- About Us
- Our School
- Enrolment
- Faith & Service
- Learning
- Co-Curriculum
- Our Community
- Portal
Saint Ignatius College Geelong
Saint Ignatius College Geelong
Saint Ignatius College Geelong
Article by From the Student Wellbeing Team.
The EMPOWER (stress and anxiety management) program was offered this term and had another successful 5-week run. Eleven year 7 students participated in this small group setting, which was hosted by the Wellbeing team. EMPOWER stands for Educate, Mindfulness, Progress, Obstacles, Wellness, Emotions, and Regulation.
The aim of the program was to enhance students' ability to cope with stress and anxiety more effectively through psycho-education, emotional regulation and cognitive and physical relaxation skill-building. Students received an overview of common stressors and participated in activities to learn about their own triggers and reactions, as well as developing and practising various coping strategies. They were provided with valuable resources to enable physical relaxation and combat unhelpful thoughts - most of which are accessible to all students on the Wellbeing Canvas page under the “Stress 101” tile. Students also created “personal coping menu cards” to take away and refer back to in their day-to-day lives.
Some of the techniques covered included box breathing, five-finger breathing, grounding techniques, and thought reframing.
Student evaluation showed collective positivity towards the program, with 100% saying they would recommend the program. Some of the feedback included “I have learnt how to manage stress, especially school-related” and “[I’ve learnt] breathing techniques and coping strategies”. Many students also spoke about other helpful strategies that they were able to take away from the program.
The EMPOWER program is now in its sixth year, and continues to be highly regarded by participating students. This year we had so much interest that a second program is being offered to another group of year 7s during Term 3.
From the Student Wellbeing Team.
wellbeing@ignatius.vic.edu.au
Feature
Events
Our News // 03 July 2025
Article by From the Student Wellbeing Team.
The EMPOWER (stress and anxiety management) program was offered this term and had another successful 5-week run. Eleven year 7 students participated in this small group setting, which was hosted by the Wellbeing team. EMPOWER stands for Educate, Mindfulness, Progress, Obstacles, Wellness, Emotions, and Regulation.
The aim of the program was to enhance students' ability to cope with stress and anxiety more effectively through psycho-education, emotional regulation and cognitive and physical relaxation skill-building. Students received an overview of common stressors and participated in activities to learn about their own triggers and reactions, as well as developing and practising various coping strategies. They were provided with valuable resources to enable physical relaxation and combat unhelpful thoughts - most of which are accessible to all students on the Wellbeing Canvas page under the “Stress 101” tile. Students also created “personal coping menu cards” to take away and refer back to in their day-to-day lives.
Some of the techniques covered included box breathing, five-finger breathing, grounding techniques, and thought reframing.
Student evaluation showed collective positivity towards the program, with 100% saying they would recommend the program. Some of the feedback included “I have learnt how to manage stress, especially school-related” and “[I’ve learnt] breathing techniques and coping strategies”. Many students also spoke about other helpful strategies that they were able to take away from the program.
The EMPOWER program is now in its sixth year, and continues to be highly regarded by participating students. This year we had so much interest that a second program is being offered to another group of year 7s during Term 3.
From the Student Wellbeing Team.
wellbeing@ignatius.vic.edu.au
