Student Stress Investigation

In the UK, USA, and Australia, schools are reporting declining attendance rates. Significant numbers of students are experiencing distress that impacts their capacity to attend school. In Australia, a recent poll suggested that as many as 30% of students had experienced “school refusal” in the past 12 months.

Lived experience organisations, such as Not Fine in School in the UK and School Can’t Australia, have come to reject the term “school refusal,” as it implies that students are making a willful choice not to go to school. They suggest the phenomenon is best viewed as a response to one or more stressors that requires adults to be curious so we can identify these stressors and barriers, alongside appropriate supports and adjustments, including counselling options for students.

When we focus solely on behavior and attempt to coerce students to attend school, or try to correct what we perceive as faulty thinking, we risk pushing them through their distress without first identifying the underlying stressors. This can set students up for failure and exacerbate their mental health challenges since the source of their stress remains unresolved. While teaching relaxation and anxiety management skills may help students with mild or temporary stress, those experiencing chronic stress benefit from targeted assistance, such as play therapy, that addresses the root causes of their distress.

What is the Student Stress Investigation Resource? The Student Stress Investigation is a resource designed to help students communicate about their school experiences and is a valuable tool for understanding the underlying causes of school-related distress. With nearly 100 cards, this resource assists adults in exploring various aspects of school that a student might struggle with.

In a collaborative approach, the adult and student work together, much like detectives, to make sense of what might be causing the student's distress. Cards are sorted into two piles: 1) “Relevant Clues,” representing issues the student faces, and 2) “Not Relevant Clues,” representing non-problems.

Next, the cards reflecting the student’s difficulties are graded according to how problematic each issue feels. Neurodivergent students often indicate that between 30 and 50 cards describe their struggles, highlighting the unique collection of stressors each student experiences.

The final step of the investigation is to identify the student’s biggest priorities. They are asked to select 5 or 6 problems they would most like to eliminate. By identifying these stressors and the student’s top priorities, we can collaborate with the student, their school, their family, and any allied health team to identify adjustments and supports that will reduce stress and protect the student’s mental health.

How can the Student Stress Investigation Help? The Student Stress Investigation can be used to: • Identify the support needs of students, • Assist students (and their families) in understanding why they might struggle with school attendance, • Empower students to become self-advocates, • Help families consider whether a new school or type of learning might alleviate the student’s stress.

The Student Stress Investigation works exceptionally well alongside Dr. Ross Greene’s Collaborative Proactive Solutions, helping unpack and identify the often-hidden difficulties students face at school. Dr. Greene’s slogan, “Kids do well if they can,” aligns with the Student Stress Investigation tool.

I frequently use the Student Stress Investigation with students aged 9 and above, and I am thrilled with how it: 1) Enables students to share their lived experiences of school, 2) Empowers them to become self-advocates, 3) Assists them in making sense of their struggles, and 4) Helps shift the shame they often carry due to their challenges.

Some students may come to believe they are failures or bad people rather than individuals who have been experiencing difficult times with poorly understood support needs. Discovering an alternative narrative about themselves can be transformative. The good news is that, now understanding the sources of their distress, we can work together with you and your school to find ways to reduce stress, so you can enjoy being at school and learning.

Visit www.studentstressinvestigation.com.au to learn more about the Student Stress Investigation resource or get in touch with Kelly to schedule your Student Stress Investigation.

Tiffany Westphal is a social worker based in Naarm (Melbourne). She is the creator of the Student Stress Investigation resource and works with students experiencing distress about attending school. Tiffany also serves as a director for School Can’t Australia, where she researches, writes submissions to government, provides professional learning, and speaks at conferences, sharing the group’s 10 years of lived experience knowledge about what works and what doesn’t when supporting students distressed about attending school.