Supporting Student Mental Health at the
TDSB
P.I.A.C Conference
Parents Make A Difference
Increasing Knowledge & Enhancing
Confidence
November 15, 2014
Heather Johnson
Social Worker Mental Health & Well-Being System Support
Why are Schools Excellent Places to
Support Student Mental Health and WellBeing?
Schools are optimal settings to:
• Promote positive mental health
• Reduce stigma
• Build social-emotional learning skills
• Work to prevent mental health problems in high risk
groups (students who many have multiple issues)
• Identify students in need of support
• Articulate paths to intervention
SMH ASSIST
What guides our work at the TDSB?
…
• School Mental Health(SMH) ASSIST –a Ministry of
Education implementation support team designed to help
Ontario school boards promote student mental health and
well-being through leadership, practical resources and
systematic research-based approaches to school mental
health
• SMH ASSIST began in the 2011-12 school year and over
the next 3 years, phased in all 72 Ontario Boards
• The TDSB was included at the beginning of Sept. 2012
school year
• An additional Social Worker- Mental Health Training and
Promotion, was hired in Sept. 2014 by the TDSB,
recognizing the scope of the work at the TDSB
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Upstream
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qar
QXqKbmLg
What do we picture when we hear “mental
health?”
What is Mental Health?
“... A state of well-being in which the individual realizes his
or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of
life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to
make a contribution to his or her community.”
World Health Organization
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Mental Health Exists on a Continuum
Clinical intervention for
students with mental health
concerns occurs largely in
partnership with community
and health settings
Tiered Mental Health
Supports
Few
Some
(targeted prevention)
All
(caring classrooms, mental health
promotion, social-emotional learning
instruction, stigma reduction)
Our focus, is to create
mentally healthy
environments for students
and to build skills amongst
students who are struggling
through prevention
programming
All of us have mental health
• It is like physical health – on a continuum which can vary
over time
• It depends on many factors including: life circumstances
and biological dispositions
• Mental illnesses, like physical illnesses, exist with a
range of severity and treatment options
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MH Interventions Can be
Simple Acts of Kindness
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1wWhLzDRIY
The TDSB Commitment is Clear…
Mental Health and Well-Being is essential to
student success.
We will make children and youth mental health
and well-being a priority at the
Toronto District School Board.
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Mental Health & Well-Being Strategic Plan
Creating Mentally Healthy Schools
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Mental Health Belongs to Us
Children and Youth Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy
Highlights of the Implementation of the Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy Year 2
1. High Quality Services and Programs
Ongoing professional learning and training of staff to further understanding and knowledge of
Mental Health and Well-Being:
a) Anxiety
b) Suicide prevention, intervention and postvention
2. A Caring School Culture and Healthy Physical Environment
Mental Health Action Plans and Mental Health Teams in every school
a) Evidence based practices and programs in schools will be highlighted
b) A “Caring Adult” program in every school
3.
Parent and Community Partnerships
Enhance parent and community agency engagement, as partners in supporting students’
mental health and well-being:
a)
A winter/spring Parent Symposium on Mental Health awareness
b)
Other events/workshops/conferences to increase awareness of mental health and wellbeing
4.
A Supportive Social Environment
Expansion and enhancement of anti-stigma initiatives in middle schools and secondary schools
a) A winter/spring Student Symposium on anti-stigma
Promote students’ mental well-being by fostering resiliency, self-regulation and positive selfesteem
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Parent and Community Partnerships
• Expanding and strengthening mental health partnerships
to meet schools needs - utilizing Professional Support
staff to foster partnerships ie. Toronto Public Health
(promoting mental health), Children’s Mental Health
Agencies
• Enhance parental engagement and on-going
communication between home and school – newsletters,
emails, parents education events and members of
School Mental Health Teams. Parent Symposium May
2015
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How do I know when something is
wrong??
• The first rule…”trust yourself”. You know your child /
teenager. Trust what you hear and see.
• Parents can also observe mood changes or behaviours
that seem excessive or unusual which could indicate a
mental health problem.
• Consider frequency, intensity and duration when noticing
an area of concern.
• When behaviour interferes significantly with a child /
youth’s functioning at home, at school or in the
community seek additional help from your school, family
doctor or a community service provider.
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THE RANGE OF TDSB MENTAL HEALTH
RESOURCES
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Social Worker/Attendance
Psychologist
Child and Youth Counselor/Worker
Guidance Counsellor
Speech and Language Pathologist
Occupational Therapist/Physiotherapy
Autism Spectrum Disorder Team
Behavior Resource Team
Safe and Caring Schools
Aboriginal Education Team
Gender Based Violence Team
Student Equity
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COMMUNITY BASED MENTAL HEALTH
RESOURCES
Referrals are also made to our community partners;
•
•
•
•
Children’s Mental Health Centres
Community Mental Health and Addiction Agencies
Family Doctors, Pediatricians, Psychiatrists
Hospital Mental Health Programs – In and Out patient,
and Emergency Dept.
• Parents for Children’s Mental Health
http://www.pcmh.ca/
• 211 Toronto
• Mental Health& Addiction Nurses
Parents and Caregivers are
Important
• The parent-child relationship impacts the child’s and
adolescent’s feelings of self-worth, dignity, identify and
belonging.
• Through interactions with their children and
adolescents, parents are in a unique position to
strengthen these important elements of mental health.
Student Mental Health depends on…
Relationships with
caring adults!
•
•
•
•
•
•
Parents
Caregivers
Family / Friends
Teachers/ School Staff
Community members
Peers
10 Strategies for Parents
to Foster Positive Mental Health
1.
Model good mental health habits. (How do you deal with
stress?)
2. Make sure they get enough sleep!
3. Encourage kids to exercise.
4. Encourage creative outlets.
5. Provide a space of their own.
6. Create a space for kids to talk about their troubles.
7. Help them relax.
8. Have a predictable routine.
9. Foster volunteering and helpfulness.
10. Bring fun and playfulness into their lives.
Think of a Time that You’ve been
pulled, stretched, pressed, bent...
• The question isn’t whether we’ve had challenges
(because we’ve all had challenges!). The question is:
Factors that Make Kids Resilient
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Structure
Consequences
Parent-Child Connections
Nurturing Relationships
A Powerful Identity
A Sense of Control
A Sense of Belonging/Cultural Roots/Spirituality/Life
Purpose
• Fair and Just Treatment
• Physical and Psychological Safety
Dr. Michael
Ungar
RESILIENCY
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Being able to cope well with challenges and bounce back from difficult times
MY R E S I L I E N C Y CHECKLIST
“I have a caring relationship with an adult.”
”
National Sleep
Foundation
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Resources
TDSB Professional Support Services
http://www.tdsb.on.ca/aboutus/professionalsupportservices.aspx
Children’s Mental Health Ontario
http://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca/parents/signs_disorders.php
Reaching In – Reaching Out – Promoting Resiliency in Children – a
Parent Resource
http://www.reachinginreachingout.com/resources-parents.htm
The ABCs of Mental Health – A Parent Resource
www.hincksdellcrest.org/abc
Bounce Back 2nd Edition – Available at
www.mentalhealth4kids.ca
“Student mental health and well-being
impacts everyone and belongs to each of us.”
Donna Quan Director of Education TDSB