Helping a friend you are concerned about

Students practise having conversations to support friends experiencing mental health difficulties.

Mapped to
Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education

Analyse factors that influence emotional responses and devise strategies to self-manage emotions (AC9HP8P06)

Plan, rehearse and evaluate strategies for managing situations where their own or others’ health, safety or wellbeing may be at risk (AC9HP10P08)
Australian Curriculum: General Capabilities
Personal and Social Capability:
- Self-management
- Social awareness
- Social management
NSW PDHPE Syllabus

Examines and demonstrates the role help-seeking strategies and behaviours play in supporting themselves and others (PD4-2)

Assesses their own and others’ capacity to reflect on and respond positively to challenges (PD5-1)
Victorian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education

Examine barriers to seeking support and evaluate strategies to overcome these (VCHPEP125)

Evaluate situations and propose appropriate emotional responses and then reflect on possible outcomes of different responses to health and wellbeing (VCHPEP147)
Show details

7-12

5 minutes

Learning Intention

Students learn how to ask a friend if they are okay if they have concerns about their mental health.

Ask students to read ‘How to ask a friend if they’re ok’.
Discuss as a class what you could do if a friend doesn’t want help. Refer students to the article ‘What to do when someone doesn’t want help’.
Discuss with students the barriers they might experience when trying to help a friend and why sharing their concerns could help their friend.