Everyone needs support through hard times. Our Wellbeing Team is here to help find the right support for you when things are getting a bit tough. Our team is made up of four counsellors and five youth workers. Check out our Te Korowai video below to see some of their smiling faces ready to get to know you!
How to get in touch
You can find our team in Te Korowai – the Wellbeing building. We are situated in the house directly behind Tautoko and opposite the Dean’s area.
Downstairs, we have an awesome space to drop in, say hello, chat with a youth worker, grab some kai or make a counselling appointment. We also run a breakfast club out of the downstairs space every interval. Upstairs are our counselling rooms where you will go if you have an appointment with one of the guidance counsellors.
The other main area is Te Manawa – the youth workers’ space outside the hall. Head on over there at lunch time to hangout, play games and grab a piece of fruit.
If you would like to make a referral for counselling support, you can do so through our online referral system, simply click on the ‘Wellbeing Referral Form’ below.
Students can also request an appointment by completing a note in the referrals box at the bottom of the stairs in Te Korowai. Alternatively, you can ask the youth worker in the downstairs space to make a referral for you or speak with a teacher you trust – they are able to refer on to us through an online form.
Whānau, parents and caregivers can request wellbeing advice or support by contacting one of the counsellors.
Contacting our Wellbeing Team
| Claire Ross | Head of Wellbeing | claire.ross@hvhs.school.nz |
| Kirsten Edie | School Counsellor | kirsten.edie@hvhs.school.nz |
| Joanna Logan | School Counsellor | joanna.logan@hvhs.school.nz |
| Karen Molloy | School Counsellor | karen.molloy@hvhs.school.nz |
| Lloyd Ward | School Counsellor | lloyd.ward@hvhs.school.nz |
| Michael Broadley | Youth Worker | michael.broadley@hvhs.school.nz |
| Alistair Morris | Youth Worker | alistair.morris@hvhs.school.nz |
| Pip Morris | Youth Worker | pip.morris@hvhs.school.nz |
| Renee Simanu (Wellbeing Space) | Youth Worker | renee.simanu@hvhs.school.nz |
| Ella Tennent | Youth Worker | ella.tennent@hvhs.school.nz |
| Sophie Tennent | Youth Worker | sophie.tennent@hvhs.school.nz |
Support Documents for HVHS
Finding Support Outside of HVHS
Helplines
- Urgent Mental Health Support (Te Haika) – 0800 745 477
- Need to talk? Free service for New Zealanders feeling down, anxious, a bit overwhelmed or just need to chat to someone, call or free text 1737
- Wellbeing help (The Lowdown) – free text 5626 or email team@thelowdown.co.nz
- Youthline – free text to 234 or call 0800 376 633
- Kidsline – call for advice anytime on 0800 54 37 53
- Quitline – call for support to quit vaping or smoking on 0800 778 778
- Alcohol and Drug Helpline – call 0800 787 984, free text 8681 to speak to a trained counsellor about your own drinking or drug use or about another persons drinking or drug use.
- YouthLaw Aotearoa – call 0800 884 529 or email legal@youthlaw.co.nz for free legal support for children and young people
- Parenting Helpline – call 0800 568 856 for compassionate, friendly, non-judgemental support and advice on all parenting issues
- Specialists helplines – for a range of issues, such as depression, addition, grief and more, visit the Mental Health Foundation’s website
Additional Wellbeing Resources
- CREDS (Central Region Eating Disorder Services) – support for the Wellington region, visit their website
- EDANZ (Eating Disorders Association of New Zealand) – dedicated to supporting people caring for a person with an eating disorder, visit their website
- Family Planning – for clinical services and information regarding sexual and reproductive health, call (04) 569 5025 to book an appointment or visit their website
- Health Navigator New Zealand (Healthify) – provides information and support of specific topics relevant to young people, visit their website
- Healthpoint – information about health services in Lower Hutt, visit their website
- Kidslink – find expert services in your local area for supporting kids & teens, visit their website
- Ministry of Education – practical tools and advice on supporting your child’s wellbeing, visit their website
- PACT – supporting those with alcohol, drug and gambling issues and recovering from mental health visit their website
- Seeing Someone: A Brief Guide to Psychology, Therapy and Coaching – a guide to seeking support outside of school for whānau who may want to seek support via a counsellor or psychologist outside of school. The guide has information on how to find a therapist near you, what it might cost and what you might be looking for in one, read the short 16 page guide here
- Skylight Trust – provide specialist support for grief, loss and trauma, visit their website
- Take It Down – providing help to remove online nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit photos and videos taken before a student turns 18, visit their website
- Te Awakairangi Health – affordable health and wellbeing in Lower Hutt, visit their website
- The Light Project – this project aims to help equip youth, their whānau and communities to build porn literacy and positively navigate the new porn landscape, visit their website
- Vibe – free confidential health & support services for young people in the Hutt Valley, visit their website
Recommended by the Wellbeing Team
There are so many amazing resources which you can access online to support you through a hard time. Here are a few that we recommend:
Online resources
- Aunty Dee – free online tool for anyone need help working through a problem, visit the website
- Bully Free New Zealand – support for those dealing with bullying, learn more here
- ICON (In Case of Online Negativity) – supports young people to resolve online issues and understand the tools, support and services available, visit their website
- Inside Out – works with youth, whānau, schools and communities to make Aotearoa a safer place for all rainbow young people to live and be in, visit their website
- Just a Thought – an online learning tool which helps improve mental wellbeing, learn more here
- Netsafe – provides resources and advice for staying safe online, visit their website
- Rainbow Youth – support for queer, gender diverse, takatāpui & intersex youth, their friends, whānau and wider communities, visit their website
- Shine – supports those worried about or experiencing domestic violence, more information on their website
- Take It Down – providing help to remove online nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit photos and videos taken before a student turns 18, visit their website
- The Light Project – online support for talking to your kids about pornography, visit their website