Supporting Student Mental Health and Wellbeing

Mental Health and Wellbeing Matters

Central Regional TAFE is committed to supporting the mental and physical wellbeing of our students.

We strive to create an environment where all students feel encouraged, included, and empowered to grow. Guided by our organisational values, we foster a culture of inclusivity and respect, ensuring everyone feels valued and accepted.

By prioritising mental health, we help our students build the foundation for both academic achievement and lifelong success.

What do I do if I'm experiencing a mental distress?

If you are experiencing mental distress, such as anxiety or depression, you can access Central Regional TAFE’s Student Assistance Program (SAP) which offers you 3 free counselling appointments with registered psychologist, through an external provider PeopleSense.

To access the service, students should:

Request a referral from any Central Regional TAFE staff member, who will refer you to the Student Support Services team and/or provide you with the PeopleSense Referral Form. Central Regional TAFE staff can assist you to complete the form.
- Please note: If you are under 18 you will need your parent/guardian to sign the form.
Please return the form to Student Support Services via email or by making an appointment.

The Student Support Services team will contact PeopleSense to confirm your referral. You will need to contact PeopleSense to book your own appointment.

Please be aware, if you make an appointment and then do not attend or cancel the appointment within 24 hours, you may be responsible for paying the costs of the appointment.

Mental Health Challenges

Mental illness is a health issue. It can affect your thoughts, mood, and/or behaviour. It can impact the way you perceive the world around you and can cause distress. It may affect how you cope at work, how you function in relationships and your ability to manage everyday tasks.

Changes in sleep, weight, personal hygiene or activity at school or work may hint at a mental health issue. Do seek help from a doctor if signs don't go away after two weeks.

It is important to understand that for certain mental illnesses, when left untreated, may lead to suicidal ideation. Take all thoughts or threats of suicide seriously — seek help immediately if someone talks about suicidal thoughts or is engaging in high-risk activities.

If you have a mental health condition(s), it may impact on the completion of your course successfully. Contributing factors include:

difficulty paying attention or understanding the content taught in class, due to symptoms of the illness and/or effects of medication
fear of failure or discrimination by classmates
frequent absences due to the nature of the mental illness
life issues that impact on your ability to study, such as financial difficulties, relationship challenges and/or housing stress

If you can access help to improve your mental health, and overcome these challenges to your studies, research in the vocational training sector shows that reaching achievable goals, such as a certificate at TAFE, helps people to develop valuable life skills that may improve strategies to cope with mental illness.

External Support

WA Mental Health Commission's Think Mental Health

If you want to find out what mental health services are available in WA, Central Regional TAFE recommends WA Mental Health Commission's Think Mental Health (opens in a new tab) website.

The Think Mental Health website assists WA community to connect with the best information, support and services for their particular situation.

Its primary focus is to provide information on how to maintain mental health and wellbeing, provide information on what you can do when things aren’t going so well and where to get help when it is needed.

You can find out more about the following topics:

Australian Federal Government’s Head to Health website

The federal government website Head to Health (opens in a new tab) can help you find digital mental health services from some of Australia’s most trusted mental health organisations. Provides apps, online programs, online forums, and phone services, as well as a range of digital information resources.

Other Mental Health, Alcohol and other Drugs, Community and Social Support Services in WA

You can also access the following WA sites for a library of services available for community and social support, including accommodation, food, financial and medical assistance.

Apprenticeship Mentoring Services

As an apprentice or trainee, you have access to free and confidential mentoring services through your Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN).

Department of Health, Disability and Ageing Physical Activity and Exercise Guide

If you want to find out more about how much physical activity you should be getting, Central Regional TAFE recommends Department of Health, Disability and Ageing Physical Activity and Exercise Guide (opens in a new tab) website.

The Physical Activity and Exercise Guide assists WA community to connect with the best information, support and advice for their particular circumstances.

Its primary focus is to provide information on how to maintain physical health, provide information on what how much physical activity we should do, how much sleep you should get, the maximum amount of time we should spend sitting or lying down (sedentary behaviour).