We are so thankful 2022 has proven to be, overall, a much more settled time for most people.

We continue to work alongside students and receive referrals via emails, phone calls and in person from staff, parents, caregivers, outside agencies, and students themselves.

It was with great excitement that HBHS managed to secure a new Guidance Counsellor for 2022 - warmly welcoming Miss Jess Weller to our team. Jess has an interesting and varied background, holding an Design degree in Fashion, in addition to being a qualified teacher and counsellor. Jess came to us from Cambridge High School and Maeroa Intermediate and has positively immersed herself into many parts of our HBHS community. Our department also welcomed Mr Cory Murray, a drug and alcohol counsellor from Youth Intact. Cory holds a wealth of past experience, including having worked in adolescent mental health, is onsite once a week and we are looking forward to this part of our service extending into 2023.

We have been fortunate to have a great student counsellor from WINTEC for 2022 - Mrs Arlena Stevens. Arlena was already part of our HBHS community, as a parent, and has brought with her wonderful life skills and a passion for working alongside our Te Ao Māori students to our department. We wish Mrs Stevens all the very best for her third year placement for 2023 and thank her for her commitment to the Guidance Department.

Ms Robin Clarke, whom many of you know also as a rowing coach, is in her third year counselling at HBHS on Fridays. She is a hugely experienced counsellor and soon to be qualified supervisor, and is both a calm and valuable member of our department.

This year's Leadership Camp for Year 13 students, fortunately went ahead, after disruptions to its delivery over the past couple of years. Mrs Bower facilitated workshops for all Year 13 students looking at research related to the adolescent brain and common behaviours and emotions young people might experience. Students were reminded of the support systems available to them, both at and outside of school. A key message was that this is a crucial time to set themselves up with practices that support them ‘living well’ now, and in the future. Both Mrs Bower and Miss Weller are looking forward to joining the Year 13s at the 2023 Leadership Camp.

Mrs Bower, along with Miss Van der Toorn and Ms Moffitt have enjoyed supporting for the fifth year running, Te Ohu Atawhai - the HBHS Heart Initiative. This group aims to promote diversity, inclusivity, and improve mental health for all HBHS students. Their understanding of diversity is promoting all types of identities - sexuality, gender, or culture. In its second year, the Rainbow Room has been running at intervals, with a range of activities including Heartstopper movies, "Who wants to be a TimTamMillionaire" and Jackbox games. It was heartwarming, for the second year running, for HBHS to fly the Pride flag on International Pride Day. An alliance between HGHS and HBHS students meant a small group developed a wellbeing podcast for young people talking about tips for teens and everything in between. Mrs Bower was invited as an expert guest and we are looking forward to the finished product of this very valuable student project.

After a lull in many professional development opportunities, it was invigorating to see many more possibilities for 2022. Miss Weller attended a workshop in Auckland delivered by Dr John Arden called the Mind Brain Gene which highlighted the importance of better understanding the integration of psychotherapy modalities and how to support the mind body connection to improve mental and emotional health.

Mrs Bower’s head was down in her nights and weekends, completing a Certificate in Professional Supervision. HBHS were able to attend Zoom sessions with the Waikato School Guidance Counsellors and look forward to having more in-person meetings with one scheduled at the next Teacher Only Day to support region-wide professional development. It is extremely valuable for Waikato counsellors to be able to discuss what is currently happening for our young people in our area and how best to support them. It is also a place to up-skill ourselves and try to keep up to date with the challenges of our young people today.

Our Guidance team enjoyed getting out and about in the school more this year, without COVID constraints. Miss Weller presented to all the faculties a presentation on Understanding the Mental Wellbeing of our Boys and also presented to the Argyle House boarders on Winter Wellbeing which highlighted support pathways for the boys should they need them.

Both Mrs Bower and Miss Weller presented at a Teacher Only Day Women’s Wellness session which was organised and facilitated by the school nurses and included an engaging guest speaker who shared her knowledge on hormones. The nurses spoke to the theme of a health warrant of fitness regarding physical health where they shared information regarding the different stages of a woman's life and health challenges that might occur. The wellbeing focus of the Teacher Only Day and its sessions were well received by staff.

Mrs Bower and Miss Weller met with the HBHS Board of Trustees for their bi-annual meeting and shared with them current statistics, themes around incoming referrals and presenting issues, along with their future vision for the HBHS Guidance department.

In November Mrs Bower and Miss Weller spent a day at the University of Waikato, running workshops in the ALP retreat, sharing relevant brain research, encouraging students to create balance between life’s commitments, and where to find support both in and out of school, if needed.

With such a large community that is HBHS, the counsellors rely on a number of outside agencies to provide care for our community members. We regularly refer students to Ngaa Ringa Awhina for assessment of more serious mental health challenges. We make recommendations to parents to take their sons to their GP for mental health screening, general health checks and external counselling. PHO counselling, which supports students with as many as four funded sessions is also a service we have referred students to. For matters regarding care and protection, we rely on Oranga Tamariki and more recently the Interim Safety Response Team (ISR), Diversity Counselling for cross-cultural counsellors. This year the Ministry of Education extended the funding for the support service of EAP to provide HBHS staff members with funded counselling. We would like to make a special mention and thank you to the McKenzie Trust, that continues to support us financially in providing for HBHS students that have financial barriers to accessing what they need in the education setting.

The future of the HBHS Guidance department is looking bright as we continue to look for ways to improve our school communities mental health and well being. 

We wish you and your family well over the Christmas break and hope you stay safe and enjoy your time with loved ones.

The HBHS Guidance Team for 2022 - Mrs Bower, Miss Weller, Ms Clarke, Mr Murray and Mrs Stevens