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 | April We hope that you all had moments of ease, peace, rest, and fun over the spring break. The waves of change continue to come our way personally, professionally, and globally. Let's continue to hold on to the strength of our connection in the work as we support each other during these challenging times. We look forward to seeing you all at the April 12th Counsellor Collaboration Meeting.
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| April - Ride the Waves of Change (Chapter 11)
Habit: Ride the Waves of Change Disposition: Perseverance
Change is one thing we can count on, and when we encounter it, we can harness our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energies, and direct them to where they will make the biggest difference. Perseverance, patience, and courage help us manage change.
Chapter Reflection:
How did the ideas in the chapter affect your feelings about change?
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Which sections of this chapter were most useful to you?
What implications for action are there for you from the ideas in this chapter?
How could you apply these ideas to something that is happening for you right now?
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In partnership with the Government of British Columbia, Ministry of Education, we have developed courses to support adult well-being in the K-12 education system. This course is designed to introduce you to the research and science around well-being and mindful teaching through the lens of MindUP's four pillars - neuroscience, mindful awareness, social and emotional learning, and positive psychology. This course will offer you opportunities to learn, reflect and practice strategies to help you manage stress and support your mental well-being across many areas of your life- school, home, and beyond.
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Thursday, May 26th 9:00 - 3:00pm, Uplands Gym Dr Kirsteen Moore, a psychologist with the High Risk Team, will spend the morning discussing suicide and interventions, and the afternoon delving into narrative therapy. Counsellors have already received a calendar invite, and if any counsellors has enrolling blocks and needs a TTOC, please contact Jen Chambers directly. Lunch will be provided, and any specific food requests can also be directed to Jen.
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One of our goals with our District Teams is to focus on Supporting School Based Teams, and aligning aspects of our support for Learning Support Teachers and Counsellors. With this goal in mind, and COVID safety measures still a consideration, we are planning for the following meetings, knowing that the in person options may shift to zoom:
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*April 12 Counsellor Meeting: Counsellor meeting for all counsellors in GVSD. Save the date calendar reminder has been sent and zoom invite will be sent the week prior. | May 12 SBT Meeting: Meeting for all members of School Based Teams. Zoom or in person will be decided closer to event.
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| June 9 Counsellor Meeting: Counsellor meeting for all counsellors in GVSD. Save the date calendar reminder has been sent and zoom invite will be sent the week prior.
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Summary and Conclusions:
Teens have experienced significant social and academic losses in the past 20 months
Students (12-18) self-reported developmentally, psychologically, and socially appropriate responses to the social effects of COVID-19
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Worry, sadness, and social grieving are prominent and normal/appropriate responses to this major global event
Stress levels did exceed the critical cutoff for almost 3 in 10 adolescents, and it did significantly from Wave 1 to Wave 4, but it seems to have leveled somewhat in Wave 5
Symptoms of mood and anxiety experienced by almost 4 in 10, and females and older youth consistently rated all symptoms higher than males and younger youth, respectively
Reminder
symptoms ≠ mental disorders
symptoms = mental distress
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Introduction, Planning, Implementing, and Collaborating Supporting our colleagues and students with social emotional learning and mental health literacy provides a strong foundation both individually and collectively.
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| Middle and Secondary Teams If your team has a plan in your school around MHL implementation and/or how you hope to move forward with this work and are looking for support (e.g. possibly some TTOC release time or a member of our team coming in to support/join in collaborative planning), please reach out to Pam Halverson to share your plan and discuss your support request.
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| Elementary and Middle Teams 'Second Step' Implementation Sessions Links to the recorded webinars for Second Step have been shared with elementary/middle P/VPs. If you have not received and are interested, please reach out to Monique Moore. Monique Moore and Maureen Von Tigerstrom are contacts if you have any implementation questions.
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| We are working in partnership with the Foundry, to offer students a Frist Aid opportunity: training in administering Noloxone. The goal is to offer it at all our Secondary schools, and give an opportunity for interested middle school aged students to receive the training as well.
We are starting with Spectrum, SJB and Lambrick, then will expand to the other schools in the next months. For more information, please contact Jen Chambers.
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| A helpful resource to share with parents to further their understanding of the impact of substance use on their child and how to access support.
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Addressing the Conflict in the Ukraine The invasion of Ukraine may resurface difficult feelings and trauma for students, teachers, staff and families. The Ministry encourages you to be mindful of how these troubling events may impact you and those around you. In this uncertain time, please continue to prioritize mental health and the well-being of students, their families, teachers and staff. Conversations about significant global events can be challenging, however it is important that children have caring adults around them to help make sense of the world and feel safe. The following resources provide tips for teachers and parents that we hope are helpful for your
schools. How to Talk with Students about the Russia-Ukraine War: Includes 5 tips to help teachers and principals talk to students thoughtfully and appropriately about what is going on in
Ukraine. How to Talk to Kids About Violence, Crime, and War: Common Sense Media gathers tips and conversation starters to help you talk to kids of different ages about the toughest
topics. Resilience in a time of war: Tips for parents and teachers of elementary school children: This article from the American Psychological Association can help adults guide their young children beyond fear and to
resilience. Resilience in a time of war: Tips for parents and teachers of middle school children: The American Psychological Association breaks out tips and strategies for parents and teachers of middle school-aged
children. National Child Traumatic Stress Network: Provides resources that can be filtered by topic or keyword and by audience with a focus on how adults can identify traumatic responses in young people and how to support them.
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| Some helpful information and resources to share with students and families on The Foundry website on self injury.
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A list of resources to share with families who need support to find housing. | Another list of resources to share with families who are seeking this support.
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| FamilySmart - A Conversation with Families about Digital Wellbeing and Mental Health As parents, we struggle with balancing our children’s time spent in the digital world and what we consider the real world. It’s not easy to know how much time on technology is too much and how to set boundaries that don’t create conflict. Join us for a conversation with a digital wellbeing expert to learn some practical solutions to our everyday concerns and challenges around our kids’ use of screens and their mental health. Dr. Kristy Goodwin, Digital Wellbeing and Productivity Researcher, Speaker, Author and Consultant.
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FamilySmart has a workshop series called Help For The Hard Times. These workshops are for South Island families and caregivers whose child or youth has been a patient in a psychiatric unit or have had repeated hospital ER visits at Victoria General or Ledger House. These will be delivered every month and are facilitated by parents with lived experience and are hosted online.
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Details for 1-hour Workshops:
Session 1: How to support a safety plan at home (Part 1)
Session 2: How to support a safety plan at home (Part 2)
Session 3: How to take care of yourself and your family after a crisis
Session 4: How to find the resources you need
April Dates: Tuesdays & Thursdays 6 PM - 7 PM, April 12, 14 19, 21
Cost: Free
For more information and registration: https://familysmart.ca/workshops/
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| ADHD - The Real Deal Join us in watching a video by Dr. Duncan, who will dispel the many myths surrounding ADHD by presenting up to date scientific facts about cause, prevalence, diagnosis and treatment. He will explain how and why the ADHD brain works the way it does. Speakers: Dr. Don Duncan, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Victoria Keddis, FamilySmart Practice Manager & Facilitator
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Kelty Mental Health - Supporting Children and Youth Who Have Experienced Trauma A video primarily for parents by Dr. Julia Gibson, child psychiatrist.
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 | Additional resources recommended by Dr. Julia Gibson: Written with empowering child-friendly language, the main character “Sammy” helps parents and kids start the dialog by using simple rules that make sense to children. Sammy explains each rule using a straight-forward concept of “thumbs up and thumbs down” awareness. Super Duper Safety School teaches children how to be the “boss of their own body”, how to watch out for “tricky people” and how they can be safe around people they know or don‘t know. Also included is a comprehensive Parent Education Guide to help parents understand their role and how they can significantly minimize the risks to their child.
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A Terrible Thing Happened by Margaret Holmes This gently told and tenderly illustrated story is for children who have witnessed any kind of violent or traumatic episode, including physical abuse, school or gang violence, accidents, homicide, suicide, and natural disasters such as floods or fire. An afterword by Sash a J. Mudlaff written for parents and other caregivers offers extensive suggestions for helping traumatized children, including a list of other sources that focus on specific events.
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Kidsgrief.ca Whatever your role within the educational system, as someone who works with students, you are in a unique position to provide grief support to them. KidsGrief.ca can help you understand how children (ages 0 to 18) grieve and how to support them as they face the life-limiting illness, dying and death of someone important to them. It offers both structured and general guidelines for providing grief support to students under varying circumstances.l
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| KidsGrief.ca learning modules have been developed by a team of educators, experts in grief, and specifically children‘s grief, together with people who have experienced loss and supported children through grief. (see Who developed KidsGrief.ca – For Educators). It is not meant to replace professional counselling or other health care services.
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| What Happens when a Loved One Dies - Dr. Jillian Roberts Whether children are experiencing grief and loss for the first time or simply curious, it can be difficult to know how to talk to them about death. Using questions posed in a child’s voice and answers that start simply and become more in-depth, this book allows adults to guide the conversation to a natural and reassuring conclusion.
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Child psychologist Dr. Jillian Roberts designed the Just Enough series to empower parents/caregivers to start conversations with young ones about difficult or challenging subject matter. Other books in the series deal with birth, diversity, separation and divorce.
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Challenging Negative Thoughts "A Thought is a Thought” simplifies the power of mindfulness into a rhyming book to provide children and parents with tools to combat negative thoughts. This book works to calm the mind of anyone that suffers from anxiety and overthinking. The mantra "a thought is a thought. It's not me, it's just not" empowers the reader to know their value is beyond the thoughts they have about themselves, building confidence for people of all ages.
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| What to Say to Kids (and Teens) When Nothing Seems to Work - FamilySmart This is a live presentation and Q & A with Dr. Ashley Miller, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Family Therapist and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Miller will share quick and effective strategies to help your child and you weather difficult moments in a way that strengthens resilience and relationships. Dr. Ashley Miller loves working with children, teens and families daily, helping them to reconnect to their own strengths and to each other. She is also the co-author with Dr. Adele Lafrance of What to Say to Kids When Nothing Seems to Work: A Practical Guide for Parents and Caregivers.
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| Child & Youth Mental Health Lunch & Learn Series for BC School Counsellors
January 24, February 24 & April 4, 12:00pm – 1:00pm
The BC Children's Hospital Compass Mental Health program, in partnership with the BC School Counsellors Association, invites BC School Counsellors to join a 3-part lunch & learn series.
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Learn about the Compass Program, have your child & youth mental health questions answered during a Q&A session with experienced mental health clinicians, and learn more about social-emotional learning and its connection to mental health.
Social Emotional Learning & Mental Health: Connecting the Dots - April 4th from 12pm-1pm
Please click the link to join: https://phsa.zoom.us/j/67311477907?pwd=bGVrUUoxaHNCdW44T2U0U3JiSmQ4UT09
Webinar ID: 673 1147 7907
Password: 279998
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| Collaborative & Proactive Solutions: 2-Day Virtual Training with Dr. Ross Greene, PhD - May 5/6
Registration LINK. In this webinar, Dr. Greene will provide an overview of the CPS model, along with more advanced coverage of the nuances of assessment and engaging kids in solving the problems that affect their lives. You don't have to participate on both days. On Day One, Dr. Greene will provide a general overview of the CPS model, including key themes, use of assessment instrumentation, and solving problems collaboratively. On Day Two he will dive deeper into various facets of the model, with extensive use of video examples and ample time for questions and discussion. The recordings of both days will be available for viewing following the live webinar. (Usually within 5 days after the live webinar ends.)
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Apr 21, 2022 6:30 PM Grounded in current research and best practice, this 90-minute workshop will help participants learn about the functions self-harming behaviours serve for teens, how to differentiate these behaviours from suicide attempts, and moreover, what to do (and not do), in order to help.
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*Please note that this is an introductory workshop, and does not serve as a substitute for comprehensive training in DBT. LEARNING OBJECTIVES:Understand the functions of self-harming behaviours in teens Differentiate between self-harming behaviours from suicidal behaviors Discuss what to do and what not to do in order to help teens who self-harm Participants are recommended to read the following text for further information and learning: Hollander, M. (2017). Helping Teens Who Cut, Second Edition: Using DBT Skills to End Self-Injury. New York: Guilford
Press. Helping Teens Who Cut
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Youth Employment Program Guide (Link) The guide is an easy to use Flipbook resource for over 24 youth employment programs with different specialties and supports to help youth between the ages of 15 and 30 find employment. They hyperlinked the guide, so you can click and connect directly to the programs and resources that most interest you.
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District Counselling Team Contact Info: Secondary District Counsellor: Jennifer Chambers jchambers@sd61.bc.ca
Middle District Counsellor: Monique Moore mmoore@sd61.bc.ca
Elementary District Counsellor: Maureen von Tigerstrom mvontigerstrom@sd61.bc.ca
Youth & Family District Counsellor: Jen Aston jaston@sd61.bc.ca
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Additional Members of the District Mental Health Team: Indigenous District Counsellor Joanne Mitchell jomitchell@sd61.bc.ca
District Principal: Pam Halverson phalverson@sd61.bc.ca
Associate Superintendent: Harold Caldwell hcaldwell@sd61.bc.ca
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Jennifer Chambers Secondary Supporting schools and families with students who have complex emotional, behavioural, mental health & Substance use needs
SBT support throughout year for Secondary teams
Tri District Collaboration with Community partners for student support (i.e. Discovery, CYMH, Police) and to develop consistent interventions (VTRA, CIRT, Pro D for counsellors)
Mental Health Safety plans
Integrated case management meetings
Collaboration with District levelled Teams (Secondary), Complex Problem Solving Team and District Support Teams
Collaborating and connecting with community agencies to support students
VTRA (Assessments and training), Safer Schools Co-cordinator
Principal Review
Committee and Diversion for Secondary
District based team meetings for Secondary (includes any referrals for Alternative Programs)
Collaborate and coordinate with middle/elementary district counsellor for counsellor collaborations and professional development (Refresher Series)
Monthly social emotional wellbeing snapshots for secondary school
Team and District Lead for CIRT including yearly training for staff
Spring Up to High School
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Monique Moore Middle
Supporting schools and families with students who have complex emotional, behavioural, and mental health needs
SBT support throughout year for Middle teams
Student observation and creation of student support plans to guide programming needs
Mental Health Safety plans
Integrated case management meetings
Collaboration with District levelled Teams (Middle), Complex Problem Solving Team and District Support Teams
Collaborating and connecting with community agencies to support students
VTRA
Principal Review Committee - Middle
District based team meetings for middle, and grade 9 (grade 9 DBT‘s include any transitions to Alternative programs)
Collaborate and coordinate with district counsellors for Counsellor Collaborations and
professional development
Monthly social emotional wellbeing snapshots for middle school
Staff professional development in Mental Health Literacy as well as CPI
Member of District CIRT
Spring Up to High School
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Maureen von Tigerstrom
Elementary Supporting schools and families with students who have complex emotional, behavioural, and mental health needs
SBT support throughout year for Elementary teams
Student observation and creation of student support plans to guide programming needs
Mental Health Safety plans
Integrated case management meetings
Collaboration with District levelled Teams (Elementar), Complex Problem Solving Team and District Support Teams
Collaborating and connecting with community agencies to support students
VTRA
Principal Review Committee - Elementary
District based team meetings for elementary
Collaborate and coordinate with district counsellors for
Counsellor Collaborations and professional development
Staff professional development in Second Step (SEL)
Member of District CIRT
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| Jen Aston
District Youth and Family Counsellor
Supporting schools and families with students who have complex emotional, behavioural, mental health and substance use needs.
Youth and Family support for schools without a school- based YFC counsellor.
District Team for supporting Children in Care Plans and partnership with Ministry of Children and Families.
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District lead for facilitation of Y Teen Mindfulness Training for Counsellors and teachers.
Counselling support for youth and families not currently connected to a school or who didn't "land" through DBT processes.
Co-facillitation of annual Connect Parent Group for parents of secondary students who have accessed District Based Team Supports.
Individualized transition plans for students moving from elementary to middle or middle to Secondary School.
| Integrated case management meetings
Collaborating and connecting with community agencies to support students
Collaboration with District levelled Teams (Elementary, Middle and Secondary), Complex Solving Team and District Support Teams
District Team supporting Social Emotional Wellness Advocates in Schools through professional development and ongoing support
Spring up to High School
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| Joanne Mitchell - District Indigenous Counsellor As District Indigenous Counsellor, Joanne is passionate about incorporating authentic learning about Indigenous issues into our schools. She feels it is important to understand a full spectrum of Indigenous perspectives: the history of Indigenous dispossession and trauma; the strength and resiliency of the culture; and, to present the beauty and intricacies of Indigenous worldview. With other members of her team, she strives to wrap our children in the protection of cultural strength and identity, and inform a new generation of learners about the importance of Truth and Reconciliation. The Indigenous team is here to create a vision for our district to move towards reconciliation by providing guidance and support to public educators to seek out authentic voices, unpack colonial theories,
and find the confidence to move forward in our vision where reconciliation can be felt both personally and professionally.
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