Secondary students
What is wellbeing?
Wellbeing is about feeling good, learning new things and building positive relationships with other people.
It includes your emotional, social, physical, cognitive and spiritual wellbeing and helps you manage challenges, build positive relationships and achieve your goals.
| Domain | Description |
|---|---|
Cognitive wellbeing | Cognitive wellbeing relates to learning, thinking and problem-solving. It includes how you process information, make decisions, stay motivated and work towards your goals. Strong cognitive wellbeing helps you learn and experience success. |
Emotional wellbeing | Emotional wellbeing relates to understanding and managing emotions. It includes self-awareness, emotional regulation and resilience. Emotional wellbeing helps you cope with challenges and respond positively to change. |
Social wellbeing | Social wellbeing is about relationships and connection with others. It includes developing positive relationships, showing empathy and feeling a sense of belonging. Strong social wellbeing helps you build healthy connections with your peers, families and communities. |
Physical wellbeing | Physical wellbeing is about feeling safe, healthy and well. It includes physical activity, nutrition, safety and healthy habits. Physical wellbeing supports your health, learning and participation in school life. |
Spiritual wellbeing | Spiritual wellbeing relates to a person's sense of meaning and purpose. It is shaped by a range of influences, including culture, community, values, beliefs and religion. Spiritual wellbeing helps you develop a sense of identity and understand what is important to you. |
Looking after your wellbeing can help you feel more confident, stay connected and get the most out of school and everyday life.
Everyone's wellbeing is different. What helps one person may be different from what helps someone else.
Looking after your wellbeing
There are many ways to support your mental health and wellbeing.
You can:
- stay connected with family, friends and people you trust
- be physically active
- get enough sleep
- eat healthy, balanced meals
- spend time outdoors
- make time for hobbies and activities you enjoy
- find healthy ways to manage stress
- balance school, social media, work and other commitments
- talk to someone when things become difficult.
Small things can make a difference, find strategies that work for you.
Support at school
If you need support, your school can help.
You might choose to speak with:
Your year advisor supports your wellbeing throughout secondary school. They can listen to your concerns, help you work through challenges and connect you with the right support.
The head teacher wellbeing leads wellbeing support across the school. They work with students, families and staff to help students feel safe, supported and engaged in learning.
Your deputy principal or principal can support you with wellbeing concerns and help make sure you have access to the support you need at school.
Every NSW public school student can get support from a school counsellor or school psychologist. These are staff who are trained to help children and young people with their wellbeing, learning and mental health.
A school counsellor or school psychologist can:
- help students who are feeling worried, sad, stressed or upset
- support students with friendships, schoolwork or problems at school
- help your family understand and support your learning and wellbeing
- connect you and your family with other services and supports when needed.
School counsellors and school psychologists are respectful, supportive and trained to help students with their learning, wellbeing and mental health.
Conversations with a school counsellor or school psychologist are confidential.
Student support officers are trained youth workers or social workers who work as part of the school's wellbeing team. They work closely with the School Counselling Service to help students manage anxiety, stress and other challenges they may face at school. They support individual students, help deliver wellbeing programs such as anti-bullying, positive relationships and digital citizenship, and can connect students and families with community support services.
Some schools have access to a wellbeing nurse. A wellbeing nurse is a registered nurse who works across a number of schools to help connect students and families with health and community services. They are there to help support schools, students and families in addressing health needs, coordinate appropriate assessments and assist with referrals to any needed medical or social services.
Some schools may have a school chaplain or student wellbeing officer. These staff help support the wellbeing of students, their families and the wider school community.
A school chaplain or student wellbeing officer can:
- support students who may be feeling worried, upset or need someone to talk to
- provide care and support to help students feel safe, included and connected at school
- help students build positive relationships and wellbeing skills.
These staff can listen, help you work through challenges and connect you with the right support.
If you're not sure who to talk to, start with someone you trust.
Voice-over
At every school there are people you can talk to should you ever have a problem. It doesn’t matter how big or small that problem might feel to you. They’re there to help.
How about we go meet some of them?
Your teacher is always willing to listen and help. If they feel they are not the best person to help, they will know someone who can.
Your year adviser can also support you. They can help if you are having problems with friends and managing your school work. They can also connect you with other people who can help.
If your school has a wellbeing head teacher, or a WHIN Coordinator, you can also speak with them. They will work with you to decide who you want to talk to about whatever is going on. They’re there to support you.
There may also be a student support officer in your school who runs wellbeing programs with groups of students to help everyone feel and stay connected. They’re there to listen to you and figure out the best way to help you. If you need specialist help, they can organise that for you, too.
Public school students right across New South Wales, from Kindergarten to Year 12, can speak to a school counsellor or school psychologist. These staff have qualifications in psychology and work specifically with young people to provide extra advice and support. You can talk to them about all sorts of problems, and they can help you to understand, and manage, your thoughts and feelings. Some students talk to them when they are feeling sad, or anxious, but others just want some good advice on learning how to cope with things.
So, as you can see, there are lots of different people at your school that you can talk to. Because when it comes to looking after your mental health and wellbeing, you don’t have to do it on your own.
[End of transcript]
When to get help
It's important to ask for help if you're finding things difficult.
You may benefit from extra support if you:
- feel sad, worried or anxious most of the time
- feel overwhelmed or unable to cope
- notice changes in your sleep or eating habits
- lose interest in things you usually enjoy
- find it difficult to concentrate or attend school
- withdraw from friends, family or activities
- feel like things aren't getting better.
You don't have to wait until things feel like a crisis. Talking to someone early can make a real difference.
Supporting a friend
It can be hard to know what to do if you're worried about a friend. You don't need to have all the answers, but checking in with them can make a difference.
You can support a friend by:
- asking how they're doing and really listening to what they say
- encouraging them to talk to a trusted adult or another support person
- checking in with them after you've talked
- respecting their privacy, while understanding that you may need to tell someone if you're worried about their safety
- looking after your own wellbeing too.
If you're worried that a friend may be at risk of harm, don't keep it a secret. Talk to a trusted adult, such as a parent, carer, teacher, school counsellor or another member of the school staff.
headspace: How to help a friend going through a tough time – Knowing what to say or do when a friend is having a tough time can be hard. Check out headspace for tips on what to do, even if your friend is pushing you away.
ReachOut: How to ask a friend if they're okay – Not sure how to ask if your friend's OK? Here's some helpful tips from ReachOut on how to start the conversation.
Beyond Blue: PACE App – Beyond Blue's app provides practical, easy-to-use tools, including information about how to support yourself and others. It can also link you up with online and phone services - all on your mobile
Resources to support you
Access confidential, 24/7 support.
Kids Helpline – Life throws us curve balls every day. Kids Helpline has lots of information to help you manage the tricky times, or connect with someone to get advice.
ReachOut: 6 ways to get help for mental health – If you feel you need some help but don't know where to start, ReachOut has some great ideas for where to go for the support you're after.
headspace: how headspace can help – When things get tough, it can help to talk to someone who understands what you're going through. headspace has lots of support services to get you back on track and look after your mental health.
ReachOut: Stress – We all experience stress from time to time. To help you manage stressful situations and get back a sense of control, check out these helpful strategies from ReachOut.
ReachOut: Mental fitness – Mental fitness is just like physical fitness - we have to work at it. ReachOut can show you a number of ways to look after your mental fitness.
Headspace: How to cope with the stress of natural disasters
#chatsafe: A young person’s guide to communicating safely online about self-harm and suicide.
Last modified date
30/09/2026
Business unit contact email
Executive director
Jacqueline Hodges, Silva Hiendra
Executive director’s business unit
Education and Skills Reform