About the Wellbeing Bubble

About the Wellbeing Bubble

There are six bubbles(external link). Students choose which Bubble or combination of bubbles to use. They can take any pathway, in any sequence, depending on what best works for them.

Take your own action(external link)

This provides information to help a student resolve an issue for themselves, and understand strategies for self-care that work well for them. It includes information and links to organisations for help and advice (e.g. The Lowdown, Youthline).

Share with a friend(external link)

Students with a problem often first turn to a friend. This bubble includes advice on how to start a conversation, be a good friend, and how to stay safe and get help if a friend talks about a serious issue.

Connect with the Student Wellbeing Team(external link)

This allows students to connect with a trained and supported Year 10 to Year 13 student who can provide a bridge to school services, sources of self-help, or other professionals. Students in the Wellbeing Team are each supervised by the senior members of the team, who in turn are supervised by a guidance counsellor. This also means that where there are concerns for an individual student, guidance counsellors are informed and directly linked to any issues. Student Wellbeing Team members are not student mediators – the emphasis is on providing links to wellbeing services.

Talk to a Trusted Teacher(external link)

This allows a student to connect with a teacher they trust and are comfortable with. Teachers are given training from guidance counsellors and student wellbeing team members to listen, acknowledge and support students. Teachers work with the Student Wellbeing Team to understand what being a Trusted Teacher means for students. Trusted Teachers also provide a bridge to further support, including guidance counsellors.

Link in with a Wellbeing Professional(external link)

Students can directly refer themselves online to Wellbeing professionals, including counsellors, a youth worker, a social worker or a nurse. If a friend or teacher is encouraging a student to access this service, a meet and greet can be arranged to allow a student to decide if this is right for them.

Make a formal complaint(external link)

This allows students to make a formal complaint to the School Leadership Team or Dean. This begins a formal process which may involve steps to support students to modify behaviour, or take restorative action. The process is transparent: students can expect to be informed throughout, to have some control over decisions and outcomes, and know that plans are followed up until an issue is resolved.

Watch students talk about how the Wellbeing Bubble works.

How the Wellbeing Bubble works

Core values

The Wellbeing Bubble is built on a set of core values.

Student agency

Students are the experts in their own lives. They know themselves best, what they need, and which pathway will be the most effective for them to resolve issues of bullying and support their own wellbeing.

Externalising the problem

Creating space between the student and the problem allows students to separate themselves from the issue, gain perspective and maintain a sense of self-worth – ‘the person is not the problem; the problem is the problem’. This allows students to identify and use their strengths to resolve an issue.

Self-care

Students to develop agency, prosocial skills and resilience. They know what support is available, and understand the strategies that work for them. For example, a student may decide that for them their first action is to take time to look after themselves, separate themselves from the problem, and boost their own wellbeing to decide how they want to resolve the issue.

Working with, not to or for students

Based on the principles of the Social Discipline Window(external link) and restorative philosophy, the focus is on agency, partnerships, and developing prosocial skills. Those working with students ask curious and respectful questions to understand how a student views an issue and how they can work with and support the student in their actions to resolve the problem.

Watch students talk about what agency means to them.

The value of student agency