ACU course supports teacher wellbeing
The Australian Catholic University (ACU) is offering a new course to assist teachers to understand and manage the mental health challenges of their profession.
The first of its kind in Australia, ACU’s Graduate Certificate in Mental Health for Teachers and Educators is now available online as a post-graduate qualification for teachers.
"The demands of delivering classes during the pandemic brought the issue of teacher mental health to a head," ACU's Education Studies lecturer Dr Debra Phillips said.
“The pandemic kickstarted us to research what was needed, to get something ready and put it out into the public domain. This course is a timely, ethical response to the growing awareness around teacher stress and workload, exacerbated by the pandemic and its lockdowns."
Dr Phillips said teachers often came into the profession fired up with the capacity of a good teacher to change students’ lives but lost their passion through exhaustion and demoralisation. One in five teachers leaves the profession within their first year, and this trend is expected to continue over the next five years. Research shows teacher wellbeing is critical to student wellbeing.
“Quality student outcomes are dependent on teachers’ robust mental health, and without it, student academic achievement can come undone,” Dr Phillips said.
The new course will aim to provide educators with a foundational knowledge of the factors that surround, impact, and influence mental health and wellbeing over the many different stages of their teaching career.
Author: National Catholic Education Commission
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