Program details
- Priority area: Wellbeing (social and emotional)
- Primary audience: Educators
- Delivery mode: Group training, online
- Strength of evidence: Level 4 – Emerging research evidence
- AEDC sub-domains:
- Emotional maturity – anxious and fearful behaviour
- Emotional maturity – aggressive behaviour
- Emotional maturity – hyperactivity and inattentive behaviour
- Social competence – responsibility and respect
- Item cost: Moderate ($200–$2,000 per person/item)
Program description
Conversations with a Psychologist: Promoting Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing aims to build the capacity of early childhood professionals to understand factors that support children’s mental health and wellbeing, as well as provides insight into common presentations of children’s emotional struggles. The program identifies practical ways that educational teams can support children’s mental health and wellbeing through their educational practice and environments.
The program is a series of 4 pre-recorded conversations between an experienced registered teacher and a registered clinical psychologist with extensive experience working with children, discussing key topics in children’s mental health.
These topics include:
- Understanding and supporting separation anxiety in children and parents
- Understanding and supporting children’s emotions
- Understanding and supporting children’s neurodivergence
- Understanding and supporting children’s gender and sexual development.
In addition to the webinars, educational teams can participate in 4 networks facilitated by the teacher and psychologist to explore the topics in greater detail and deepen participants’ understanding of the course at an additional cost.
Detailed cost
- Webinars: $500 (excluding GST). Price includes a 12 month subscription to 4 pre-recorded webinars for an unlimited number of educators in a service.
- Webinars plus 2 live online network meetings: $1000 (excluding GST). Price includes access to ongoing Facebook moderated closed group.
- Webinars plus 4 one-hour team or individual coaching session working on specific goals and strategies: $2,500 (excluding GST).
- Network participation can be added to this package at no additional charge. Cost and offering is scalable to the service budget and goals.
Implementation considerations
- Target population: early childhood teachers and educators.
- Program/practice descriptions and details: conversations are pre-recorded, self-paced and delivered online, allowing teams to access them whenever most convenient. Participants have the option to participate in 4 x 75-minute network meetings that cover each topic for an additional charge. Network meetings are facilitated by the teacher and psychologist featured in the conversation recordings.
- Program adaptability: Access is unlimited across educational teams and the program can be accessed across Victoria.
- Staffing: it is recommended that teaching teams be provided with a total of 4 hours of backfill so they can engage in the recorded conversations and reflective activities. If participating in network meetings, it is recommended that a further 5 hours of backfill be provided.
- Tools and systems: conversations and networks are delivered online so services require access to web-enabled devices.
VEYLDF alignment
Item uses these practice principles
- Partnerships with families
- High expectations for every child
- Respectful relationships and responsive engagement
- Equity and diversity
- Integrated teaching and learning approaches
- Partnerships with professionals
Item responds to these sub-outcomes
Children become strong in their social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
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