Saturday 22 February 2014

Mental Health in Schools - the Whyalla experience

Well what do you know? Hincks Avenue Primary school in Whyalla, South Australia has been addressing mental health at educative/preventative and therapeutic levels for over three years now. The Kids Matter initiative has as one of its focus areas 'social and emotional learning (including evidence-based social and emotional learning programs)'. This is promoted continuouslty and relentlessly through the Rational Emotive Behaviour Education system in operation at Hincks Avenue and other schools like Stuart High School, Whyalla Stuart Campus R7 and Long Street Primary Schools. This is a systematic, counselling theory based program that teaches and reinforces that students (we) are the architects of our own personal philosophies about ourselves, others and the world and it's these that determine by and large how we feel and behave. Good to know that the Kids Matter initiative is on the ball! The Whyalla REBE School Cluster promotes positive mental health via Albert Ellis' REBT/REBE. It would be really useful if this was recognised and supported by other organisations that have Albert Ellis' ABC Theory of Emotional Disturbance as a key underlying theory/model for mental health promotion. Albert Ellis himself supports us through the custodians of his work and legacy (rebtnetwork.org). Teachers in Whyalla are trend setters in mental health promotion and as such need to be recognised and commended. Well done all Rational Emotive Behaviour Educators! Please share and pass on so that we can get the support locally that we enjoy internationally! http://ow.ly/tSjRZ

Sunday 16 February 2014

Whether we weather the weather or whether we don't

I posted this (below) on the Albert Ellis FB page this week (https://www.facebook.com/TheAlbertEllisProfessionalLearningCentre?ref=hl). It had been a week where temperatures had hovered above 40 degrees celsius for days in succession and then ended with a deluge of rain that caused minor flooding in Whyalla, and widespread damage in Adelaide, South Australia's capital. Happily for fire fighters in the Southern Flinders Ranges it doused bushfires which had been burning out of control for a month! Fantastic work by the fire fighters who work voluntarily and provide such great service to us all. Thank you!


'The week that was. Pretty challenging week for educators (and everyone) in Whyalla and surrounds. Heatwave and deluge kept students in the classroom. Pressure all round well handled by all. What a week! Have a good weekend!!'

Relieving rains!

The week was a trying one for all teachers and students as most days they had to stay indoors. They weathered the weather well!

Damon L. Jacobs left a message with a link (below) to a post he wrote a while ago about the weather and how best we can manage ourselves when the weather isn't as we would prefer it to be. Damon is a family therapist in New York and a fellow REBTer.

The Absolutely Should-less Blog: Lesson #34: It Is Insane To Argue With The Weather

Have a look.

The Bangor fire, Southern Flinders Ranges

Sunday 9 February 2014

The Albert Ellis Professional Learning Centre 2014 Program

The Albert Ellis Centre has provided professional learning to educators, counsellors and allied professionals for more than two years now.

The Centre is a community resource committed to providing quality learning based on Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy. REBT is the original positive psychology and is referenced in many popular websites like Kidsmatter, Headspace, MindMatters to name a few. It is a core component of and complements Martin Seligmans Positive Psychology model.

The Centre has the support of the REBT Network (www.rebtnetwork.org) which represents the work and legacy of Dr. Albert Ellis, the grandfather of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT).

The Centre would like to thank the support of Event Strategies (Eire) and would welcome the support of other community agencies and organisations which would like to partner the Centre in mental health promotion and education. An exciting sponsorship partnership is in prospect which will be made public in the near future.
The attached 2014 Centre program below is for educators, counsellors and other agency professionals and para professionals who want to support their clients achieve social, emotional and behavioural well being. It would be appreciated if you could promote this program via your networks. 

What’s Unconditional Self- Acceptance?

This is warts n’ all acceptance of all the things that make up the complexity of the ‘self’,  a term we use when referring to the ‘me’ we un...