Welcome to Katrina Ballantyne, our College Guidance Counsellor.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a big hello to our school community. It’s been so lovely to see all the student’s smiling faces and seeing the College full of action. Well done to all our new students, who demonstrated immense courage by bravely turning up on the first day. This is especially difficult with the extended school holidays.

My role

My role is to support our student’s mental health and wellbeing. It is a priority for me to support students to access the curriculum.  What this may look like is me being in classrooms, running workshops or supporting student committees. If one to one counselling is required, it will be with the goal to support the student and caregivers in finding specialised professional support according to their situation and with some immediate strategies.

What can I do if my child is feeling anxious?

There is an excellent free online program that supports students who are showing symptoms of anxiety. This could look like them being constantly worried or fearful of the future. It is for students aged 8-17 and includes four different age-appropriate programs. This program is created by psychologists and demonstrates that it is effective at reducing symptoms of anxiety. Please find the link below.

Brave Program - Home (uq.edu.au)

Have a wonderful week

Katrina Ballantyne

College Guidance Counsellor