What a social worker hears from students ‘while enjoying hot chocolate’

Year 11 student Christopher said he had been supported since the age of eight by one of the school’s mental health practitioners, social worker Gregory Mays.

“When I first started, I was at a really low point in my life, I felt so misunderstood,” Christopher said.

“I thought I was the only one who understood myself… and that kept me from socializing.”

Christopher said he struggled with friendships and schoolwork, and didn’t like school at all.

“The first thing Greg helped me was to realize that I could manage my emotions and find strategies to understand myself,” he said.

Christopher said that after building trust, he felt more confident about opening up.

He said it made him feel understood and made him enjoy school.

Mr Mays said he has worked as a mental health practitioner at Bannockburn P-12 College since 2021.

He has mentored more than 100 students there, in addition to teaching classes and group lunch sessions.

Mr Mays said the most common problem at school was excessive worry and anxiety, followed by frustration.

Students also frequently exhibited inappropriate challenging behavior, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and concerns about family, emotional regulation, peer relationships, sadness, and self-esteem.

All of these issues, Mr. Mays said, affected academic performance and life outcomes.

He said it always took time to build trust with students and ensure they felt safe enough to work on the mental health issues they were facing.

“It’s a lot of time to sit with a hot chocolate and talk about life,” he said.

Year 9 Briony signed up for a class in the school’s mental health program. ‘Banny Project’, at the beginning of the year, and said she was learning to deal with life’s emotional storms and enjoying them.

“We’re going sailing on the Geelong waterfront,” she said.

“It helps me build my resilience and teamwork… we all have to work together to make sure it goes where we need it to go.”

Briony said the experience helped her stay more engaged during other classes as well.

“By steering the boat, I have control over where I’m going,” she said.

Mr Mays is one of several mental health practitioners placed in Victorian secondary schools as part of the state government’s Mental Health in Schools Initiative.

Deputy Prime Minister Ben Carroll said the program will enable about 9,300 students to receive mental health care each year.

Lifeline: 13 11 14

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