My Wellbeing

At Mentone Grammar, your Wellbeing is at the very centre of your education experience. Our Wellbeing Program offers support, specialist counselling and resources you can use whenever you need.

Wellbeing Program

Every one of our teachers and staff are a part of our Wellbeing Program and are here to care for and support you. Whether it be a Mentor, teacher, administrator or specialist staff, there is always a supportive network of multiple staff members you can go to when you need.

If you’re not sure where to start, it’s always a good idea to speak with your Mentor or Year Level/House Coordinator first. They can help you work out how to get the best support for your issue.

Our specialist support staff – counsellors, nurses, chaplains, careers counsellors and the learning enhancement team – are all here to help you work through any challenges you may be experiencing.

Talking To Our Counsellors

If you would like to talk with one of our counsellors, you can arrange a confidential session by simply sending us an email (during the School term): [email protected]

Our counselling team includes registered psychologists, who can help you with a range of issues and challenges, from academic difficulties, anxiety, stress, grief or loss, social and emotional difficulties, behavioural issues, family issues, safety (online/bullying), friendships, relationships and more.

Where To Go For Counselling And Specialist Support

Our specialist support staff are located in our Wellbeing Centre, opposite the Gregory Fish Library on the Frogmore Campus.

In the Wellbeing Centre, you’ll find counselling rooms, a chill out space, a Health Centre, Careers Centre, learning spaces, Chaplaincy office, a kitchenette and some helpful resources.

Where To Get More Information On Our Wellbeing Support, Connect With Community Contacts And Other Services

You can find our more information on Wellbeing in our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section below.

If you’d like to get in touch with support services in your community, please scroll down to Community Contacts.

To connect with services such as headspace, Youth Beyond Blue, Smiling Mind and more, please scroll down to Wellbeing Support.

Want To Get Involved In Our Student Wellbeing Committee?

Mentone Grammar’s Student Wellbeing Committee comes together to plan and execute Wellbeing events across the school, with a focus on raising awareness.

The Committee is made up of students, counsellors and teachers. Students from all year levels are welcome to join. It’s predominantly led by senior students, in conjunction with Wellbeing leaders and junior committees.

If you’re interested in joining the committee, have a great idea you’d like to share or want to find out more, please email us here.

Wellbeing FAQs

A great place to start is your Mentor. Your Year Level Co-Ordinator or House Coordinator are also available should you need further assistance and support.

You can start by talking to your subject teacher. They have extensive experience in assisting students with a range of learning styles, so reach out if you feel like you need help. Most subjects run extra help classes before and after school, as well as lunchtime sessions.

Get in touch with your Mentor, your Year Level Coordinator or House Coordinator for advice. You can also speak with the Head of Campus or one of our School counsellors.

It’s best to talk with a trusted adult or teacher at School. You can also contact the counsellors at School for advice.

The counselling team at School consists of registered psychologists who are bound by privacy and confidentiality standards set by the Australian Health Practitioner and Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Counselling at School is confidential except in situations where there may be concerns about a person’s safety (either your own safety or someone else’s). You can always ask the counsellors more about this.

Absolutely. Once your appointment is arranged, you can simply arrive at the Wellbeing Centre at the appointment time and the campus PA will be informed that you are absent from class (the reason is marked as ‘student services’, to maintain your privacy).

While social distancing restrictions are in place, all counselling sessions are conducted over Microsoft Teams, so it’s completely up to you who you want to inform.

There’s no need for you to prepare anything. It’s a good idea to have a think about what you would like to talk about and get out of counselling (perhaps a goal you would like to achieve), but we will guide you through this in your first session.

There are no strict rules about the amount of counselling sessions you can have. The purpose of School counselling is to help you work through any challenges you may be experiencing that are negatively impacting your schooling.

Our counsellors don’t provide ongoing therapy to students. If you need more ongoing or intensive therapy, our counsellors can refer you to an external psychologist.

Key Contacts

For more information on School counselling, please email us (during the School term) at [email protected]

Community Contacts

Kids Helpline – Call 1800 551 800
Free confidential phone counselling for children and adolescents, 24/7 

Kingston Youth Services – Call 1300 36 94 36
Free counselling, information, referrals and groups in Cheltenham

Bayside City Council Youth Services – Call 9599 4622
Support, programs and events for 10-25 year olds and their families 

headspace – Call 9526 1600
Free counselling in Highett

Family Life – Call 8599 5433 (Sandringham) 9770 0341 (Frankston)
Family and youth counselling and family support 

Connect Health and Community – Call 9575 5322
Youth and family counselling 

Wellbeing Support

Youth Beyond Blue
Youth Beyond Blue is designed to provide information about anxiety and depression to young people in Australia aged 12–25

Beyond Blue – The Brave Program
If you are a young person who would like support managing worry and anxiety, The BRAVE Program is an interactive, online program for the prevention and treatment of anxiety. The program provides ways for young people to better cope with their worries. There are also programs for parents.

Beyond Blue – Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service
Stay up to date with information, advice and strategies to help you manage your wellbeing and mental health during COVID-19.  

Bite Back
Improve your mental fitness, increase your happiness, reduce stress, improve your friendships and your focus with the Bite Back Mental Fitness Challenge. 

headspace
headspace provides tailored and holistic mental health support, information and services to 12 – 25 year olds, and their family and friends across Australia.

eheadspace
A national online and phone support service, staffed by experienced youth mental health professionals. It provides young people and carers with a safe, secure and anonymous place to talk to a professional – wherever they are.

Kids Helpline
Free, private and confidential (and anonymous) phone and online 24/7 counselling service specifically for young people aged 5 – 25 years.

ReachOut
Australian online mental health service for young people and their parents. ReachOut provides self-help information, support, tools and tips to help young people get through everyday issues to tough times. ReachOut’s self-help information, peer-support program and referral tools save lives by helping young people be well and stay well.

Smiling Mind and Thrive Inside
Smiling Mind is a non-for-profit web and app-based meditation program developed by psychologists and educators to help bring mindfulness into your life.
Thrive Inside helps you stay calm and healthy in the physical constraints of your home, while remaining calm and healthy inside your mind. Foster good mental habits during the Coronavirus crisis.

The Resilience Project
The Resilience Project teaches positive mental health strategies to help people become more happy. 

Importance of Gratitude