Mental Health Supports HomePrograms and ServicesStudent SupportsMental Health Supports ASD-S is committed to fostering an environment where students feel safe, supported, and ready to learn. We promote and offer support for mental wellness in many ways, in and out of the classroom. Counselling and Guidance Students seeking support have a number of resources available to them. Many students will start with their Guidance Counsellor, who have graduate-level degrees in counselling and are very well trained and equipped to deal with most of the types of issues we see in our schools, such as depression, anxiety, and personal conflict. What do guidance counsellors do? As well, through Integrated Service Delivery (ISD), the partnership between Education, Addictions & Mental Health, Social Development, and Public Safety, we have nine Child & Youth (C&Y) teams that service our district. These are multidisciplinary teams made up of caring professionals with training in counselling, social work, school and clinical psychology, education, nursing, mental health, and addictions. These teams work with students who require more intensive mental health services for complex needs, such as trauma or mental health disorders, and serve as an additional resource to the counsellors and administrators in our schools. Both schools and families can refer a child to a C&Y team for support. If you believe your child or youth could benefit from services offered by an ISD Child & Youth team, you may discuss it with your school counsellor, or contact a team directly at one of the following numbers: Charlotte County: 506-466-7380 Saint John: 506-658-3737 Sussex: 506-432-2217 If you are a student and in need of immediate assistance call the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868. If you are thinking about suicide or worried about someone else, call or text the Suicide Crisis Helpline at 9-8-8. Lines are open 24/7. Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in the Classroom In our schools “mental health” does not simply mean “mental illness”; a major focus of our mental health services is to promote wellness. This is referred to in education as “Social and Emotional Learning” or “SEL”, which is teaching the skills students needs to remain healthy and resilient. SEL is taught in specific outcomes throughout the K-12 curriculum, and includes things like mindfulness, perseverance, coping strategies, self awareness, and other social and emotional skills. Our curriculum also addresses mental health issues directly, for example in the Personal Development and Career Planning curricula, which includes a suicide prevention unit and is offered to Grade 9 and 10 students. Mental health and wellness is an every-day focus at our schools, who, along with their students, run events, campaigns, and activities that encourage good mental wellness, awareness of mental health issues and resources, and encourage a supportive environment in the school communities. This occurs in different formats in schools and classrooms from grades K-12. Crisis and Grief Response In the event of a crisis, we have crisis response plans designed to support students, staff, and the school community. When a tragedy happens, additional counselling supports are available to staff and students. Two guides are available for families with information on the support services schools provide, and age-appropriate suggestions on how to help your child after a loss or tragedy. Guide for elementary students Guide for secondary students For further information on how to support your child, please contact your child’s school. Frequently Asked Questions If you have a child experiencing emotional, behavioural, mental health or addiction issues, there is help available. We encourage you to discuss these issues with your child’s teacher or guidance counsellor for more information. My child is anxious and doesn’t want to go to school. Is it okay if I just keep my child home sometimes?Families always want to do the best thing for their children, and no parent likes to see their child struggle with anxiety about attending school. However, when students begin staying home, especially in the early grades, they run the risk of developing a behaviour known as school refusal or avoidance. School refusal usually starts in small ways, with a student staying home occasionally, often complaining of anxiety. If this continues, the behaviour will often escalate into a situation in which the student is refusing to attend school at all. The more time the student misses, the greater the loss of learning for the student, and the more difficult re-entry to school becomes. Because of the risks associated with a student developing school refusal, we encourage parents to send the student to school unless there is clear evidence of physical illness (e.g., fever, vomiting). General complaints of uneasiness, stomach complaints, or stated reasons for avoidance (such as “I don’t like gym class”) should not be reasons to miss school. If a student has continued physical symptoms, such as stomach complaints, a visit to the doctor is always a good idea. It is important for parents, however, to also bring concerns to the school, where teachers and counsellors have training to help support students to attend school. Sometimes the concern is anxiety, in which case the school team can take steps to adjust the situations which are causing anxiety and help the student learn skills to manage anxiety. Sometimes the student has found activities which are preferable to going to school, such as staying home with their games and devices. In either case, the school team can help. Families will always have a key role in helping the student return to school and maintain good attendance. The most effective approach is always prevention, so it important that parents of students of all ages are vigilant against school refusal. If your student seems to be developing school refusal or has consistent complaints about school attendance, you should speak to your student’s teacher or school counsellor. For more information on school refusal, please see the following links. Psychology Today: Understanding School Refusal Psychology Today: How to Help a Child Overcome School Refusal My child is experiencing anxiety. What should we do?Anxiety is normal and a common experience for everyone. It is natural for a student to feel some anxiety about things such tests, public speaking, sports, or arts performances. As parents and educators, we do not want to shield students from all anxiety because we know that will not prepare them to function as adults. We want our children to grow into adults who are able to handle strong feelings, including anxiety. To do that, we must teach them skills to manage anxiety, not deny them experiences to develop those skills. It is important for parents and educators to help children and youth understand that experiencing anxiety is normal. It is also important to help them understand that anxiety leads to a choice between coping and avoidance. When we help students develop coping skills, they are able to manage themselves in situations which naturally cause anxiety. If we frequently allow students to avoid stress, we deny them the opportunities to build skills which are needed to function as a well-adjusted adult and to build the resilience needed to cope with life’s challenges. Ultimately, avoidance reinforces anxiety. Sometimes anxiety will be very specific, such as certain classes, locations, or people. For example, a student may be anxious only about gym class, taking the school bus, or specific peers It is essential for families to talk with the student about the cause of the anxiety. If a student is experiencing anxiety and it seems to be beyond your child’s ability to manage and your ability to help, the first point of contact at the school should be your child’s teacher or school counsellor. The teacher and school counsellor can make short-term adjustments to your child’s learning plan while they help them develop stronger skills. For example, a student who is highly anxious about a class presentation, may on this occasion, be given the option to present to just the teacher and a small group of friends rather than the entire class; at the same time, the counsellor would work with the student on strategies such as breathing and focusing to enhance the student’s ability to manage the anxiety. Generally, even when the anxiety seems unmanageable, the student will be able to develop skills to move forward without anxiety being a barrier to achievement. Occasionally, a student will have anxiety so severe it interferes with daily tasks, like attending school. In these cases, students may need to see a counsellor to develop stronger skills to master the situations causing anxiety. Even in this case, avoidance is not a solution. If you are concerned that your student is regularly experiencing severe anxiety that is affecting multiple daily tasks, you should speak to your student’s teacher or school counsellor. If the counsellor is unable to provide the level of support your child needs, they may make a request for service to the Integrated Service Delivery Child & Youth Team. They are a team of mental health and education professionals that provide more intensive mental health services to students. Regardless of who is providing the service to your child, there will always be a role for families in supporting students struggling with anxiety. School, families, and counsellors must work in partnership to ensure the student develops the necessary skills to be successful at school and in life. What is a VTRA, and how do I know my child is safe at school?The most important responsibility of everyone in the school community—including parents and students—is to inform the school principal of threats of violence or suspicions about potential violent behaviour. Often this may be something a parent or student sees on social media. New Brunswick schools use a model of threat assessment called Violence Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) developed by the North American Center for Threat Assessment and Trauma Response. All school principals and school counsellors are trained in this multidisciplinary model and work closely with local police and the Integrated Service Delivery Child & Youth Teams to assess threats of violence in our schools and to implement appropriate intervention plans. If you become aware of a possible threat of violence, please contact your school principal, vice principal, or local police service as soon as possible. If you see something, say something, and we’ll do something. Education Support Services Team (ESS) Support rolesSupports for learning Student Violence Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) - Fair Notice VTRA is a standardized protocol used in schools and communities to identify and manage individuals who may pose a threat of violence to themselves or others. It provides a structured framework to comprehensively examine and address potentially high-risk behavior. Fair Notice for Parents ASD-S is committed to creating and maintaining school environments in which students, staff, parents/guardians/caregivers, and others feel safe. Schools cannot ignore any threat of violence. What is a threat? A threat is an expression of intent to do harm or act out violently against someone or something. Threats may be verbal, written, drawn, posted on the Internet, or made by gesture. Duty to report To keep school communities safe and caring, staff, parents/ guardians/caregivers, students, and community members must report all threat-related behaviours to the school principal. What is the purpose of a student threat assessment? The purposes of a student threat assessment are: To ensure and promote the emotional and physical safety of students, staff, parents, the student making the threat, and others. To ensure a full understanding of the context of the threat. To understand the factors contributing to the person of concern’s (threat-maker’s) behaviour. To be proactive in developing an intervention plan that addresses the emotional and physical safety of the person of concern. To promote the emotional and physical safety of all. What behaviours warrant a Student Violence Threat Risk Assessment to be initiated? A student threat assessment will be initiated for behaviours including, but not limited to: Verbal/written threats to harm/kill others (“clear, direct, and plausible”) Threats made via social media to harm, kill, or cause serious property damage Serious violence or violence with intent to harm and kill Indicators of suicidal ideation as it relates to fluidity (homicidal/suicidal) Weapon possession (including replicas) Bomb threats (or possession/detonation of devices) Hate incidents motivated by factors including, but not limited to: race, culture, religion, and/or sexual orientation Sexual intimidation, sextortion, extortion or assault Domestic, interpersonal, relational violence Gang-related intimidation and violence Fire setting (contextual) Collection Notice ASD-S is subject to personal information privacy laws and will undertake the collection of this information in compliance with the requirements of such laws, including by limiting collection to information that is relevant and necessary to address a risk or threat and by ensuring that information is collected from online sources is only obtained from open source sites. ASD-S will not collect information as part of a threat assessment unless there is reason to believe that a risk exists. Information collected as part of a threat assessment may be provided to law enforcement authorities in appropriate circumstances. For more information about VTRAs, please reach out to your child’s principal or guidance counsellor.