The Key Skill of Staying Well

The Key Skill of Staying Well is part of the new Junior Cycle English Specification and you can find more details and resources here.
 
A sense of well-being is is defined as 'a state ……in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community' (WHO, 2001). The focus of mental health promotion is on outcomes to strengthen people's sense of control, resilience and ability to cope with life's challenges. 

Recent reports in Ireland and the UK have expressed concern about children's well-being. They argue that more importance needs to be given to the development of pupils' self-belief, perseverance and ability to bounce back from set-backs.

In new research, Holly Schiffrin, Ph.D., and colleagues from the University of Mary Washington examined the effect of parenting behavior on college students' psychological well-being. The study is published online in the Journal of Child and Family Studies. The researchers discovered parental over involvement can lead to negative outcomes in children, including higher levels of depression and anxiety. Studies also suggest that children of overinvolved or overcontrolling parents may feel less competent and less able to manage life and its stressors.  Most parents would do anything to help their children be happy and successful and parental involvement is necessary to facilitate healthy development, both enotionally and socially. But too much involvement can be detrimental as a new study shows that college students with overcontrolling parents are more likely to be depressed and less satisfied with their lives. Experts say this "helicopter parenting" style — hovering over and micro-managing their child's school and social lives — can negatively affects students' well-being by violating their need to feel both autonomous and competent. Researchers believe such parenting can violate students' basic needs.'‘Helicopter Parenting’ Can Undermine Students’ Self-Image. By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor. Click here for more details 

 
Like every other school Stratford College is working on a school policy to promote positive mental health among our students and to support parents. Well-Being in Post-Primary Schools Guidelines were published by the Department of Education and Skills (DES) which you can see in more detail if you click here. 
 
We are working on the implementation part of the policy and are consulting with parents about what support they would find helpful. Their role is vitally important in teaching their children the keys skills of confidence, resilience and independence as they navigate the many new challenges of modern living. 

 
We are also introducing the highly regarded 'Friends for Life' Programme on a pilot basis to our 2nd Years - see here for more details. The ‘FRIENDS for Life’ programme is a school-based positive mental health programme. The World Health Organisation cites ‘FRIENDS for Life’ as the only evidence-based programme effective at all levels of intervention for anxiety in children (WHO 2004). The programme helps students to develop effective strategies to deal with worry, stress and change and teaches the skills required to reduce anxiety and promote resilience. National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS).

Ms. Patricia Gordon, Principal