0:02

TELL ME MORE:

0:04

STUDENTS ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS

0:07

(Brad): Hey there, my name is Brad.

0:09

And today, I’m talking with Heather

0:10

about student mental health.

0:12

So Heather, who can I talk to at school about my mental health,

0:15

or if I have a concern about a friend?

0:17

(Heather): Yeah, so that’s a great question.

0:20

Um, I think a lot of students will start

0:22

by talking with a friend,

0:23

if ever they have a concern for their mental health,

0:26

or possibly another friend’s. But there are some situations

0:29

where you might want to talk to an adult,

0:31

to help get you connected with support.

0:33

At school, we have lots of great choices that, you know,

0:37

people could possibly go to if they feel comfortable.

0:40

I think I would suggest that people start by looking at

0:44

who they feel like they can talk to, and feel comfortable with.

0:48

So that might possibly be a teacher,

0:51

it could be support staff,

0:52

like a child and youth worker. (Brad): Right.

0:54

(Heather): If you’re in a Catholic school,

0:56

might be a chaplain. We also have guidance educators,

1:00

we have student success teachers, resource teachers.

1:03

(Brad): Awesome. (Heather): Your school might have an Indigenous

1:06

or a Black graduation coach

1:08

that you might feel comfortable to talk to as well.

1:10

And then there’s possibly your principal

1:12

or your vice-principal. So those would all be some great options

1:15

that I think students could go to

1:16

if ever they were looking to get connected

1:19

to a regulated mental health professional in their school.

1:21

(Brad): Awesome. Yeah, no, it sounds like we have lots

1:23

of great options to go to.

1:24

That’s great. (Heather): Yeah, for sure!

1:26

(Brad): So, what kind of services are available at school

1:29

to support students with their mental health?

1:31

(Heather): Yeah, okay, great question. So at school,

1:34

there might be a range of different supports.

1:37

It will look different in every school.

1:38

But I would say that every school will be able

1:42

to connect you with a regulated mental health professional.

1:44

So that might be a school social worker,

1:47

a school psychologist, possibly a psychotherapist,

1:49

or even a mental health nurse.

1:51

So they can offer counselling, or help to get you connected

1:54

with resources that might be in your community.

1:57

I think the other thing I would share is that it’s important

2:00

that students know that there are choices

2:02

when it comes to looking at supports,

2:05

so it’s important that you find somebody

2:07

that you feel good connecting with.

2:08

(Brad): Of course.

2:10

(Heather): So that might mean that you’re looking for somebody

2:12

who speaks the same language as you.

2:14

Or somebody who understands your identification,

2:17

or possibly more about your culture and identities.

2:19

(Brad): Absolutely. Um, that’s great.

2:21

What kind of services are available in the community

2:24

or online to help students with their mental health?

2:28

(Heather): Yeah, great questions.

2:29

There’s lots of resources that are available for students.

2:33

You might first begin the conversation, though,

2:35

with somebody at home, that might be a parent, caregiver.

2:40

It might also be a community member.

2:42

You may talk to an elder or a coach, possibly a teacher.

2:46

There’s lots of great options in terms of places

2:49

that students can go to,

2:50

to start the conversation about their mental health.

2:53

In our communities, you can find lots of resources

2:56

that offer free service that are also confidential,

2:59

meaning they strive to keep your information private.

3:01

(Brad): Nice.

3:03

(Heather): There’s three youth resources I’d like to highlight

3:05

that are available for students all across Ontario,

3:07

and they are One Stop Talk, Kids Help Phone, and ConnexOntario.

3:12

(Brad): Can you tell more about One Stop Talk?

3:14

(Heather): Yes. So One Stop Talk is a resource that is available

3:18

to young people in Ontario that they can access themselves.

3:22

They can do this by going online, through a phone, tablet,

3:26

or computer, where they can get access

3:29

to a trained mental health professional.

3:32

There are no waitlists for this service,

3:34

so you can get access right away when you go online.

3:37

(Brad): Very nice!

3:39

(Heather): They’re open Monday to Friday from 12 to 8,

3:41

and on Saturdays from 12 to 4.

3:44

It would say that they’re there to offer counselling to you,

3:47

and offer a counselling session right away.

3:49

They can also help get you connected with resources

3:52

in your community, though,

3:54

if you were looking for that after speaking with them.

3:57

They would say that there’s really no problem that’s too big

4:00

or too small to bring to them and their team,

4:03

they would be happy to connect with you about that.

4:05

And if ever somebody was in doubt,

4:07

they would encourage you to reach out and speak about that.

4:10

They have services in English and in French,

4:13

and translation support available in over 240 languages.

4:16

(Brad): Oh wow! (Heather): Including ASL.

4:18

(Brad): No way, that’s awesome! (Heather): Yeah!

4:20

(Brad): Can you tell me a little more about Kids Help Phone?

4:22

(Heather): Yeah. Kids Help Phone is a great resource

4:24

that’s there to support young people with their experiences

4:28

or feelings that they might be having.

4:30

They’re a resource that’s available Canada-wide.

4:33

They offer support in a range of different language options,

4:36

so there’s lots of choices

4:39

if you’re looking to connect with someone.

4:41

I’d also say that they’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

4:45

(Brad): That’s awesome.

4:46

(Heather): So, if ever someone was wanting to reach out,

4:48

they’re there.

4:50

I would also offer that you can connect with them

4:53

by using a phone, a tablet or a computer.

4:57

They have online messaging, text, chat services.

5:01

They also have some great resources on their website.

5:04

And their services are free, and confidential as well,

5:07

so meaning, they work to try and keep your information private.

5:11

(Brad): Can you tell me a little bit about ConnexOntario?

5:13

(Heather): Yes, absolutely. So, ConnexOntario is a resource

5:16

that’s available to support any person in Ontario

5:20

with helping to find resources in their local community

5:23

related to mental health, addictions or problem gambling.

5:27

(Brad): Interesting.

5:28

(Heather): You can connect with them by going online

5:30

to their website, you can email with them, chat, call.

5:34

There’s a few different options. (Brad): Yeah.

5:37

(Heather): And if you visit their website,

5:38

you can help learn more about how to do that.

5:40

They’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

5:43

So definitely a great option to check our resources

5:46

in your local community, that you might be looking

5:50

for support around mental health, addiction

5:52

or a problem gambling. (Brad): For sure. That’s great.

5:56

KIDS HELP PHONE

0:01

TELL ME MORE:

0:04

STUDENTS ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS

0:07

(Brad): Hi, my name is Brad,

0:09

and today I’m speaking with Marianne.

0:10

So Marianne, how does a school social worker

0:13

support student mental health?

0:15

(Marianne): So, as a social worker,

0:16

a school social worker myself,

0:18

what we do is meet with students like yourself,

0:20

and we talk about things that might be stressing you out.

0:23

It could be family issues, schoolwork, student conflicts,

0:28

and we try to help find tools and find solutions.

0:31

And we can do that one-on-one,

0:33

we can do that in group sessions,

0:36

and we can also do some workshops

0:39

and classroom interventions as well,

0:42

to help reduce stigma and talk about mental health

0:45

in a non-judgmental way.

0:47

(Brad): Very nice.

0:49

(Marianne): We can meet with you privately

0:50

in a, again, non-judgmental setting,

0:53

to work through things that you are having difficulties with.

0:57

So that can be through journal writing,

0:59

it can be through just discussion,

1:01

and sometimes it’s through playing games together.

1:03

(Brad): Oh, that’s awesome!

1:05

(Marianne): And sometimes we help you by working with staff

1:08

and other school personnel,

1:10

to try to find some solutions to help you cope

1:13

with what you’re dealing with, and to empower you as a student.

1:15

We’re here to help.

1:17

(Brad): Is what you talk about in counselling

1:18

kept private between you and the student?

1:21

(Marianne): Good question. We do go over confidentiality

1:24

the first time that we meet.

1:26

We do keep things private, we won’t share with your teachers

1:29

or your parents, unless there is a danger of harm to yourself

1:34

or somebody else is in harm’s way.

1:36

(Brad): Right. (Marianne): Then we will have to

1:39

take other precautions.

1:40

However, when we meet for the first time,

1:43

we always go over that and answer any questions

1:46

that you might have.

1:48

And our first counselling session,

1:49

we always discuss how counselling works,

1:52

and kind of the process of it.

1:54

If we are not the right fit for you,

1:57

we will try to make sure that we find somebody

1:59

who’s a better fit. (Brad): How can I find out more

2:01

about counselling services at my school?

2:04

(Marianne): So in your school, you can reach out

2:05

to a trusted adult. So that could be a teacher, a principal,

2:09

a resource worker, or a child and youth worker,

2:11

and they can always help you get in touch with us.

2:14

At some schools, you can sign yourself up

2:16

for individual counselling on your own,

2:20

and so we’re here to help.

2:21

(Brad): Awesome.

2:23

SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH ONTARIO STUDENT SITE

0:01

TELL ME MORE:

0:03

STUDENTS ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS

0:07

(Brad): Hi, my name is Brad,

0:09

and today, I’m speaking with Dr. Yvonne, psychologist,

0:11

about how a psychologist

0:13

can help support students’ mental health.

0:15

So Yvonne, what is a school psychologist?

0:18

I didn’t even know there were psychologists in schools.

0:21

(Yvonne): Yes, there are psychologists

0:23

in most schools in Ontario.

0:25

I’m a school psychologist, which psychologists

0:28

have special training in things like helping kids

0:32

deal with really tough situations,

0:34

handling their emotions,

0:35

learning challenges and making friends.

0:38

(Brad): How do school psychologists

0:39

help support students’ mental health?

0:42

(Yvonne): Well, we try our best to help kids feel good mentally,

0:45

help them understand themselves better,

0:48

and also help develop some strong

0:50

and healthy relationships.

0:52

And help them succeed in life and at school.

0:54

We may do an assessment, which would involve us

0:57

talking to kids, listening to them,

0:59

and also understanding what’s important to them.

1:02

(Brad): Oh, that’s great. (Yvonne): Mm-hmm!

1:03

Sometimes, we might do some activities,

1:05

like reading, writing or math tasks.

1:08

It might also involve things like problem solving,

1:10

looking at things like your memory,

1:12

or how quickly you can do something.

1:14

(Brad): Interesting. (Yvonne): Yeah!

1:15

And at the end of an assessment,

1:17

we may diagnose a condition,

1:19

like an anxiety disorder, or an attention problem.

1:22

Things like depression, or even a learning disability.

1:24

(Brad): How else could a school psychologist help students?

1:27

(Yvonne): Well, school psychologists can work

1:29

with parents, caregivers and teachers,

1:31

and come up with plans and strategies,

1:33

and put them in place to support kids.

1:35

It could be to do with their learning,

1:37

or with how they’re feeling.

1:38

Some school psychologists may also provide therapy

1:41

or counselling to kids, because learning

1:43

and mental health are very interconnected.

1:45

(Brad): Mm-hmm.

1:46

(Yvonne): Another thing that we might do

1:47

is provide a referral or resources to someone else

1:50

that’s in the community, or in the school.

1:52

What we want to do is provide all the resources we can,

1:56

so that we can help students feel supported,

1:58

and to do their very best.

1:59

(Brad): That sounds awesome.

2:02

SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH ONTARIO

0:00:08.080,0:00:12.240
Hi! My name is Kamea and today I’m 
speaking with Heather, a child and

0:00:12.240,0:00:17.520
youth care practitioner. So Heather, who are 
the student support staff who work in schools?

0:00:17.520,0:00:23.440
So across Ontario school boards, student support 
staff hold many different positions. They can

0:00:23.440,0:00:27.840
be child and youth workers, child and youth 
care workers, as well as child and youth care

0:00:27.840,0:00:33.760
practitioners. They can be graduation coaches as 
well as chaplains. You’ll find them working in

0:00:33.760,0:00:39.120
both elementary and secondary schools. Sometimes 
they hold multiple schools that they support.

0:00:42.000,0:00:46.800
What are the ways in which students support 
staff support mental health and well-being?

0:00:46.800,0:00:52.880
So at the heart of student support staff work 
is building caring connections. And they build

0:00:52.880,0:00:58.640
those caring connections with yourself as 
a student. They build them with families,

0:00:58.640,0:01:04.640
with school staff as well as community partners. 
And this is just so that students understand that

0:01:04.640,0:01:11.440
they don’t have to handle situations or problems 
by themselves. And student support staff role is

0:01:11.440,0:01:17.360
really making sure that they support students with 
their mental health and well-being, especially as

0:01:17.360,0:01:22.960
it pertains to navigating everyday problems. So 
some of the ways that you will see student support

0:01:22.960,0:01:28.800
staff supporting in schools is they are able to 
come alongside students and notice when they’re

0:01:28.800,0:01:33.760
having a hard time with their mental health and 
well-being, and then get them support early that

0:01:33.760,0:01:39.200
will be beneficial to them. You’ll see them 
working in classrooms alongside teachers,

0:01:39.200,0:01:44.640
supporting social-emotional initiatives 
as well as working in small groups where

0:01:44.640,0:01:50.160
they’re building social skills. Student support 
staff, you’ll find them supporting school wide

0:01:50.160,0:01:57.680
initiatives such as mental health fairs as well 
as affinity spaces such as Black Student Alliance

0:01:57.680,0:02:02.960
as well as GSAs. In some school boards student 
support staff work with students individually,

0:02:02.960,0:02:10.000
working on strategies and tools to equip students 
to help themselves. Support staff will also work

0:02:10.000,0:02:16.640
on stress management skills and coping skills, 
and they also help with transitions. So students

0:02:16.640,0:02:23.200
that are transitioning from elementary schools to 
high schools, from high schools to postsecondary,

0:02:23.840,0:02:30.000
as well as supporting students and parents, 
connecting with community partners that students

0:02:30.000,0:02:35.360
identify with and that are able to support them 
with the situations they’re having problems with.

0:02:35.360,0:02:38.400
Where can you find student 
support staff in schools?

0:02:38.400,0:02:43.840
So you’ll find student support staff in the 
daily life spaces of students in schools. And

0:02:43.840,0:02:50.400
some of those spaces include cafeterias 
and hallways, libraries and playgrounds,

0:02:50.400,0:02:56.080
as well as virtual classrooms. And some student 
support staff are in designated areas, like a

0:02:56.080,0:03:02.240
designated classroom or a room or an office. And 
they are intentionally in these spaces so that

0:03:02.240,0:03:07.360
they’re available to students to help them through 
everyday moments that they might be experiencing.

0:03:07.360,0:03:11.360
How can student support staff help if I 
have a concern about my mental health?

0:03:11.360,0:03:16.320
So student support staff play an important 
role in helping students with their mental

0:03:16.320,0:03:22.320
health and well-being, especially as it pertains 
to seeking help. A student support staff would

0:03:22.320,0:03:27.440
be able to come alongside a student who might 
be sharing that they’re having a hard time. Or

0:03:27.440,0:03:33.760
the student support staff might be noticing that 
they are down or stressed or feeling low or blue.

0:03:33.760,0:03:39.440
And they’ll be able to come alongside them to 
connect with them to find out what’s going on,

0:03:39.440,0:03:45.200
as well as find out about the coping strategies 
that they already have that that we might be

0:03:45.200,0:03:50.720
able to activate, but also to get them to 
supports that they might need. And some of

0:03:50.720,0:03:56.400
those supports in the school can look like a 
social worker or a psychologist or sometimes a

0:03:56.400,0:04:02.320
student support staff might connect a student 
to a community support specifically that is

0:04:02.320,0:04:07.840
identity-affirming to the student as well as 
will take care of the situation that that the

0:04:07.840,0:04:12.160
student might be experiencing. We’re here to 
help and that’s the most important thing that

0:04:12.160,0:04:20.080
we want students to know.
Thank you so much.