Making the unfamiliar, familiar - how to manage homesickness

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Webinar created for member schools of our partner ABSA 13th May 2022, 11am AEST - 2pm NZT

Moving away for boarding school is an exciting time and a big transition. Whether their family lives nearby or on the other side of the world, it's natural for students to experience some homesickness.

Homesickness affects students in different ways and often at different times. Sometimes it’s fleeting, other times it can hang around for a while. The important thing to note is that it is a very normal experience for all boarding school students - everyone experiences it at one point or another.

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So what can we do to support boarders with homesickness?

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Homesickness can look and feel different to each student but it is common for homesickness to present as feelings of anxiety and loneliness. Students may feel isolated at school whilst also isolated from their support network of “home.” It is common for students to describe the experience as a rollercoaster of emotions from irritability to anger and tearfulness to distress.

Whilst a very normative experience, research shows us that if students are not supported through their homesickness there can be many negative flow-on effects. When left to grow, homesickness can affect school engagement and academic achievement, social relationships, mental health and ability to adjust into new environments.

Would you like to learn how you can support boarders at your school with homesickness?

Join our Komodo Child Psychologist Ilia Lindsay on Friday 13th May at 11am AEST for our 60min webinar

In this webinar we will explore the effects of homesickness as well as practical tips and strategies to support students.

This webinar resource has been created to suit the learning needs and settings of boarding school members of the Australian Boarding Schools Association and will run on Livestorm for ABSA members.

Afterwards, we will be publishing the webinar recording on Komodo's YouTube channel. Watch this space for updates.

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