths. They are given time to reflect on such strategies and are encouraged to practise them outside of the lessons.
Students in Form IV this year are embarking on Mental Health Mentor training, a course co-written with Alicia Drummond, founder of the Teen Tips Website. This will give students understanding in the psychology of mental health and illness, listening skills and health coping strategies. They will have lessons in active listening skills and elements of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help them to understand how unhelpful thought patterns can be ‘reframed’ to reduce irrational reactions.
