I’ll be OK In Year 7: Effects of the 8 week transition programs on Year 6 students' psychological well-being and successful transition to Year 7, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SBTIMH Stage 1 is a two arm intervention trial with no control group, involving 2 intervention groups (A & B). 300 Year 6 students from 6 primary schools will be exposed to 2 different interventions. Group A (n=150) will participate in the 8 week (one-hour), school based - Resilience Focused Transition Program (RFTP); delivered by provisional psychologists under supervision of the registered psychologist /Board of Psychology' approved supervisor. Group B (n=150) will participate in 8 week (one-hour), school based - Mindfulness Focused Transition Program (MFTP), delivered by provisional psychologists under supervision of the applicant, who, in addition to psychology, is also a certified mindfulness facilitator. Children/Year 6 students will participate in 8 one-hour per week sessions, during school term, delivered in their own class, with their classroom teacher present. The activities will involve skill development, role plays, discussion and completing quizzes and questionnaires. Session attendance checklists will be used to monitor adherence to the intervention. Sessions will be delivered face to face or via Zoom, subject to current COVID -19 restrictions. The following contents will be included in the proposed programs: Program A "I'll be OK in Year 7" Resilience Focused Transition Program- Proposed Outline (2021) Week 1 (90 min) Introduction to the Program - Introducing the program, presenters and participants - Discussing goals of the program & group rules - Exploring feelings about transition to High School - Completion of Year 6 Surveys- Homework Week 2 (60 min) Coping with changes - What is transition stress - Discussing how to cope with change, and building resilience - Stress reduction activity Week 3 (60 min) Time Management and Problem Solving - Discussing how to balance responsibilities and ways to manage competing priorities - Introducing skills such as activity scheduling, and time management - Introducing problem solving strategies (for both interpersonal and practical problems) - Introducing the importance of self-care and how to improve wellbeing Week 4 (60 min) Assertive Communication - Building and increasing emotion vocabulary to facilitate effective communication - Introducing assertiveness and discussing and role-playing assertive, passive and aggressive approaches to communication - Discussing how to give feedback respectfully and constructively, and how to receive feedback Week 5 (60 min) Maintaining Friendships & Making Friends - Discussing opportunities available in high school and where it could lead to - Difficulties that children may experience such as changing friendship groups - Practicing social skills training - Practicing conversational skills Week 6 (60 min) Self-care and how to improve wellbeing - Difficulties with being the small fish in a big pond - Introducing self-compassion, and talking about self-esteem - Exploring mindfulness /Making a self-care plan - Homework Week 7 (60 min) Bullying and Cyber-safety - Understanding bullying behavior and the effects of bullying - How to respond to bullying in high school, and resources available for help - Discussing cyber safety and social media use - How to engage in safe behaviours online, and managing your privacy - How to handle cyber bullying, and your online presence (respecting others online) Week 8 (90 min) Final session - Review of the program - Feedback and discussion - Presentation of Certificates - Completion of Year 6 (post) surveys Program B “I’ll be OK in Year 7” Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction - Proposed Outline (2021) Week 1 (90 min) Introduction to the Program • Introductions and welcomes • “I’ll be OK in Year 7” – Overview of the Program • Exploring Feelings about Transition • Your bucket of emotions • Q & A Session • (Pre) Survey Completion Week 2 (60 min) Coping with Transition Stress • Establishing goals and group rules • What is Transition Stress? • In-class Activity (5 senses) • Summary Week 3 (60 min) Introduction to Mindfulness • Icebreaker exercises and Review of Week 2 • What is Mindfulness? • Mindfulness Breathing -Activity • Summary and homework Week 4 (60 min) Staying Focused • Mindful Moment • Review of previous week • Attention Training and Basic Neuroscience • Mindfulness Activity (Staying Focused) • Summary Week 5 (60 min) Coping with Unhelpful Thoughts? • Mindful Moment • Review of previous week • Mindfulness of Thoughts • Mindfulness Activity (Unhelpful Thoughts) • Summary and homework Week 6 (60 min) Coping with Difficult Emotions • Mindful Moment • Review of previous week • Mindfulness of Emotions • Mindfulness Activity (Difficult Emotions) • Summary Week 7 (60 min) Mindful Communication • Mindful Moment • Review of previous week • Mindfulness of Listening & Communication • Activity (Self-care Plan) • Summary and homework Week 8 (90 min) Final Session & Self Care • Mindful Moment • Review of Week 7 • Looking after yourself /Self Care Activity • Review of program – survey’s completion • Certificates Presentation • Final conclusions, Q&A and good byes