School refusal can take over family life quickly. If mornings have become distressing, unpredictable, and exhausting, you’re not alone.
This is a 10-lesson, self-paced course for parents and carers. You can start at any time and work through it in a way that fits your household.
Price: AUD $149
If you’d like to see exactly what’s included before enrolling, scroll down for the lesson overview and resources. If you’re ready now, you can enrol below.
This course helps you understand what’s driving the refusal, reduce the patterns that keep anxiety stuck, and build a gradual return plan you can use at home and with your child’s school.
What you’ll get:
- 10 lessons with a clear sequence you can follow
- a gradual return plan template
- scripts for school communication and meetings
- checklists for common sticking points (mornings, avoidance, overwhelm)
I felt much more empowered after doing the Course
Anne B, Parent
Inspire educational success
Overcoming school refusal
School refusal can be frightening and exhausting. Many families feel stuck in a cycle of distress in the mornings, conflict at home, and uncertainty about what to do next.
This self-paced online course is designed for parents and carers who want a clear, structured way forward. It draws on CBT-informed strategies commonly used to reduce anxiety-driven avoidance and build gradual re-engagement with school.
What this course covers
In 10 lessons, you’ll learn how to:
• understand what is maintaining the refusal (anxiety, overwhelm, avoidance cycles, accommodation patterns)
• respond in ways that reduce escalation and support safety
• teach coping skills your child can practice when distress rises
• build a gradual return plan, step by step, at a pace your child can tolerate
• communicate with the school with more clarity and confidence
• troubleshoot common barriers, including bullying, overwhelm, and school-based triggers
The 10 course lessons
Lesson 1: Understanding school refusal (causes, patterns, what tends to happen if it drags on)
You’ll clarify what “school refusal” is (and isn’t), identify likely drivers for your child, and learn the basics of behaviour change (including operant conditioning) so you can respond with more confidence and consistency.
Lesson 2: Recognising signs and symptoms (and when it’s time to get extra help)
You’ll learn what to watch for (behavioural and emotional cues), revisit the “drivers” of refusal, and use the mental health continuum to judge when outside support is needed.
Lesson 3: Creating a gradual exposure plan (a practical return-to-school pathway)
You’ll build a step-by-step plan that reduces avoidance and helps your child face school in manageable steps, with pacing and reinforcement strategies to keep momentum.
Lesson 4: Parental accommodations (when “helping” accidentally keeps the cycle going)
You’ll look at the common ways families understandably accommodate distress, and how to rebalance support so it comforts your child without locking in avoidance.
Lesson 5: Having difficult conversations (without escalating things)
You’ll get tools for calm, structured conversations, conflict de-escalation approaches, and practical templates (including behaviour contracts) to reduce repeated blow-ups and stop the “same fight” happening every day.
Lesson 6: Reducing anxiety and cognitive distortions (and looking after yourself too)
You’ll learn ways to reduce anxiety in the family system, spot common thinking traps in kids’ language, and use communication approaches that help your child feel safer and more capable.
Lesson 7: Standing strong against bullying
You’ll learn how bullying functions (including online), how to tell bullying from everyday conflict, and practical steps kids can use to respond safely and assertively.
Lesson 8: Gaming, addictions and school refusal
You’ll explore how gaming can become part of the school-refusal loop for some kids, plus practical strategies for boundaries, routines, and behaviour change.
Lesson 9: Parenting tips for a more harmonious home (plus building resilience)
You’ll pull together practical home strategies (rules, routines, consequences, reinforcement, “grey rock” responses) and focus on building resilience so your child can cope with discomfort rather than escape it.
Lesson 10: Navigating the path forward
You’ll recap what you’ve learned, focus on what “staying the course” looks like over time, and set yourself up for next steps (including reflection on what helped most).
What makes it different
This course is practical. It focuses on what to do next, and how to do it in a way that is realistic for families under strain. You’ll finish with a plan you can use, not just information to read.
A note about what this is, and isn’t
This is an educational program for parents and carers. It can sit alongside clinical support. If your child is at immediate risk of harm, or you need urgent mental health support, seek local services first.
This course gave our team a practical framework to support re-engagement.
Erin, Head of Student Services
If you’d like to read the lesson outline and inclusions first, continue below.
If you’re ready to begin, enrol now for AUD 149.
I learned so much and have changed a lot of the ways I used to try to solve my problems with my teen.
Carol D, parent
Recognising Signs and Symptoms: Benefits for Students
Happy school kids = happy families
School refusal is usually a distress response, not “bad behaviour”. Many children want to do the right thing and still can’t get themselves through the school gate. The first step is learning to recognise the patterns early, so you can respond in a way that reduces anxiety rather than accidentally reinforcing avoidance.
What you’ll learn in this course
You’ll learn how to:
• recognise early warning signs of school refusal
• understand common drivers and contributing factors (anxiety, overwhelm, unmet needs, avoidance cycles)
• differentiate school refusal from truancy (and why that matters for how you respond)
• identify triggers and patterns for your child
• communicate about school distress in a way that lowers escalation and builds trust
• apply the strategies to your own situation and build a practical plan you can use at home and with the school
I really liked how comprehensive the Course is, and the structured approach.
Steve A, Parent
Supporting your child starts with supporting you
Learn how to manage your and your child’s anxiety
When a child is refusing school, it’s common for parents and carers to feel anxious, stretched, and unsure how to respond in the moment. This course includes practical strategies to help you stay steadier under pressure, so you can make decisions that reduce escalation and support progress over time.
What you’ll take away
You’ll learn how to:
• recognise your own stress patterns during school refusal moments
• use simple, practical techniques to reduce escalation (for you and your child)
• respond consistently, even when mornings are unpredictable
• keep boundaries clear while still being compassionate
• plan next steps when you’re tired, worried, and overloaded
A realistic note
The goal isn’t to eliminate anxiety completely. It’s to reduce the intensity and frequency of high-stress moments, and to give you a workable plan you can return to when things feel messy.
I loved learning new skills and seeing the changes in my own children eg. kids attending school and less arguing
Brad R, Parent