Local child and youth mental health agencies and Children’s Mental Health Ontario, which represents nearly 100 children and youth mental health centres across the province, are reminding families that we remain open to provide mental health services in our community.
Now more than ever, Ontario’s community mental health and addictions public providers want families to consider their mental health and well-being during this unprecedented time of COVID-19.
The theme of this year’s Mental Health Week, which was the first week in May, was social connection. Connecting with other people and our communities doesn’t just feel good; it’s good for our mental health. These are trying times for students and parents, and we are here to help. Our Mental Health Team has developed resources and guidance to assist parents in supporting their children during this time.
Student Mental Wellness Resources
Moving forward, we will be using our website and social media sites to bring awareness to the importance of mental health, along with resources and messages of support. Your support in sharing these messages with our students and community would be appreciated. Please follow and share NNDSB Supports on Instagram.
Our Mental Health Team will also be offering interactive webinars promoting mental wellness during these uncertain times for all NNDSB educators and administrators. These webinars are being offered to bring awareness to Children’s Mental Health Week. Our Mental Health Team will share our experiences in providing mental health check-ins and what we have learned about student support needs.
The Mental Health Team at the Near North District School Board continues to offer mental health check-ins for students using virtual and other telecommunication tools; phone, email and video.
Please note, this is intended to be a continuation of the care you were being provided and not designed to provide 24-hour crisis support or emergency service.
The focus of this service is to offer a mental health check-in to students in grades 7 to 12 who were receiving counselling supports at school. In addition, our Social Work team can also provide support and guidance to parents and caregivers and provide mental health check-ins for students that have emerging mental health needs and are not connected to a counsellor.
Please visit our We are Here to Help page for information on how to access these supports and resources.
