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 | We hope that you had a restful spring break and feel replenished. Plans for student transition are underway and please connect with any questions you may have about process. Please continue to send requests for professional learning our way and take care during your busy days.
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Our theme for this year is "Healthy Relationships through a Trauma Sensitive Lens."
Our Counsellor meetings offer an opportunity for connection, professional development, and consult and collaboration around individual students and work. We value this time to connect and have received your feedback about which resources and community agencies you would like to hear more from.
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Counsellor
Collaboration Dates
Thursday, April 13
9-11 am In Person Tolmie Boardroom
ABC for Youth Substance Use
Mia Golden (MYST) will be presenting a new video "Tied to a Lie" that focuses on the topic of exploitation, grooming, recruitment of youth for online sexual exploitation, gang recruitment, and sex trafficking.
Celebration of Retiring Counsellors!
Tuesday, May 30
1-3 pm Virtual Link will be sent out.
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| EASE The slides presented at our collaboration have been shared and we are hopeful that this universal support will be accessed by our schools as we continue to support our students and families with easing anxiety and developing their toolkits for resilience.
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Supporting Student Health Guides - Ministry of Education and Health Care The provincial curriculum has brought together physical education and health education in order to develop all aspects of well-being and emphasize the connections between physical, intellectual, mental, sexual and social health.
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The purpose is to: Support teachers to teach health education topics with confidence, particularly in relation to sexual and mental health topics. Teachers are encouraged to treat health education as a regular, ongoing area of study rather than a once-a-year event. We know that Second Step, Mental Health Literacy, and EASE cover many of the topics below but if you have some other resources that you have been using to teach any of the topics below, please email Monique Moore as we collate helpful materials for this work.
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Elementary Topics
- Consent
- Body Science
- Safe and Unsafe touch
- Internet safety
- Puberty
- Safer sex (STIs)
- Mental health
- Brain Science
- Bullying
- Wellbeing
| Secondary Topics
- Consent
- Internet safety
- Healthy relationships
- Healthy Relationship decision making
- Healthy Sexual Decision making
- Safer Sex
- Body Image
- Str
- Stigma
- Coping Strategies
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 | BC School Counsellors Association Comprehensive School
Counselling Model Updated in 2021. The Executive of the BCSCA recognized the need for an updated resource that would serve to inform school counselling roles and practices within the province, and which could serve as a quick reference guide to many of the resources that are regularly used by school counsellors.
Note: School districts in BC hold the final decision regarding standards and practices of counselling in schools.
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Why Having Fun Is the Secret to a Healthier Life Catherine Price Have you had your daily dose of fun? It's not just enjoyable, it's also essential for your health and happiness, says science journalist Catherine Price. She proposes a new definition of fun -- what she calls "true fun" -- and shares easy, evidence-backed ways to weave playfulness, flow and connection into your everyday life.
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In partnership with the Government of British Columbia, Ministry of Education and Child Care, we have developed a two-part series to support adult well-being in the K-12 education system.
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Part 1 of MindUP for Educators: The Science and Practice of Self-Care and Mindful Teaching is a prerequisite to part 2 and introduces the research and science on well-being and mindful teaching through the lens of MindUP’s four pillars—neuroscience, mindful awareness, positive psychology, and social and emotional learning (SEL). It offers opportunities to learn, reflect, and develop strategies to help manage stress and support mental well-being.
For more information
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Part 2 of MindUP for Educators: The Science and Practice of Self-Care and Mindful Teaching is designed to promote well-being and build resilience. In this course we explore the field of positive neuroscience and examine mental strategies that can help reduce stress. We revisit the topic of mindful teaching and reflect upon what that feels like in our personal teaching practice. Then, we explore self-compassion with learning, practice, and reflection activities. The course concludes with a guided intention setting experience that will help you solidify your intention for your teaching practice and daily life.
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| Workshops for families and caregivers whose child or youth has been a patient in a psychiatric unit or had an ER visit due to their mental health. Help for the Hard Times workshops are hosted online and facilitated by parents with lived
experience. *Workshops are free but registration is required.
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Every month, FamilySmart hosts free online events for parents & caregivers who are parenting a child or youth with a mental health and/or substance use challenge called “in the know.” We watch a video and share experiences and strategies that help in the hard moments and focus on strengthening our understanding and connection with our kids.
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Understanding, Supporting and Connecting with Teens with Depression
April, 13, 18, 26, 27
Mood rollercoasters are a part of normal development for our teens, but sometimes something more is going on with their mental health. How can we tell the difference? At what point should we intervene, and how can we go about it? If you as a caregiver and feel lost about how to best support your teen struggling with Depression, you are not alone.
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The Hope for Wellness Helpline is available to all Indigenous people across Canada. Experienced and culturally competent counsellors are reachable by telephone and online ’chat‘ 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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APRIL SNAPSHOT TOPIC: The Brain
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| We encourage you to read the information linked above. On May 31, 2022, Health Canada approved the Province‘s request to decriminalize personal possession of illegal substances in B.C.
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Decriminalization came into effect on January 31, 2023 for an initial 3 year period.
Criminal penalties will no longer apply for possession of small quantities of drugs for personal use when abiding by the terms of the exemption.
Trafficking will remain illegal, regardless of the amount possessed.
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Stress, Trauma, and the Brain:
Insights for Educators--The Neurosequential Model The Neurosequential Model in Education, based on an understanding of the structure and sequential nature of the brain, can help educators increase their students’ engagement in learning and mitigate behavioral problems. Listen as Dr. Perry describes the model and its significant impact on how we interact with our students, our own children, and each other. It may be helpful to share these with staff via staff meeting, pro-d, or other.
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| Episode 2: How Stress Impacts the Brain Stress is a natural part of life and we experience it daily. However, we don’t often think about what stress does to our brain, our ability to learn new concepts, get along with others, or recall information. Dr. Perry discusses the impact of stress on students and teachers, and explains how creating a safe, secure environment is critical to allowing students to reach their full potential.
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Episode3: The Power of Connection Relationships are essential to human life. Research demonstrates that when teachers establish a true empathic connection with students, they are able to engage and reengage students in learning, and actually heal and grow children’s brains. Dr. Perry discusses the important role relationships have in learning, and gives us practical ways to do this in the school setting.
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| Episode 4: Regulating Yourself and Your Classroom Human beings are social creatures, and because of that, our moods and personalities are extremely contagious to one another. Dr. Perry explains how students and teachers can often impact each other’s mood and brain function, and shares effective classroom strategies that help keep students and adults calm and regulated, decrease behavior challenges, and improve academic engagement.
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Episode 5: Educator Strategies for the Classroom Research shows that traditional behavioral modification techniques and full reliance on rewards and consequences are often ineffective with the students who need it the most. Dr. Perry lays out several easy-to-implement strategies for teachers and their classrooms, resulting in a significant impact on the overall social, emotional, and academic functioning of the students.
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| Collaborative and Proactive Solutions: 2 Day Virtual Training with
Dr. Ross Greene
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Thu, May 4, 2023, 9:45 AM –Fri, May 5, 2023, 5:15 PM EDTIn 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, using the assessment instrumentation (ALSUP), 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. If you've already attended an introductory training with Dr. Greene, you may want to sign up for the second day. If you're only interested in an introduction to the CPS model, just sign up for the first day. Or you can sign up
for both days. The recordings of both days will be available for viewing following the live webinar. (Usually within 5 days after the live webinar
ends.) Registration Link
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District Mental Health Team Our work focusses on supporting schools and families with students who present with complex profiles that may include emotional, behavioural, mental health, and substance use concerns. We collaborate with district levelled teams and school teams for the purpose of complex problem solving and integrating supports. This also includes collaboration with community agencies (i.e Discovery, CYMH, Police) to develop consistent interventions to offer increased wrap around support to the students and families that we serve. Professional learning opportunities, snapshots, and newsletters are created to promote ongoing education and resource sharing with colleagues, students, and families. Additional work includes VTRA (Violent Threat Risk Assessment) and CIRT (Critical Incident Response Team) response when these needs arise in our school community.
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District Counselling Team Contact Info:
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
Indigenous District Counsellors
Secondary Joanne Mitchell jomitchell@sd61.bc.ca
Middle David Davidson ddavidson@sd61.bc.ca
Elementary
Pam Russ pruss@sd61.bc.ca
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Additional Members of the District Mental Health Team:
District Vice Principal: Christina Pelletier cpelletier@sd61.bc.ca
Deputy Superintendent: Harold Caldwell hcaldwell@sd61.bc.ca
Mental Health Resource Coordinator: Marnice Jones mjones@sd61.bc.ca
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