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Partnering for positivity

Helping keep children in Brisbane’s north mentally healthy and happy at school is at the centre of a partnership between Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) and Australian Catholic University’s (ACU’s) School of Psychology.

A celebration of that collaboration and its renewal for another year was at ACU’s Banyo Campus Wednesday 7 June.

ACU Brisbane Psychology and Counselling Clinic Director Dr Francene Hemingway said the partnership had been producing outstanding results for six years and in that time had grown from 17 to 24 schools.

“We are very proud of the partnership that has seen ACU psychology students undertake workplace experience in the Brisbane Psychology and Counselling Clinic (BPACC) and within BCE schools through provision of psychology and counselling services for students and their families,” she said.

“Our students are getting real world experience working in areas where sensitivity and patience are required to resolve issues and bring about change.

“On a daily basis they make decisions that impact positively on the lives of the students.

“Teachers and parents have been able to rely on our professional postgraduate psychology students to promote children’s social and emotional wellbeing.

“It has really been incredibly positive for schools and a great benefit for ACU.”

Under the partnership, students enrolled in ACU’s Master of Professional Psychology and Master of Psychology (Clinical) are able to undertake external placements at counselling services in BCE schools for workplace experience.

BCE clients receive fee-free supervised psychological services through the ACU clinic and at BCE schools and colleges.

BCE Director of School Services North Paul Thornton said the partnership was vital to the work of schools.

“Emotional wellbeing and a feeling of being connected and supported is so important in an age where technology is making children feel more isolated than ever,” he said.

“This partnership is helping make the lives of Brisbane children and families better.”

BPACC forms part of the Faculty of Health Sciences at ACU. Under the expert supervision of experienced clinical psychologists, our provisionally registered postgraduate psychology trainees provide the highest standards of therapeutic services to the community.

Learn more about psychology and counselling at ACU.