Student Wellbeing
A strong sense of wellbeing underpins mental health, supports resilience, and enables us to realise our potential.
It is not simply the pursuit of happiness but rather encompasses cultivating meaningful relationships, using our strengths, having purpose, and contributing to our broader community.
Our whole-school approach is guided by Visible Wellbeing (VWB), an evidence-based framework developed by Professor Lea Waters at the University of Melbourne. VWB is grounded in positive psychology and research linking wellbeing with improved engagement, learning outcomes, and mental health.
Research demonstrates a strong connection between student wellbeing and optimised learning outcomes. Our systemic approach ensures a shared understanding of wellbeing across our community. All staff are trained in VWB and have ongoing access to evidence-based professional learning and resources, and embed and reinforce facets of wellbeing through everyday interactions.
We want students to be curious, passionate, and to foster a love of learning that lasts a lifetime. Confident, resilient students make healthier lifestyle choices and feel a strong sense of belonging within their community. As they grow into capable, compassionate, and engaged adults, they contribute positively to society and develop the skills needed to navigate an ever-changing world.
The Visible Wellbeing Framework
The VWB framework combines the science of wellbeing with the science of learning and teaching, making wellbeing visible across the school. It is not a prescribed curriculum but a flexible set of practices that can be applied in any subject and in all contexts, inside and outside the classroom.
At the heart of Visible Wellbeing is the SEARCH framework, which identifies six pathways that support student flourishing:
- Strengths
- Emotional management
- Attention and awareness
- Relationships
- Coping
- Habits and goals
These pathways provide a shared language for wellbeing and are explicitly taught, modelled, and embedded across learning and daily school life.
Visible Wellbeing is endorsed by Australian education authorities and recognised by organisations including Beyond Blue. ISWA is proud to be a Visible Wellbeing partner school and remains committed to continually refining our practice to support student flourishing.
Our Counsellor
Chris joined ISWA in August 2021 after working for 22 years in a large, international IB secondary school in Hong Kong, where she was a Vice Principal responsible for inter alia, wellbeing, pastoral care, child safeguarding, professional development and the supervision of the counsellors and social workers. She delivered teacher training in an array of mental health issues, parent-led workshops and initiated both the social-emotional and the relationship and sexuality curriculum.
Chris has held senior positions in independent schools in Canberra, Perth and Japan. She taught English Literature and Theory of Knowledge for 30 years and is a passionate advocate for young people. She holds a Master of Educational Management, a Master of Counselling and is excited about sharing her skills and knowledge with this community. She is a fervent believer in the power of education and life-long learning, a lover of travel and reading, and she is grateful to be working in partnership with Susan Wilson and her Student Support colleagues.
Our School Psychologist
Sue joined our school community in May 2023 and is dedicated to work with students and families in support of young peoples’ academic, social, and emotional wellbeing. She has over 25 years of experience working as a school psychologist in school settings, both independent and government, as well as co-ed and single-sex schools. Her last appointment was for thirteen years in a large independent school in Perth, and prior to this, she worked at schools in Melbourne and Brisbane as well as spending time in London with her husband’s work, taking time away from her profession to raise their two children.
Sue appreciates the challenges facing young people as they navigate the modern-day world to achieve their personal, social and academic goals. Young people can easily become consumed by an imbalance of social media, online gaming and constant access to information at their fingertips, affecting their sleep patterns and emotional development. Now more than ever, a significant component of a counsellor’s role is to teach resilience and emotional regulation skills so that young people have the coping tools to navigate a more balanced approach to life and their chosen future.
Sue has a Bachelor of Psychology and a Diploma in Education. As a school psychologist, Sue’s role is to support young people’s mental health and emotional and social challenges by providing consultation, counselling and group work. She works closely with teachers, administrators, and other support staff to ensure our students receive the best care and attention.
