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

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

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. 

My World - under construction

Children are constructivists. They make sense of what's happening and put two and two together and make their own four. Depression is a condition that undermines our ability to engage with the world successfully. What habits of believing have we constructed? Do we know what they are? Can we do anything about it? Why do I feel as I feel? Good questions to ponder and Rational Emotive Behaviour Education facilitates the students capacity to think about their thinking, to examine the philosophies they hold. If we have constructed our depression by cultivating irrational (unhelpful, unhealthy) habits of believing then we can deconstruct it! We can constantly revisit the meanings we have made about our experiences and re examine them through the REBE lens. 'Am I worthless? What does this mean? What evidence is there to support this hypothesis? What reconstructed meanings can I make that best fit the evidence?' This kind of awareness and learning allows the person to monitor their mental health, to make decisions about what they can do to help themselves forge ahead in the world. The REBE approach to Positive Psychology is promoted through The Albert Ellis Professional Learning Centre, based at Stuart High School in Whyalla, South Australia.

https://www.facebook.com/TheAlbertEllisProfessionalLearningCentre

Psychological Immunisation Now Available in Whyalla, South Australia!

Have you been psychologically immunised yet? Better get on to it asap! How do you 'psychologically immunise' students against the ravages of rejection and failure? May I recommend a school or schools that teach REBT/CBT (Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy/Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) across all curriculum areas whose teachers are trained in teaching Unconditional Self Acceptance (USA)? Many students are conditioned to believe that they are only worthwhile if significant others think they are or if they achieve their goals. Whilst it is important that others approve of us and that we do well and achieve our goals and desires our worth is never at question. The belief that others opinion of you define who you are is errant and self defeating. The ‘I’m only OK if you think I am’ philosophy is an irrational one because it causes anxiety, depression and other debilitating conditions that undermine our mental health because the person or persons whose approval we seek may not give it! So what do we do? Teach children that their opinion of themselves is more important than those of others!  This is not to say that they should not desire or prefer that others approve of them, as this is a reasonable expectation to have.  But needing is different to preferring. The teachers at the REBE (Rational Emotive Behaviour Education) School Cluster in Whyalla teach USA across the curriculum, delivering to students their daily dose of ‘psychological immunity’ by teaching e.g.:

• That thinking feeling and behaving are connected
• That ‘doing’ is not ‘being.’
• That others’ opinion of us don’t define us
• That we can ‘decatastrophise’ and manage our emotions in tough situations
• That we can achieve our goals even though times can be tough
• That we are always worthwhile no matter what

The REBE School Cluster in Whyalla is the place to go to get ‘psychologically immunised’ through the excellent work of the teachers (Rational Emotive Behaviour Educators) who work there.

What ideas have you constructed about yourself?

Positive Psychology the Whyalla Way - Albert Ellis and Psychology in Schools

A group of schools in Whyalla, South Australia has been promoting student personal and academic capability development through Rational Emotive Behaviour Education (REBE) for over two years now. The Albert Ellis Centre Face Book page (https://www.facebook.com/TheAlbertEllisProfessionalLearningCentre?ref=hl) has documented the excellent work done by teachers at Stuart High School, Whyalla Stuart Campus R-7, Hincks Avenue Primary and Long Street Primary schools. Based on the work of Albert Ellis' (father of cognitive therapies) Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy professional and personal development programs have been provided through 'The Centre' for more than two years now. That equates to 400 plus educators, carers, counsellors and other allied professionals having been informed and skilled in the delivery of Ellis' ABC Theory of Emotional (and Behavioural) Disturbance in a variety of contexts - education and therapeutic interventions. This endeavor has been supported by enthusiastic school leaders who put a premium on student personal competency building as part of every day learning. Whilst we all in Whyalla congratulate the South Australian governments initiative to support the work of Dr. Martin Seligman I want to again through this blog acknowledge the work and endeavours of educators from preschool to year 10 who have been promoting our version of 'Positive Psychology' with very positive outcomes to date in Whyalla in very challenging contexts. The article here http://ow.ly/qDRaK recommends the establishment of a 'Well Being Institute' to execute an international agenda. Two and a half years ago we opened the Albert Ellis Professional Learning Centre at Stuart High School - DONE! We have continued to provide quality programs under the auspices of the REBT Network, USA (www.rebtnetwork.org). The article also recommends that 'a workforce capable of teaching wellbeing' be developed. Good idea and Whyalla and Eyre and Western Region have about 300 educators, counsellors and para professionals trained (via The Albert Ellis Professional Learning Centre) in the application of cognitive therapy based principles in educational and counselling contexts. This too is done and continues to be done through a comprehensive professional learning program.

Whilst it is commendable that the South Australian government supports the great work of Dr. Martin Seligman for whom I have a great deal of respect I would hope that initiatives such as ours in regional South Australia would also attract some support and recognition. Positive psychology development in schools is a positive thing and educators in Whyalla, South Australia are doing their bit through Rational Emotive Behaviour Education to promote positive mental health in schools and beyond.

Whyalla Marina, South Australia

Salute to TC's Impact on Psychology: A tribute to Albert Ellis

Teacher College has been a hot bed of thinking and creativity for more than a century. The brightest luminary (in my opinion) is Dr Albert Ellis whose REBTspawned the cognitive therapy revolution. The REBE School Cluster in Whyalla South Australia wishes to acknowledge the rich legacy of thinking and creativity that Dr Ellis has left us. We continue to apply his ABC Theory of Emotional Disturbance in learning and teaching across all year levels (preschool to year 10) so that children can learn to be less disturbable and more able to pursue their goals in life, to be happy and successful. Thanks Dr Ellis from all of us Rational Emotive Behaviour Educators in Whyalla, South Australia. Have a look at this tribute to the life and work of a true legend of psychology, Dr. Albert Ellis.