Rural schools to get 16 new FIFO psychologists from 2021
In response to The Sunday Telegraph’s latest Can We Talk youth suicide awareness campaign, the state government has committed to bolstering the ranks of rural and regional school “fly-in fly-out” experienced psychologists.
NSW
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Country kids struggling with bullying, anxiety, depression or other issues will now have access to 16 new fly-in fly-out experienced psychologists.
In another win for The Sunday Telegraph’s Can We Talk campaign, the state government has committed to bolstering the ranks of rural and regional school psychologists.
The 16 new school psychologists will start from next year, after an ongoing trial since 2018 proved a combination of face-to-face and telehealth treatment gave remote kids the best continuity of care.
Students will speak to a psychologist over video conferencing as often as once a week where necessary and meet their psychologist face-to-face once a term.
The FIFO psychologists have been trialled in regional and rural schools that do not have dedicated school counsellors.
Country schools have missed out on additional teachers or teacher’s aides to help students who might suffer from mild intellectual disabilities, behavioural problems or mental health disorders, because the students must be formally assessed by a trained professional before the school is eligible for extra funding.
Royal Far West clinical psychologist Lucy Morrison has been seeing students at schools such as West Wyalong High School and Naradhan Public School, which were in dire need of a trained mental health professional.
“Some of the schools I work with hadn’t had a school counsellor for one or two years and there was a huge backlog of kids that needed to be assessed,” Ms Morrison said.
“Some tiny schools reliant on outreach programs might only get a school counsellor one day a term, but when you have telehealth those same schools can get weekly or fortnightly counselling.
“It’s about making sure schools without a counsellor are getting serviced.
“Particularly at high schools with a lot of mental health difficulties, it is important students have someone to talk to.”
Drought, bushfires and COVID-19 have put rural students’ mental health under immense pressure.
The trial run by charity Royal Far West will be made permanent using the same $88.4 million mental health spend that also includes a commitment to provide every public high school with one full-time counsellor or psychologist and one student support officer.
“Students across NSW have shown incredible courage and resilience having been impacted by COVID-19, bushfires and drought,” Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
“It is incredibly important students have access to mental health support in a timely manner.
“This will expand the pool of psychologists in locations where there is a limited supply of casual or temporary school counselling staff.”
The Royal Far West has so far provided the service to schools such as Canowindra Public School, Eugowra Public School, Gooloogong Public School, Grenfell Public School, Koorawatha Public School, Rankins Springs School, Weethalle Public School and West Wyalong Public School.
Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said there were 1108 full time equivalent school counselling positions in NSW.
“It is incredibly important that we continue to support our schools when it comes to the mental health and wellbeing of our students in NSW,” Ms Mitchell said.
“As a regional parent I am proud of today’s announcement because it means students in regional and rural NSW, including primary and central schools, will have ongoing access to a permanent team of specialist psychologists.”
Don’t go it alone. Please reach out for help.
Lifeline: 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 or beyondblue.org.au
Beyond Blue’s coronavirus support service: 1800 512 348 or coronavirus.beyondblue.org.au
Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 or kidshelpline.com.au
Headspace: 1800 650 890 or headspace.org.au
Originally published as Rural schools to get 16 new FIFO psychologists from 2021