Supporting young people in life transitions

14th January, 2022    |    By  headspace    |     786

Family members can play an integral part of a young person’s circle of care. If you’re supporting a young person going through a tough time with their mental health, headspace is also here to help support you through these challenges and transitions.


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Starting in a new place

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Supporting young people in life transitions

I moved from Melbourne, so all the kids changed schools, changed towns, changed friendship groups—all of that. And it also meant that they were moving away from their father. All three children had very different experiences at different ages, of course, when we moved away.

My eldest was quite resilient, although he did experience some issues. He’s one of these people who’s very easygoing; he manages to make friends easily. In the first few weeks, he struggled. So, just to make sure, I was talking to him about what was going on for him—how he was feeling, what he could possibly do. Were there any activities he could go and get involved with where he might end up being side by side with someone he could become mates with or spend time with? So, I talked to him about some of the ways he could work through this himself.

We had just arrived as newly arrived migrants. I’m the eldest, and I’ve got two younger sisters. This is the youngest. Back home, she was someone so outgoing, so social, just all in all loved going to school—looked forward to it. She came here, and within the first month, there was a huge decline in her. There was a lot of school refusal, a lot of struggles, self-isolation—all in all, just very difficult.

My youngest changed schools four times within two years, so the transition was very difficult each time. Again, we were living in the same area but with different friendship groups. It can be really tricky and take a lot of time and energy, too.

One of the things I found was that they were exhausted. For a start, they were physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. They were probably going to come home and be crabby, and because you’re their safe space, they’re going to take it out on you. That’s what I found. I didn’t take it personally and just tried to have those conversations with them about making sure they were doing those basic things: looking after themselves, getting enough sleep, and eating properly, so they were in the best position to go and tackle the day and get through the next day, continuing to work through it.

Post-schooling, she took a gap year because she felt like she needed that time to figure out where she wanted to study and who she was. I would say she’s in a better place in her journey now. She feels like it’s home being here, which is a big thing as a migrant.

So, I think remembering that this is a transition—that things will get better—is key. It’s very icky and sticky right now, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Video by Headspace