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Professor Phillip Slee is a Professor in Human Development and is a trained teacher and registered psychologist.

Professor Slee has published extensively in the field of child development, bullying, school violence and stress, and has produced educational resources in the form of videos and resource packages.

He has presented his work nationally and internationally in workshops and lectures.

“The importance of early intervention in school-aged children cannot be underestimated,” Professor Slee says.

“If we provide the tools and resources, they can better tackle some of the issues that they continue to face.”

School counsellor Tony Mahar has implemented some of Professor Slee’s research and resources into Brighton Secondary School and found immediate benefits from a school wellbeing point of view, including recording the lowest level of bullying the school had ever seen.

About one in seven children between the ages of 4-17 have experienced a mental health issue in Australia. Some of the common issues include:

  • Relationship problems (family, peers)
  • Eating or body-image issues
  • Bullying (including cyberbullying)
  • Abuse (physical, emotional or sexual)
  • Feeling sad or depressed
  • Worry or anxiety
  • Self-harm or suicide

Breakthrough and the Little Heroes Foundation have come together in a charity-first to collaboratively help address this issue that affects not only children, but their families, friends, teachers and the wider community. We must provide early intervention strategies and prevention that provides children with the tools to ensure their wellbeing and resilience as they get older.

We look forward to updating you on this project in the coming weeks.