Students at Manjimup Senior High School have responded well to having access to an onsite general practitioner (GP) during school hours.
After several years in development, the project is underway and the two clinics held so far have been fully subscribed by year seven to 12 students.
Manjimup Senior High School principal Ben Lagana said local GP Sarah Youngsen had approached the school in 2020 with concerns about the mental health issues with which local adolescents were presenting at her clinic.
Her idea was to set up regular access to GP services at the school for secondary students.
Mr Lagana said he had prepared a business case study and it had been approved late last year.
He said the project went to tender and was awarded to Bridgetown Medical Group, which would supply three GPs - male and female - who would share the role.
They will provide bulk-billed specialised adolescent health care at the school - which has 560 students - one day per week.
"The original idea was to fill a gap in terms of the mental health supports available to our teenagers," Mr Lagana said.
He said Manjimup Senior High School took students from five feeder schools in the district and access to GPs for students from these schools was often limited.
"Many students commute for up to 90 minutes to attend school, which significantly impacts their ability to access youth-focused GP appointments before and after school," Mr Lagana said.
"By increasing accessibility to health care with an onsite GP, the health care needs of students will be addressed and their time in the classroom won't be impacted.
"Appointments are taking place in a special consulting room."
Mr Lagana said the onsite GP service complemented other mental health programs at the school.
He said it particularly fitted well with The Resilience Project being rolled-out as part of the year seven and eight curriculum, which provides positive mental health strategies to help people become happier and more resilient.
It shares emotionally engaging stories with hundreds of schools, workplaces and communities to help make the topic of mental health more accessible.
Mr Laguna said the more positive emotion you experience, the more resilient you will be.
He said there were three key pillars proven to cultivate positive emotion - gratitude, empathy and mindfulness.
"To this end, the curriculum had a strong focus on connection, purpose, kindness, emotional literacy and physical health," Mr Laguna said.
Education Minister Toni Buti said the Manjimup Senior High School onsite GP program would run for 12 months to assess its success.
"We want to ensure schools have what they need to support student health and wellbeing," Mr Buti said.
"The trial of a GP at Manjimup Senior High School makes health services for secondary students more accessible and will help to improve attendances."
