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Everyone in the school community plays a role in supporting student mental health within a trauma informed framework. It is our hope that you and your school teams will consider what new resources may be helpful for the upcoming year ahead as you continue the important work in supporting the mental and physical wellbeing of students and staff. Please reach out at anytime to consult with your district counsellors and district team with any implementation questions.
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| Language Matters!
An Introductory Guide for Understanding Mental Health and Substance Use: A Resource for Educators and School Communities
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LINK to the resource
| This introductory resource on mental health and substance use for school communities aims to facilitate conversations, build common understandings, and support practice. It was created for educators (e.g., teachers, school counsellors, administrators), school support personnel, parents/guardians/caregivers, and health professionals who work with school-aged children and youth. This is foundational knowledge for all and can be used as a conversation starter during staff meetings or planning sessions.
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LINK to the resource
| Compassionate Learning Communities - Supporting Trauma Informed Practice Trauma-informed and compassionate practice supports all students. Learn about the Compassionate Learning Communities Framework, and how the core competencies of communication, thinking and personal and social responsibility in the curriculum are directly tied to the principles of trauma-informed practice.
The resources include four workshop packages, intended to support schools and districts to affirm their current trauma-informed practice and further develop compassionate learning communities that operate within a trauma-informed practice.
These workshops are intended for anyone who wishes to host professional development sessions for staff, or awareness sessions with other groups, or for individuals to view on their own. The workshop packages are flexible and customizable.
They can be used as individual workshops or as a whole professional development suite. School staff, parents/caregivers, and educators can also download brief tip sheets. The resources are to be used in whatever way they are needed.
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LINK to the resource
| Mental Health Literacy
Grades 8-12 (English/French) The Mental Health & High School Curriculum Guide (the Guide) is the first and only evidence-based Canadian mental health literacy curriculum resource designed for use in schools. The Guide is a flexible resource for educators and evidence shows it can be adapted to different school populations and settings.
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LINK to the resource
| Elementary Mental Health Literacy Grades 4-6
(English/ French) The Elementary Mental Health Literacy Resource (EMHLR) is the first of its kind classroom-ready resource designed for classroom teachers to teach students in grades 4-6 about mental health. The EMHLR aims to help students:
- develop skills to obtain and maintain good mental health
- improve the understanding about mental health and mental/neurodevelopmental disorders
- reduce stigma against mental/neurodevelopmental disorders
- promote help-seeking intentions and behaviours when necessary
Watch for professional development opportunities in the fall.
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Both resources are free, easily accessible and include 6 modules The materials are provided in a variety of mediums that include videos, animations, brochures, e-books, face-to-face training programs, and online training programs. They are specifically designed to meet the needs of children, youth, young adults, families, educators, community agencies and health care providers.
If you would like to learn more about mental health literacy, pre-service and current teachers can take a free online 7-module course in its entirety or simply the modules they are most interested in.
LINK to free online course
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| Everyday Anxiety Strategies for Educators K-12 (English/ French)
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What is EASE?
EASE helps educators teach students strategies to address the thoughts, feelings and behaviours associated with anxiety, while also supporting social and emotional learning and the mental health literacy of educators.
Educators have access to a collection of school-based, evidence-informed, curriculum-aligned, anxiety management and resilience-building classroom resources and online professional development courses for use with B.C. students in grades K-12. | To access the resources educators must take the free online, professional development EASE course. There is one for grades K-7 and another for grades 8-12, in both English and French. EASE complements the First Peoples Principles of Learning and supports the integration of locally adapted and applied Indigenous perspectives. For more information about EASE
visit Healthy Minds BC.
LINK to online course
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| Second Step Grades K-8 Every K-8 educator has access to the Second Step program to support students in developing social-emotional skills to thrive both in the classroom and in life. Social-emotional learning (SEL) curricula teach students techniques to:
- Gain confidence
- Set goals
- Make better decisions
- Collaborate with others in work and play
- Navigate the world more effectively
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| SHIFT Sexual Health Education Through workshops, professional development trainings, and resources, Shift Education forges the way for teachers, parents, and caretakers to learn how to talk to young people—including diverse learners about sexuality. Our offerings include:
- The Circuit
- Askable Adult
- Healthy Relationships
- Digital Media Literacy
- Consent Module
SHIFT Website
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Highlighted options:
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The Circuit is an inclusive and comprehensive Sexual Health Education Program for students aged 14-18 years old. This “grab-and-go” lesson involves students moving from station to station in small groups—much like a fitness circuit—learning about different aspects of sexual and physical health, and healthy relationships.
Examples of stations include:
The Healthy Relationships Station – Students learn how to identify healthy versus unhealthy actions in a relationship.
The Safer Sex Station – Students learn about different types of birth control.
The Period Station – Students play games that teach them about periods.
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An online Consent module for high school students. Accessible via personal devices, this self-paced module requires just 20-30 minutes to complete. Topics covered include: Signs of unhealthy relationships, Non-verbal consent cues, Power dynamics and Setting boundaries
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Power Up
Sexual Health Education Workshops and resources are available for K-12 students, educators, and parents. At Power Up Education, we believe “sexual health” includes the social, emotional, spiritual and physical aspects of sexuality and relationships.
Young people have a strong interest and natural inclination to develop their understanding and seek information about sex and sexual health. We believe that we should choose to feed and foster this curiosity in an intentional way to balance and address what children may experience through their online access and social interactions.
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Power Up Website
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Elementary/Middle Video lessons and PDF resources for all ten topics are included. Topics in this 10-part series include:
- Private Body Parts (K-3)
- Safe/Unsafe/Secret Touch (K-3)
- Digestive/Reproductive Systems (Grade 2/3)
- Consent (Grade 2-4)
- Puberty (Grade 3-7)
- Hygiene (Grade 3-7)
- Relationships (Grade 7+)
- Gender & Sexual Orientation (Grade 6+)
- Sexting (Grade 6+)
- Condom Demonstration (Grade 6+)
| Middle/Secondary Topics in this 8-part series include:
- Talking About Consent (Grade 8+)
- Talking About Relationships (Grade 7+)
- Talking About Gender & Sexual Orientation (Grade 6+)
- Talking About Safer Sex (Grade 8+)
- Talking About Sexting (Grade 6+)
- Talking About Pornography (Grade 7+)
- Talking About Sex Trafficking (Grade 7+)
- Condom Demonstration (Grade 6+)
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| Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction Understanding Substance Use: Educator's Guide
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LINK to the Guide
| Designed for education professionals working with youth from grades 6–12 to gain knowledge, tools and resources on substance use, stigma, cannabis vaping, alcohol and impaired driving. Using this guide with the supporting 5 video modules can help educators start and navigate difficult conversations with youth on these subjects. These modules can be used for independent, small group, or whole class education.
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Cannabis and Mental Health The Cannabis and Mental Health Course is a free online 90 minute certificate course for youth created by youth. This is a joint project with the Schizophrenia Society of Canada’s project Cannabis & Psychosis, YouthREX, and The Mental Health Commission of Canada.
Resources are also available for educators, peer support, youth workers, parents and youth allies.
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LINK to the website
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LINK to course
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Toward the Heart
Naloxone Training The revised Naloxone course titled 'Naloxone 101' is now available. This is a self-guided, interactive course on how to recognize and respond to a drug poisoning, including how to use naloxone. This course takes approximately one hour to complete.
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Vaping Education Print resources designed to help youth learn about the adverse effects of vaping and make educated decisions about vaping are available from the Ministry of Health.
LINK to the resource
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This series of informational videos and resources aim to reduce stigma and build the capacity of parents, educators and care providers to identify and respond to youth experiencing suicidal and self-harm behaviours. They were created by an expert child and youth psychiatrist, a team of fellow psychiatrists, and young adults and parents with lived experience.
The purpose of these resource videos is to enhance children and youth‘s mental health by equipping the various adults in their lives with mental health literacy, strategies and support specific to suicidality and self-harm.
LINK to the resource
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| Anti-Racism: A Guide for Teachers This guide from the Ministry of Education and Child Care is not meant to be a step-by-step manual. Instead, it is meant to provide teachers with a useful starting point for teaching various anti-racism topics in all areas of learning. It contains an anti-racism Teaching Guide, which can be adapted to meet the needs of the local community and students. While this guide contains helpful advice and suggestions, teachers will need to do additional research and development based on community considerations, the needs of their students, and other factors unique to their classrooms. This guide is also not meant to be a complete source of information about these topics.
LINK to Guide
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BC Ministry of Education and Childcare: SOGI-Inclusive Education Resource Guide The purpose of this SOGI-Inclusive Education Resource Guide is to concisely share practices recommended by educators who have been actively supporting students of all Sexual Orientations and Gender Identities (SOGI) for years. The BC K-12 SOGI Collaborative prioritized the development of the resource guide to support SOGI Leads and all contributed and provided substantial input.
SOGI Resource Guide
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LINK to the framework
| Digital Literacy and Healthy Online Use British Columbia’s Digital Literacy Framework, introduced in 2015, defines digital literacy as “the interest, attitude and ability of individuals to use digital technology and communication tools appropriately to access, manage, integrate, analyze and evaluate information, construct new knowledge, and create and communicate with others.” It is divided into Research and Information Literacy; Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making; Creativity and Innovation; Digital Citizenship; Communication and Collaboration; and Technology Operations and Concepts, and provides targets in each category for students from kindergarten through Grade 12.
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UBC Learning for Life K-7Learning for Life is an education initiative that promotes healthy lifestyle behaviours and builds digital health literacy skills among intermediate elementary students and families, in BC. Learning for Life provides students with competencies to use technology to support their health, to critically assess information provided through technology, and to balance technology usage with the promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviours, using up to date Canadian guidelines.
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Register Here
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MindUP for Educators: Well-being and Mindful Teaching
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.
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.
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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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Insights for Educators: Supporting Mental Wellness with Bruce D. Perry, MD, PhD The Insights for Educators series helps support mental wellness and classroom success in schools. This is an informative and helpful video series that may be very helpful to share with colleagues at the beginning of staff meetings or during professional development days.
Learn about the brain science behind the power of human connection, interaction, world views and proximity in a way that can be put to use in the learning environment.
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| Episode 1 Building a Connected Classroom Learn about the brain science behind the power of human connection, interaction, world views and proximity in a way that can be put to use in the learning environment.
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| Episode 2 Creating a Safe Environment For every classroom, a positive and productive learning experience is rooted in safety. In this episode, Bruce D. Perry, MD, PhD reviews the brain science and strategies that educators should know in order to create a classroom of regulated students and adults.
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| Episode 3 Creating an Inclusive Classroom In this episode, Dr. Perry provides insight into the brain science and history behind implicit bias. Learn why this normal human trait is a double-edged sword in educational settings, and how teachers can reduce its negative impacts on a day-to-day basis.
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| Episode 4 Reframing Classroom Discipline Bruce D. Perry, MD, PhD discusses why punitive, exclusionary and contingency-based disciplinary models in schools may be having the exact opposite effect they are intended to on students. He reframes discipline in the context of the neurobiology of distress and reward, proposing alternative tactics for educators and administrators.
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| Episode 5 Taking Care of Educators Bottom line: supporting educators improves student outcomes. While many schools have formulated individual self-care plans for teachers, many of these models do not go far enough to address organizational care needs. In this episode, Bruce D. Perry, MD, PhD looks at the key elements of organizational care within classrooms and school districts.
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The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness - Jonathan Haidt The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents - Dr. Lisa D'Amour
Feeling Seen: Reconnecting in a Disconnected World - Dr. Jody Carrington
Finding the Words: Empowering Struggling Students through Guided Conversations - Dr. Hayley Watson
Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom - Kristin Souers with Pete Hall
Kids these Days: A Game Plan for Reconnecting with Those we Teach, Lead, and Love - Dr. Jody Carrington
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Kids, Sex, and Screens: Raising Strong, Resilient Children in the Sexualized Digital Age - Dr. Jillian Roberts
Lost and Found: Helping Behaviorally Challenging Students - Dr. Ross Greene
Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators - Elena Aguilar
Reclaiming our Students: Why Children are more Anxious, Aggressive, and Shut Down than Ever - and what We Can Do About It - Hannah Beach and Tamara Neufeld
Teachers these Days: Stories and Strategies for Reconnection - Dr. Jody Carrington and Laurie McIntosh
What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing - Dr. Bruce Perry
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Maximize Impact of Snapshots
| The Snapshots offer education and resources to our families as they navigate parenting through increasingly complex issues with their children.
The 2024-2025 series of Snapshots we will continue to explore how building strong, positive connections can serve as protective factors in various aspects of a child's life.
Research consistently demonstrates that strong connections—such as those with family and peers, serve as a supportive element against various risks, including mental health challenges.
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Please reflect on your school process for a) sharing the Snapshots with families and b) displaying the posters in prominent space for students and parents to access.
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